Fishing Opener Gear Guide
A guide informed list of “before the season” must haves
Photo Credit:
Richard R
@sepro
Whether this is the year you get back to more fishing or you’re a dedicated angler who senses the season like a walleye heading to spawn, we asked fishing guides and outfitters what’s on their pre-season checklists. Their responses shaped this list of tackle and kit items to add or inspect.
Some suggestions are replacement purchases for gear lost to last season’s snags. Others focus on refreshing and maintaining equipment so it won’t fail when it matters.
That “it was so big it broke my decades‑old line” is a familiar fish tale — actually landing that fish this year would top it every time.
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