The mercury cracked the 60-degree mark for the first time this spring, and nearly all the snow is off the ground. Now we just need some warm rain, sunshine, and maybe a couple of windy days to break up the ice and kick off the open water season.
The itch is already upon me, and I spend much of yesterday afternoon going through the boat making a checklist of the work that needs to be done: New spark plugs for the outboard, new pump for the aft livewell, make a small repair on the front casting deck, and repack the trailer bearings.
I made a side trip to Reeds Sporting Goods in Walker, and picked up a few things to replenish the tackle box as well: a few new Booyah spinnerbaits to replace some than got mangle in the fall when the bite was hot & heavy; several shallow-running crankbaits, and an assortment of jigs and trailers.
50 days til the opener!
