McClory: Winter: A good opportunity to rearrange your fishing equipment

The last time you went fishing, did you just drop your tackle boxes in the corner of the garage or basement? Did you leave everything tangled and disorganized in your tackle because you had to quickly move on to the hunting season? Winter is a good time to get them out and rearrange your equipment so you won’t be in a mess come spring. Start by sorting lures and replacing hooks that have rusted beyond hope. Any lead weight should be put aside for now. Next item would be to strip down and replace the fishing line on your favorite reel ? you know, the old standby that sat in your hot trunk baking the monofilament line all summer long. You can also spend time in winter tying up a batch of your favorite streamers or flies in anticipation of the spring fishing season. If you are not a fly fisherman and aspire to be one and want to learn to tie your own flies, you are in luck. At Field Headquarters in January and February, the Division of Fisheries and Wildlife will be offering two free fly tying clinics. Join Jim Malo with the Angler Education Program from 7-9 p.m. at the DFW Field Headquarters, 1 Rabbit Hill Rd. (off North Drive), Westborough to learn about tying flies! The first clinic, Basic Fly Tying, will take place Jan. 17, 19, 24, and 26. The second clinic will be Advanced Fly Tying and will be held on Feb. 7, 9, 14, and 16. Space is limited; enroll by calling Jim Lagacy, Angler Education Program coordinator at (508) 389-6309.The Division of Fisheries and Wildlife (DFW) reminds all freshwater anglers that as of Jan. 1, 2012, the use of any lead fishing sinkers and lead jigs weighing less than one ounce is now prohibited in all inland waters (freshwater) of the Commonwealth. In terms of this regulation, “lead sinker” or “lead weight” is defined as any sinker or weight made from lead that weighs less than 1 ounce. A “lead jig” is defined as any lead-weighted hook weighing less than one ounce. Prohibited tackle includes lead sinkers and jigs (weighing less than an ounce) painted, coated with some other substance or with attached “skirts.” In 2009, the Fisheries and Wildlife Board unanimously voted to prohibit the use of lead sinkers and jigs weighing less than an ounce with the provision that the regulation go into effect Jan. 1, 2012.With the unseasonable warm weather and lack of snow, broodstock salmon stocking began on Dec. 12 and should be completed by the end of the year. This year, each district will receive 60 fish, all from the Division of Fisheries and Wildlife’s Roger Reed State Fish Hatchery in Palmer. The fish will range in size from 5 to 18 pounds, with an average weight of about 10 pounds each. There will be no broodstock salmon available from the White River National Fish Hatchery in Bethel, Vermont, this year due to the extensive damage to the hatchery from flood waters caused by Tropical Storm Irene earlier this fall. To find out which lakes and ponds are stocked, contact the DFW District office in Ayer (978) 772-2145; Belchertown (413) 323-7632; Bourne (508) 759-3406; Dalton (413) 684-1646; or West Boylston (508) 835-3607. I did take a look at the stocked water for the Northeast district and notice that Sluice Pond wasn’t included this year. If you are a salmon fisherman and enjoy fishing Sluice Pond for these beautiful fish you may want to consider a phone call to the Northeast district office in Ayer to voice your concern.Assuming we get a much-expected cold snap, ice should start to form on our local lakes and ponds to kick off the ice fishing season. We started using a new ice fishing trap made locally here in Massachusetts that outperformed all of the many different traps we’ve tried in the past. The anti-wind flag trip system is the smoothest and the best on the market. The Indian Hill Ice Trap is a heavy-duty lightweight trap. All the hardware on the trap is stainless steel, brass, aluminum, or copper. It is made of oak that is sealed with a water sealer. The trap with the flag closed is 30″ long with a