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Outdoors

Daily fishing report

Windy weekends create a great opportunity to do maintenance and are a great time to fill reels and check the line guides on rods.

Changing line eliminates many frustrating situations. After a few knots and re-tying a few times, a reel's spool starts to empty. With a full spool you increase casting distance and have confidence in knowing the line is fresh.

Don't overdo it: Overfilling the spool can be trouble. Most spinning reels spin line clockwise onto the spool, so make sure the line comes off of the filler spool counterclockwise. If not, you will have line twist before the first cast.

It's good to put a little tension on the line as it is being reeled onto the spool; reeling between wet pieces of cloth pinched between your fingers puts the line on snug and protects your fingers.

It's not necessary to fill the entire spool every time. The line deep on the spool rarely sees the light of day and usually is in good shape. Tie a good line-to-line knot and reel 50-100 yards of new line over the old. The line at the bottom of the spool should be changed once a year or so.

Line guides sometimes crack and should be checked. Line running through a crack is a recipe for disaster. Some people run cheesecloth or stockings through the guides to check for snags.

-- Dave Walker charters out of Tampa. Call (813) 831-0355.

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