The winter months are typically a time for anglers to catch their breath, wind down a bit and begin their preparations for the upcoming season. For kayak anglers, this holds true but for many, it’s the time year to perform heavy maintenance to their rig. There are several factors to consider when performing some upkeep on the kayak. First and foremost, this is the time of year to thoroughly clean your entire kayak. Over time, the more you let your rig get dirty, the easier it can be for certain components to break down faster. And for those who pedal, make sure to include your pedals in this cleanse as well. Here a couple things to consider replacing or upgrading before the upcoming season.

Making sure your kayak is ready to go can mean a few things. One being the need to replace certain parts that may acquire some wear and tear over time. An overlooked part that gets worn down on a kayak are the bungees. The cords that keep all your important gear tied down or held secure from falling out of your kayak can wear down over time with the mix sun, dirt and getting wet. You can very easily replace these bungee cords instead of dealing with heartbreak of them snapping and losing important and expensive gear.

In addition to your cords, something a lot of kayak anglers run into is worn down handles. When transporting and carrying a kayak, these handles take on the entire weight of the kayak and therefore can wear down rather quickly. Pending your model of kayak, this is an easy and inexpensive replacement and one that will be worth doing to remove any room for error on worn down handles.

There are some extra upgrades that can be made to the kayak that can improve the kayak fishing experience going into the new year. If your kayak has scupper holes and you’re annoyed of always getting your feet wet, a scupper plug kit can be a quick and easy fix. With these scupper plugs you can simply insert them into the scupper holes and remove them to drain any pooling water.

As well as if you paddle, a simple paddle clip can make life much easier on the water while casting or fighting a fish and not having to worry about your paddle sliding off the kayak and into the water. Simply install a paddle clip where you would like on your kayak and never worry about your paddle getting away from you again. Lastly, for those kayak anglers who have fish finders or any device on the kayak that utilizes power, this is the best time of year to check all your wiring and rewire if needed. Nothing worse than making your first trip out and having your gear fall apart or not operate correctly. Take this time of year to go through your setup from bow to stern and update or upgrade as needed.