On the Kenai Peninsula, spring cleaning creeps from the living room to the garage to the tackle box. With warmer weather, it’s time to start thinking about what needs to be done around the house to insure a great day on the river.

“I have my own ideas because it’s all personal,” Brian Miller of Trustworthy Hardware and Fishing said. “It’s time to fish out your tackle, clean up your gear and restock… A lot of people don’t do that until their first fishing trip, but it’s always good to restock.”

Miller said it’s important to make sure everything is working before your first day on the water.

With reels, cosmetics are the first thing to check. It’s important to clean off any gunk or grime, whether it be stale fish scales or old dirt.

Adding new line to a reel is also an important step to starting the fishing season off strong.

“The earlier you get it all together the better,” added Scott Miller of Trustorthy. “Change you line and make sure everything is working. Push the release, check the drag. Get all of that salt and grime out of there. Make sure you’re checking the working order of the reel before you bring it in to a service center, so you have a good idea of what needs to be done.”

Most importantly, be prepared and be ready for an exciting summer of fishing.