How's your planning and preparation for the coming season going? Fresh line on your reels; gear is organized and ready; you've checked out your boat's safety gear and it's ship-shape; are you making lists for the things you need? These are just a few of the off-season activities that will have you ready to go when the weather and fishing are cooperating. Of course, in some parts of the country that's happening right now. In the N.W. unseasonably moderate temperatures, falling rivers and fresh steelhead are proving to be quite a diversion. In southern California there's no lack of offshore opportunity as charters continue to post impressive numbers. And in the southeast, there's been some dynamite fishing for redfish. Of course, this is only a thumbnail sketch of what's going --- in most parts of the country you won't have to look long or far to find worthwhile fishing opportunity. But if it's good now, it will be better in a few months. This is a great time to go through all your gear. Get the gunk off your rods, service your reels and change off old hooks. With oodles of sport and boat shows underway it's also a great time to get stocked up on everything you need. These shows are wonderful opportunities to connect with pro's, attend seminars and glean information that will be invaluable on your next trip. A storm of fishing opportunity is on the horizon, now's the time to enjoy the calm and ready yourself for a year of adventure and indelible memories.

Be careful out there. The "hard water" may not be thick enough for fishing with unseasonably warm weather in otherwise generally chilly locales. Just this week some ice fishing tournaments have been cancelled and warnings have been issued by state DNR's related to thin ice. Certainly, don't cancel any plans that have been set or assume that the derby you're interested in fishing has been cancelled without first checking. Be forewarned that if you're headed out to fish the ice that you'll want to check with your local game officials first for any relevant info or warnings. Ice fishing is a wonderful way to enjoy a few hours in the outdoors and has been enjoying some serious popularity the past few years but like all fishing and boating activities --- information is power and safety is tantamount.

I plan to go fishing in wilson pond in wilton maine.Would like any info. anybody may have on fishing this pond.

Great question John! The answer to your question about catch and release and treble hooks is...it depends. Generally, in smaller sized hooks, and most flies, a single barbless hook is best for successful/effective catch-and-release fishing. However, several states have studied and documented that single hooks, like siwash hooks, especially larger siwash hooks, can get caught in a fishes gills and cause more damage than a smaller treble hook might cause. It's precisely this reason that the rule for single barbless hooks was changed on Oregon's storied Deschutes River. Hope you find this answer useful John. Still, single barbless hooks are universally regarded as the "gold standard" in catch-and-release. In nearly all situations they are a better choice than treble hooks. And it's for that reason that you see single barbless hooks used for everything from small stream trout to big game billfish and everything in-between as a primary catch-and-release choice. I hope this answers your question John!
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