KAYAK KORNER: FORGET THE GROUNDHOG! GET READY FOR SPRING!

Spring is coming, and with it, some of the best days for fishing. Our Kayak specialist Zachery Warren has learned the hard way that preparing early can be very beneficial when the temps start to rise- especially when the sun warms the shallows. Here's Zach's checklist for the beginning of the year:

1. Start small. Bring your tackle boxes to your work area and begin to tackle boxes inside and

begin to organize the mess you left a few months back. Do an inventory check. Do you have enough hooks, weights, jigs? Are the hooks sharp? Do you have your favorite colors? Snip off all the old tags of line. When you get on the water, you want to be ready to grab a lure and go. Make sure you've got all your plastics in order. Throw away any that have been used. The scent is gone and the plastic weakened by time. If you need more of a specific color or size get them now. A lot of things at the online tackle stores are already out of stock, and backordered, so you need to be prepared to take a road trip to find what you need.

2. Check your line! Better yet, you probably need to change it out and re-spool. Having the right line, fresh, with no nicks, knots or memory is even more important than number 1.

3. Make sure your reels are properly greased, and test your drag for each rod. This could be crucial when that pre-spawn mama decides to hit. Check your rod guides and make sure they are smooth and not causing line problems.

4. Let's move to the kayak. Check your electronics, batteries, lights, your sensors (did all the

knocking around loosen or change their position? Make sure everything, including your anchor system, and safety gear are in order. Do you need a fresh CO2 cartridge for the life jacket? Check the overall soundness of the vessel. Check all your seals on waterproof boxes. Is the silicone still sound? How about your anchor lines and bungee chords. Are they showing signs or weakness or excess wear? How's your, measuring device? Does it need replacement? Fresh batteries for your scale? Do your pliers need grease? Did someone borrow your braid cutters and not return them? You need everything ready when it's go time.

5. Put some time in to study. Zach is always reading, or watching videos on new techniques, refreshing on old ones. Spend time watching tutorials- there are a lot of good ones, especially for electronics. Also take the time to update your maps and waypoints.

When you think you are ready, tighten the reel seats on your rods, tighten your rod holders. Don't leave anything to chance. One, last thing.... #LiveThePassion. Good luck to all this season!

The angler behind Kayak Korner, Zachery Warren, from Denison TX, is a carpenter. He works to

build houses while teaching young people who have faced challenges to not only learn a trade, but also learn to fish. Zach has become a well known competitor on the Texas and Oklahoma Kayak Bass Tournament scene and has become increasingly competitive. He holds the Largemouth Bass record on Oklahoma's Durant Lake- an 11.3 lb. monster. He is pro staff for The Reel MVPs baits and is a frequent contributor of Kayak Fishing articles to the iBass360 blog.