Dust off that old fishing gear for Free Fishing Day and beyond

Free Fishing Day is June 13, and it’s a great opportunity to be outdoors and get acquainted with Idaho’s great fishing spots. Fishing is an inexpensive sport because you can get all the gear you need for about $50 (or less). But odds are good you have some old fishing gear laying around the house, or someone in your family has some you can borrow. You can also check garage sales or second-hand stores. Even if it hasn’t been used in years, it will probably still catch fish. 

So dig out that old, trusty, dusty fishing gear and let’s get it ready to fish. 

The rod (aka fishing pole) 

Does it have all the eyes intact? Great, it’s probably ready to go. If it’s a sectional rod, check if the sections come apart. If not, put some penetrating oil on it, such as WD-40 or Break Free. The sections should easily disassemble and reassemble. If they won’t come apart, you can still fish with it, it will be just a little trickier to transport. 

Next, check the reel seat. Chances are good there’s already a reel on it, but check the locking ring to see if it’s still functioning. If it’s corroded, apply more lubricating oil, or if it has a reel that feels solidly attached, leave it alone because there’s no urgent need to replace the reel so long as it’s working properly. 

The reel

These come in many shapes and sizes, but all reels must do two things: reel in line, and let line out. If the handle cranks freely, it will probably reel in line, so you’re off to a good start. Now figure out if it will let line out. Depending on the type of reel, this is accomplished by flipping the bail on a “spinning” reel, or pushing a button a “baitcaster.” 

If your reel does those things, you’re probably ready to go. But there’s another thing to check and that’s the drag, which allows line under tension to gradually unspool in case you have a fish pulling hard enough to break the line. Drag is important, but if you’re catching smallish fish, such as panfish or trout under 12 inches, it’s not critical. 

The line

This is probably the most overlooked thing if you’re resurrecting old fishing tackle, and what will most likely to ruin your fishing trip because it will be kinky and tangle easily. If the reel hasn’t been used in a year or so, replace the line. Line is inexpensive, and you can replace the line yourself, or take the reel to a sporting goods store or tackle shop and have them do it. 

Basic bait and tackle 

Now we’re getting to the fun stuff, and it’s no exaggeration to say there are millions of things to put on the end of your line to catch a fish. 

But a few pieces of basic tackle will catch nearly any fish, which includes hooks, weights (or bobbers) and bait. An earthworm will catch a huge variety of fish and is probably crawling around in your yard, but it may be easier to spend a few bucks on a dozen nightcrawlers.

Consider those items your starter kit. And if for some reason you have a working rod and reel, but no tackle, you can get all of them for about $10 or less. 

Lures

If you have a tackle box with some random-looking lures, give them a try. Even if it’s grandpa’s old tackle box, there’s no reason that what worked then won’t still work now. It helps to know what fish a particular lure was designed to attract, but a lot of lures look nothing like anything in the natural world, and they can catch a surprising number of fish species. 

If you notice they have rusty hooks, or their silver, gold or bronze finishes have tarnished. You can buy replacement hooks for a fraction of what a new lure costs, so go ahead and replace them. If they’re tarnished, a small piece of steel wool will brighten them. 

Where to go

Now you have all you need to go fishing, and Idaho Fish and Game can help with that. Fishing is free on June 13, meaning no fishing license is required for people 14 years and older on that day. (Children 13 and younger are not required to have a fishing license in Idaho.)

Next take a look at Fish and Game’s Fishing Planner, which provides information about nearly every body of water in the state that has public fishing.