Mostly sunny. Hot. High 102F. Winds S at 10 to 15 mph..

Mainly clear skies. Low 78F. Winds SSE at 10 to 15 mph.

As a licensed professional fishing guide, Michael Acosta shows you how to find them. A Granbury resident of more than 35 years, he has been fishing all of his life, and has been a licensed guide since 1998.

The avid fisherperson is out early, and few will venture out mid-day.  What can you do if you get some free time during this unreal blistering summer?  One option is to get your fishing gear ready for when the weather will cooperate.  If you fish for bass, stripers or whatever, I bet you may carry more rods and reels than you need and they all require some maintenance sooner or later.  Good quality fishing gear is not cheap and is definitely worth taking care of.  Taking care of your equipment will take care of you on the water.

One maintenance item is to check your fishing poles.  The biggest problem with fishing poles is the guides.  Guides can be nicked or bent, and if the fishing line is in contact with these damaged guides it will fray and eventually break.  You don’t want your line to break when that fish decides to bite.  Check your line frequently and if you notice a frayed line, check the guides closely.  New braided line can pick up dirt and actually groove the top guide on the pole.  Use replacement guides made of silicon carbide that are extremely hard and resistant to damage.

Cleaning and servicing a fishing reel can be complicated on some baitcasting models.  Little springs and plastic sleeves easily get lost.  Parts will fall out and you may not be sure what order to put them back together again.  Start your work with the manufacturer’s manual/parts list/drawing and have a clean workspace that will allow parts to fall where you can find them.  Also a good set of small tools is recommended.  If you feel uncomfortable with servicing your own equipment, take your reels to a qualified repairman.

Sand, grit and dirt are your enemies.  The performance of your equipment will definitely be better with your reels clean.  One small grain of sand can disable an audible click alarm.  As you take apart your reels, clean the outer surface with soap and water.  Internal parts can be cleaned or rinsed in a mild solvent or WD-40.  Dry the internal parts with a lint-free rag/cloth and grease with the manufacturer’s recommended grease/oil.  This is usually light grease or oil that won’t interfere with the equipment’s operation and won’t cake up in the winter.  Light liquid oil is used on reel handles and other parts that turn/move.  Some reels use light oil everywhere.

If you notice any damaged or worn parts, replace them.  Common problems on baitcasting reels include bent handles, worn drag parts, and dirt in the pawl on the level wind.  On spinning reels, the biggest problem is with worn bail rollers where the line comes off the spool.  If you are not going to use your reels for a while, back off the drag to minimize stress on the drag parts.  If you happen to need parts, be prepared to order these parts and they may take several days to receive.

Keep your reels free of moisture as best as you can, as moisture is probably the No. 1 cause of damage (corrosion).   Saltwater requires special care and special equipment that is resistant to corrosion.  Serious saltwater fishermen have to do much more maintenance on their equipment if they expect it to last.  Remember our Brazos River has a high salt content as well and will rust anything that comes in contact with it — including reels.

If you don’t have the time to work on your equipment, grease and clean where you can and periodically take your equipment to a qualified service.  I like to lubricate my reels each time I replace the line.  That is probably more than is needed, but this forces me to get it done and I usually don’t forget.   

Pray for rain.  Water levels are approximately two feet low and falling.  Water temperatures are in the upper 80s to low 90s.  The water is hot.  Lake Granbury sand bass and small stripers continue to be good to excellent most days. Schooling fish are surfacing generally real early and late near Indian Harbor and near DeCordova.  Crappies are good to excellent on small minnows and jigs fished near submerged timber and bridge pilings.  Catfish are good on cut bait fished near creek entrances and in the back of sloughs.

On other reservoirs, Lake Whitney is reporting limits of striped bass to 10 pounds plus on the lower end of the lake on live bait.  Possum Kingdom Lake continues to boast on big striped bass on live bait and trolled jigs.

michael.acosta@att.net | 254-396-4855

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