5 items every fisherman should have
We fishermen carry a lot of crap around with us when we hit the water. Sadly, it seems like every time we head out we realize something we forgot to bring... usually at the worst possible moment. You remembered your rod, reel, tackle box, hooks, weights, lures, leaders, etc.... but here is a list of five things you may not realize you needed:
Tools of the Trade
5. REEL LUBE/OIL:This is one you may feel is expendable. After all, you take remarkable care of your rod and reels at the house don't you? Your reel should be nice and oiled up before you even leave the house, right? This is true. However, what happens when you drop that rod in the sand, or worse yet, in salt water? Your going to want to get it cleaned up soon as possible. Like any porn star will tell you... never forget the lube!
4. FISHING LINE: Sounds stupid right? Your reel is full of line so you're good to
go don't you think? Think again. What are you going to do when you snap
your line a half dozen times on a pesky hang up and then some monster
fish comes along and spools your reel? Then what? Other than a lot of
cursing, you would be out of luck. Always carry a spool of extra line in
your tackle box. You never know when you are going to need it.
On that same note, it is also helpful to carry some 100+
pound monofilament line as well. This stuff is too heavy duty for your
reel (unless you are fishing for Jaws) but it makes perfect leader line.
That way, even if all your wire leaders are destroyed, you can still
keep fishing.
3. LEATHERMAN MULTI TOOL:These are really handy little tools. Instead of carrying a bait knife, needle nose pliers, screw drivers, etc... around, you carry this one little tool and you are good to go. Now, there are a vast number of brands available, your probably wondering why I recommend LEATHERMAN. Well, it's because they are the best for the money. The cheap brands are just that.... CHEAP. They will not stand the test of time, much less hold up to the beating they will take on a salt water fishing trip. Best to buy something that will last. You can't go wrong with this leatherman. Oh, and in case you were wondering, no, I have not been paid a dime by Leatherman. I TRULY believe in their product.
2. CAMERA: Fisherman the world over are NOTORIOUS braggarts. Ask any one of us and we will tell story after story about our impressive catches and the infamous "one that got away". Unfortunately, this reputation means your coworkers won't believe a word you say the next day in the office when you tell them about the monster black drum you caught and released the night before. The digital age has finally ended that frustration. Hell, most cell phones have fairly good quality cameras these days. Your best bet is to get a small, cheap digital camera to keep with your tackle to prove yourself to the naysayers.
1. FISH FLIPPER: This little device you should remember from an earlier article. It's an
absolute life saver. No matter how hard you try, you are GOING TO CATCH
TRASH AND UNDERSIZED FISH! It's going to happen. Rather than waste time
de-hooking the fish and cleaning slime off your hands, just whip out
your flipper, flip it off the hook and VOILA! your line is back in the
water and back in the game! Check out the video to the right for an example of how this bad boy helps. You'll never have to touch another slimy hardhead catfish again! No more getting finned either! This is a MUST have.
