Now I am going to assume you have the obvious things like fishing line, rod, reel, and a way to fish whether it be by foot, kayak, or boat. These items are designed to make your life on the water or preparing for the water much easier. You may have some of these already. These are the 10 things that I will always have on me while fishing or at home preparing for a fishing trip.
I know some may have never seen these. If I had to choose between pliers or these I would choose these. They can get into the smallest of places and remove the hook so much easier than traditional pliers.
The smaller the mouth the better these guys work. If you fish for smallmouth bass it can sometimes be hard to get pliers to open up in their mouths. Crappie or bream are even harder. These things get a tight grip around the hook and pull it out with ease every single time.
Pro Tip: Handling fish can be dangerous at times. The fish can start flopping and easily put a treble hook into your hand. When handling fish you want to get a tool on the lure as fast as possible. That way you can control things a little better and not get hooked. A lot of times I will let the fish lay on the ground and get this tool on the hooks first before I pick up the fish. This brings me to my next point.
A great fishing day can be ruined quickly by getting a hook in your hand and not being able to get it out. If you do not have a good set of wire cutters you may not be able to get the lure out of your hand, arm, or leg safely.
I hear so many times someone getting a hook in their hand and rushing to the emergency room or Dr.s office to get it removed. As crazy as it sounds getting the hook out of your hand is a piece of cake with wire cutters and braided line.
Most of the time people get stuck by a hook it will be treble hooks. So the first step is to remove the hooks that are not stuck in your body. The wire cutters can easily cut the split rings and get the other hooks away from your body.
After that, you want to cut the split ring that is attached to the hook that is in your body.
So now all you have is a hook in your arm without anything else attached. Now take some braided line and tie it around the bend of the hook that is in your arm. It is best if you have another person assisting you but can also be done by yourself most of the time. You will apply a little pressure to the eye of the hook and give the hook a quick yank with the braided line (no stretch) and it comes right out. The best thing about this method is that it is absolutely painless.
I cringe when I hear people saying they pushed the hook through the flesh and pulled it out. This way is absolutely awesome. Here is a video demonstration of this method in action. If it is good enough for Kevin Van Dam, it is good enough for me.
A line remover is essential for all anglers. A lot of these also come with hook sharpeners which is pretty cool. When it is time to change line this thing makes it happen a lot faster. I have one that I keep at home and one that I keep with me on the boat at all times.
Having it with you while fishing and some extra line is important as well. We have all been there where we get a backlash so bad that we have to cut our line. Or we get snagged and lose a ton of line and do not have enough line to fish with. Bring some extra line with you fishing and a line stripper and you will be good to go.
Eye protection is very important.
Here are three reasons I wear good polarized sunglasses.
I want to protect my eyes from the sun. The sun in your eyes all day will absolutely do damage to your eyes. It hurts and will give you a headache. Protecting your eyes is important since God only gave us two of them
Protect your self from hooks. Your partner that you are fishing with may not always be paying attention. Having sunglasses over your eyes to protect them is a good idea. You do not want to get a hook in your eye that could do damage that is not repairable.
I can see through the water like a superhero. Having good polarized sunglasses is like having X-Ray vision. If you are fishing for bedding bass you want to be able to see in the water. You will be able to see fish or beds when other anglers cannot. As you will see in the video below I am fishing right next to another angler (he encroached me just to be clear). He could not see the fish. Having good polarized glasses are key. Sure you can get some at Walmart for 15 dollars. This is something I will not cheap out on. I love Costa’s and have always been able to see what I needed to with them.
These are an absolute must. Fingernail clippers will not cut through your braided line. You should go ahead and buy a couple of pairs of these. I always have three pairs on my boat. If you use braided line than you need to have these. Braided line is great because you can tie a leader to it for whatever presentation you need. It will also save you money in the long run.
They are also good if you need to cut the skirts of your jigs and spinnerbaits. Or if you just need to cut your line to retie. I always have scissors with me when I go fishing.
Do not be that guy or gal that exaggerates your fish catches. Have a good scale and accurately weigh your fish. I also like to take a picture of the weight so my friends believe me. I prefer this type of scale with a strong clip as opposed to the scales with a hook on them.
The hook can damage the fish gills and are also hard to keep fish on.
Handling fish and safety is very important. If you have a fish flopping around with treble hooks than grab a pair of these and pick the fish up and then try and get the hooks out. Do not reach down with your hands and risk getting stuck by a hook.
Also, if you are fishing with kids these are great. My kid in particular was scared of holding fish. This was a great way to get him started handling fish. Take these with you whenever you fish. The trigger also makes it easy to release the fish. They are fantastic if you are fishing for anything that has teeth as well.
Yes of course you need pliers. However, try and get yourself pliers that are designed to open up split rings.
I personally like to change my treble hooks out to better hooks. These split ring pliers still work great but have a little opener at the top to open those split rings up.
Either hat above will work. Your personal preference is up to you. The circular hat will protect you from the sun a little better obviously.
What I love is that I can cup my hands over the baseball cap lid and see in the water better by blocking the rays of the sun.
Both of these hats have their perks.
Last but not least a stainless steel water bottle. Hydration is key on the water or outside. By using a water bottle like the ones above you can keep your water cold longer.
Have some water with you every time you go fishing to stay hydrated.
