That's done, so let's move on to our boat and trailer. They need some tender loving care as well, and with no fishing happening, now is as good a time as any to get on with it.
Starting with the boat, a general clean-out should be the beginning.
Lay out everything for inspection. All emergency gear should be first: life vests, flares if applicable, and if any other gear has a use-by date, check and see if it is current. Next is a bailing bucket and oars or paddle, ropes and anchor. Once checked, put to one side.
Clean the inside of the hull and get rid of any rubbish. Take the bungs from the boat, then give it a good hose-down and let it dry. Don't forget to put the bungs back in.
Check the hull for any damage.
If the engine is an outboard, drain all the fuel. It the fuel is two-stroke you can use it in your lawn mower. Outboard motors should be stored vertically, don’t lay them on their side.
You can check the impeller on the water pump for wear as well.
The trailer should also have a going-over. The most important part is the wheel bearings; re-grease them as well as the bearing buddy if you have them fitted.
Check the tyres for wear and make sure they are inflated to the recommended pressure.
Then, look at the wiring, and the tail and brake lights should be checked to make sure they are working.
If your trailer is fitted with brakes, they will need to be checked as well.
It's basically all common sense stuff, but it will give you something to do during these times of lock-down.
Make a check list (another thing to fill in time) and last but by no means least put the boat battery on a trickle charger so that it will be ready to go when we do get back on the water.
Still looking for something to fill in your time?
Well, a friend of mine with a warped sense of humour was towing his boat and trailer along Hume Hwy on a fishing trip to Port Phillip Bay. He got as far as the outskirts of Melbourne and suffered a trailer breakdown.
While he waited for a spare part to be delivered, he decided that he would climb in the back of the boat, get his rod out and drop a line in a puddle beside the road.
As you would imagine, he received quite a few odd looks from passing motorists, until the sight got too much for police, who pulled up behind him.
The officer inquired as to what he was doing and my friend answered that he was fishing for flathead.
He was then asked how he was going, and he answered ``you are the fifth so far''.
Fortunately for him, the police officer had a sense of humour — otherwise the only bailing that would have been done would not be to empty water from the boat.
I have checked the levels in our water storages, and, while they are low, we are expecting a better season for rainfall this winter and this should give them a boost.
Lake Hume is well below 20 per cent capacity, while Dartmouth — which is on the Mitta and Dartmouth rivers and is one of its major suppliers of water for the Hume — is now below 50 per cent. Eildon is around 38 per cent; but, should fishing restrictions be lifted at the end of May, it should be okay for fishing. The rivers too are at reasonable levels and are looking good.
Now that the weather is cooling down and we are spending more time in the garden, perhaps it's a good time to start cultivating a worm patch as a bait supply. Dig over a likely spot and work in plenty of mulch like vegetable scraps and the like, cover the area with an old piece of carpet or hessian and keep moist, but do not drench it as this can drown the worms. Keep working it over and keep adding food scraps, and I also heard that cow manure (as long as it is not too fresh) is good for worms to feed on as well. The worked-over ground will also be good for growing plants.
So until next week, stay at home, stay safe and keep washing your hands. We are getting through this and hopefully it will be all over sooner rather than later.
