10 Signs That You're Getting Ready for Fishing Season

The sun is shining, you don't need eight layers of clothes, and you've finally taken your boat out of storage (insert an extra loud "YEEHAW!" here).

The sun is shining, you don't need eight layers of clothes, and you've finally taken your boat out of storage (insert an extra loud "YEEHAW!" here). Although, you do have to admit that there may have been a few days when you felt like you just might lose it while patiently waiting and getting ready for fishing season.

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Not sure exactly how ready for fishing season you are? Well, I'd say that if any of the below ten signs sound familiar to you, you're pretty much ready.

You have organized and re-organized your tackle box at least five times over the past week.
You keep staring at the fish in your aquarium while wondering if they'd hit on topwater.
You try rubbing your thumb against a piece of sandpaper just to get the feeling of having "bass thumb" again.
You order a pizza with anchovies, and then spontaneously decide to pluck the anchovies off of the pizza so that you can save them to use for bait.
As you are driving to work, you notice that your neighbor has one of those mailboxes that looks like a bass. You decide to pull back into your driveway, get out your rod, and start casting at it like mad.
You looked into the fountain at the indoor shopping mall and could have sworn you saw a school of tailing redfish.
You've seen every episode of "River Monsters" and "Wicked Tuna" twice.
You start tying your shoelaces together using a Double Uni Knot.
You've taken your largemouth bass mount down from the wall and set it next to your bed… because you want it to be the first thing you see when you wake up in the morning and the last thing you see before you fall asleep.
You've already researched at least twenty new places to boat and fish and have checked the solunar tables for the next five months.

If some of these signs that you're getting ready for fishing season sound familiar, be sure to have your valid fishing license handy or buy a fishing license online today. Then, put that piece of sandpaper back in the garage and call up your favorite fishing buddy. And once you catch that fish, be sure to share your best on the water moments with us using hashtag #FirstCatch — first of the day, first of the season or first of a lifetime! We want to see 'em!

Photo credit: Peacock bass mailbox image courtesy of Steve McDonald, Jr.

Debbie Hanson

Debbie Hanson is an award-winning outdoor writer, women’s sport fishing advocate, IGFA world record holder, and freshwater guide living in Southwest Florida. Hanson’s written work has appeared in publications such as Florida Game & Fish Magazine, BoatUS Magazine, and USA Today Hunt & Fish. To learn more about her work, visit shefishes2.com or follow her on Instagram @shefishes2.