Items to add to your fishing trip checklist

A successful day on the water isn’t just about how many hungry fish there are. So much of a good fishing trip depends on how prepared you come. There are so many elements to consider when packing for your excursion; weather, location, type of fish you’d like to catch…they can all make a huge difference in determining what you bring along. However, there are a few basics that should not be overlooked. Add these items to your fishing trip checklist, and you’ll be ready for (mostly) anything.

Safety Precautions:

Not just for you, but for your vessel (if you fish by boat). An air horn, whistle, lifesavers, flares, life jackets, and other emergency gear are necessary to have when boat fishing. Regardless of where you fish from, having a pair of needle nose pliers, a small multipurpose knife, and a first aid kit is key–and can really save you in a pinch.

The tools you need to catch the fish:

These are the real basics: rod, bait, and a cooler to put your catch in. These items will vary greatly depending on what your aim is, but it’s always a good idea to bring a few rods and both live bait and some non-living bait to see what gets some bites. The cooler will ensure that your fish stay fresh as you continue to look for more.

A well-stocked tackle box:

This was covered in greater length in its own blog post a while back, but it cannot be stressed enough how important a fully stocked tackle box is! Along with your safety gear, your tackle box will hold spares of everything–line, hooks, anything that could possible get destroyed while fishing. You should have a few different assortments of bobbers, weights, plastic works, and other things to catch the eye of your prey. Beyond that, it holds the most top-secret tools of the trade…those favorite hooks and flys that help you in your fishing routine.

Weather Gear:

There is nothing worse than having to cut a trip short because your sunburn is getting unbearable, the bugs are eating you alive, or you are freezing. Know the seasonal conditions of the areas you fish in, and make a point to pack a bag full of some extra gear, just in case. It could be the difference between coming home empty handed, or coming home with dinner.

Photo credit: musicanys / Foter / CC BY-NC