I finally get to go fishing in September!
Buddy told me he hasn't had his u-boat in the water since spring. We agreed that tomorrow the trout are in trouble.

Which brings me to preparing for a day on the water....

Check your equipment.
It only happened once, but I got to the lake with my uncle and he realized he hadn't loaded the boat motor. There was no way he was going back down to tell his wife, so we ended up renting a boat for the day. Not cheap, but a great shared adventure with my uncle.

So now, I go through EVERY piece of gear before I leave.

Check the rod to make sure the guides are still smooth. The reels (I always carry three, a floating line, a sink tip and a full sink line on separate cartridges.) I make sure my line is in good shape and carry plenty of extra tippet. The last thing I want is to not be able to fish because I ran out of tippet!

The belly boat gets blown up before I leave town. Just to make sure there are no leaks. I double check my flippers, the pump, waders and everything else I need to get "on the water."

And I always go through my fly box. I have a few "go-to" flies that never fail (more on this after tomorrow's trip) and make sure they're in good shape and the barbs are pinched.

Can't wait to hit the water!

Trout beware.