Making a list as fishing tradition lives on

You know those projects you keep putting off, the kind that when you finally get to them you feel so much better having gotten them done? I have one of those projects coming up. I’m just waiting for the spirit to move me.

One day soon I’ll be organizing all my fishing gear for the 2020 season. I’ll be dragging all my tackle boxes and bags, rods and reels, snaps, grippers and other accessories into the living room and plopping them in the middle of floor. That’s how I do it; it’s a tradition, hooks in the carpet and all.

This year will different, though, because my main, big, old tackle bag accidentally fell into Blue Marsh Lake.

Last year while fishing with my buddy, Bob Entler, of Temple, my tackle bag fell overboard. Bob was experiencing engine trouble and had difficulty bringing his huge bass boat to plane. The bow had to rise about 50 degrees before it leveled off, and as the boat angled up, my bag tumbled off the rear deck and plopped into the lake.

This happened near State Hill Boat Launch, and I didn’t notice it was gone until about an hour later as we fished to the upper no-wake zone.

Worse yet, I had placed my car keys and wallet in one of the bag’s side pockets, and my spare car key, driver’s license and credit cards were all in my wallet, which I prayed had not sunk to the bottom of the lake.

Bob turned the boat around and we retraced our trip along the lakeshore. The only thing we spotted was a floating log in the distance as we searched all the way past the island and into the big cove beyond State Hill ramp.

We came up empty. So we retraced our steps again. We got near that floating log again, and I asked Bob to take a closer look.

Miracle of miracles, it was my tackle bag and not a floating log after all. Somehow the bag had stayed afloat, which was especially miraculous considering how much terminal tackle was in it.

Everything was still in the bag, but what a mess draining the water from it and removing all of the storage boxes full of watersoaked lures and jig heads.

I lucked out with my remote-controlled car key, which still worked after floating for an hour in the lake.

So this year when I sit in the middle of my living room floor sorting through my fishing gear, I’ll be making a long list of items to replace, starting with my tackle storage bag, which tore as Bob hefted it out of the lake and into the boat.

I’ll need new storage boxes, too, and I’m looking around at replacements. I got a recommendation from pro bass angler Grae Buck of Harleysville, who will be competing in the 2020 Bassmaster’s Classic in March. He is the only Pennsylvania angler this year to achieve such an honor.

Buck recommends the Plano Pro Guide storage boxes, which he said have red seals around the lids that prevent condensation and protects hooks from rusting. He’s also using thin packing foam that comes with furniture deliveries to line the box and absorb moisture.

I have learned that Plano has introduced a new line of storage boxes called the Edge series, which I’m considering, too. There are 10 styles, ranging from general storage to lure-specific types, which claim to be moisture-proof, and each has a unique system for storing particular lures, large and small. I am especially interested in the spinnerbait storage box because I never seem to store them with the respect they deserve.

Contact Roger Mallon: 610-371-5060 or sports@ readingeagle.com.