Time to prepare for fishing season is now, not when the weather warms up

FOWLER, Ill. — The hinges creak as Buster Elliott swings the wooden door open.

“I better bring some WD-40 out here with me next time,” he said. “That sounds awful.”

Sure, lubricating the hinges will help, but in zero degree weather, some creaking is expected.

“Don’t be afraid of the cold,” Elliott said. “You’ll be taking those gloves and the jacket off in no time.”

At that moment, he lit the wood-burning stove and shoved a couple of small logs inside. Within minutes, the flames were dancing and the heat started radiating. Fifteen minutes later, the small room was warm. Thirty minutes later, it was nearly sweltering.

“Told you it would get warm,” Elliott said as he placed two small pieces of wood inside the stove. “I’d spend all winter out here if I had enough wood. I’d need a bathroom and a kitchen, too.”

An old refrigerator is as close as he comes to either, and it is always stocked with plenty of cold beverages and usually some snacks. Venison sausage, cheese and crackers keep him happy, and the freezer is filled with deer steaks, three or four ducks he killed early in the fall season and a large number of catfish fillets.

“We didn’t have as many fish frys last year as we have in the past,” Elliott said. “The pandemic made some people scared and had some people not being as social. So we have some left over for some winter dinners. I’m not complaining. I love eating catfish.”

The only thing Elliott enjoys more is catching them.

His pursuit of what he calls “the tastiest fish in the water” is why he braved the cold to spend time in his workshop. It won’t be long before the temperatures warm up, the frozen lakes and rivers thaw and he can get back to his favorite pastime.

He better be ready when that time comes.

“There’s a trip south planned in March,” Elliott said. “I know my buddies are getting their gear together and will have everything prepared. If I don’t do the same, I’ll be low man on the totem pole. The guy who catches the fewest fish is the one who has to clean them.

“It’s been a couple years since I’ve had to clean any fish. I want to keep the streak going.”

The preparation for that starts now.

On this day, Elliott wanted to re-string his reels. He decided to use a heavier pound test, putting 30-pound test line on his baitcasters. The diameter of the heavier pound test takes up more space on the reel, so he can’t use quite as much. But because he’ll be fishing near rocks and shores on large lakes, he doesn’t need 200 yards of monofilament.

“I need something that is going to hold up to the conditions,” Elliott said. “Last year, I snapped my line a few times. That’s not going to happen this year.”

Elliott also decided to re-string his spinning reels. Although he prefers using a baitcaster, he always takes backup reels and equips a rod and reel with the easiest setup possible in case his 10-year-old nephew comes along again.

“I want him to have something easy to cast, easy to reel, easy to hold on to,” Elliott said. “The easier it is for him to use and maneuver, the more he’s bound to enjoy. I want him fishing for the rest of his life.”

Introducing him to fishing trips at a young age is a good start.

“My dad and uncles took me and my brothers fishing from the time we could walk,” Elliott said. “I still remember the first overnight fishing trip we went on. Coolers of beer for the adults, coolers of soda for the kids, sleeping in hotel rooms, getting up before the sun and fishing all day.

“I was hooked. I want my nephew to have those memories, too.”

And waiting until March to prepare won’t allow Elliott to be ready to provide that experience.

“I hope I have enough wood for the remainder of the winter,” Elliott said. “I’m going to be out here a lot.”