“Where’s Jack?”

That is a question Barb has no trouble answering April through October. If I’m not fishing, golfing or otherwise occupied away from the house, she knows the likely answer is, “He’s out in the garage.”

Our garage is Fishing Headquarters once the season rolls into high gear. It’s the home-off-the-water for the Bass Cat when it isn’t on a lake or river and it’s the base of operations for strategic planning and tactical preparation.

I enjoy puttering around the boat when I have idle time. And when a fishing trip is on the horizon, I can think of few better places to be other than in the garage getting the boat and my fishing tackle ready for action.

Garage time is cathartic. It’s good for the soul and even helps soothe the bones. When I’m in the garage, there are no conflicts bigger than deciding what lures to tie on the rods and reels going to the lake.

Selecting the right stuff can be work. It varies from lake to lake. What I do on Lake Erie is much different than what I do on the Ohio River. Our local reservoirs also present varying conditions that make it foolish to go with a one-size-fits-all game plan. What works on Shenango is not necessarily what I need to do at Milton.

People who do not fish may not appreciate the effort required to succeed on the water. It’s not luck that defines the successful fisher; it’s hard work.

Two hours alone in the garage, sitting on the Bass Cat’s deck with the boxes of lures within reach and the rods at hand, is my pre-game ritual. As my hands get busy, my brain begins to slip into fishing mode. I forget about problems and see the water, feel the sun and imagine the possibilities.

I suppose it is similar to the ball player who goes to the locker room a few hours before kickoff, first pitch or tipoff to get head and body ready for the big game ahead.

Being ready on the water depends on great attention to detail. The simplest of tasks are just as important as the biggest decisions.

No angler wants to be the victim of Murphy’s Law. If it can go wrong, it will out on the water. Line must be spooled evenly to avoid bird-nest messes. Knots have to be perfect or they’ll break under pressure. Hooks need needle-point sharpness. Lures should be stored in orderly fashion and exactly where the angler expects to find them on the boat.

All of that and more make the fishing trip proceed smoothly. But there’s much more, of course, particularly in the maintenance of the boat, the outboard, and the systems and accessories. An ounce of prevention in the garage pays off in tons of assurance out on the lake.

Today’s marine electronics can work just as hard for the angler in the garage as they do on the water. I can noodle around a lake map on my Lowrance while parked at home to study contours and waypoints that will be likely to produce tomorrow while fishing.

The garage really is a happening place. It even includes the reinforcements for the tackle box when a hard day’s fishing results in depleting the inventory of plastics and other lures stored on the boat.

“Fishing” really is a lot more than simply casting and cranking. I do a lot of my “fishing” while the boat is parked in the garage.

It’s all in a day’s work for the well-prepared angler.

So perhaps it might be more accurate the next time someone asks Barb, “Where’s Jack?” for her to declare, “He’s working.”

Jack Wollitz’s book, “The Common Angler,” dives into the highs and lows that combine to make fishing a passion for so many people. He appreciates emails from readers. Send a note to jackbbaass@gmail.com.