FISHING is meant to be fun, but like most enjoyable activities, there’s a cost involved. I’m not talking about a monetary cost (although there’s plenty of that), I’m talking about hard work and discipline. While that hardly sounds fun, being organised and ensuring your gear remains top notch and your next trip goes ahead without any problems, is something we should all be doing.
Returning from fishing
What you do after returning home from a fishing trip is crucial. Regardless of how long or short your fishing trip was, now is the time to get organised for your next day out. The idea is, upon returning from fishing, boating, or whatever outdoor activity you enjoy, don’t relax until everything is washed, dried and packed away ready for next time. If your boat ramp has wash-down facilities it will really help. Not only are you washing salt off your boat immediately, it also gets this chore out of the way nice and early. When you get home, usually the boat is dry and it’s ready to be stored until next time. Then it’s just a matter of cleaning your fishing tackle, packing away loose lures, leader material, etc, and keeping it neat and ready.
Make a list
This idea came about after returning from multi-day trips away. There was always something we forgot, something we took and didn’t use, or just something needed fixing before next time. Make a list. Packing lists are common, but there’s no point making that list just before a trip. Make the list while it’s still fresh in your head and keep it for next time. It will make packing easier and your next trip more enjoyable and productive.
Gear storage
I can’t claim to be an expert on this. Only after a recent house move did I realise how badly organised my fishing tackle had become. Moving house will reveal cracks in anyone’s storage strategy. The good news is there are many products out there to help you organise and store your fishing gear at home or on the water. The problem multiplies when you fish for a large variety of species and change between boats, kayaks and landbased fishing.
Over time you’ll accumulate many boxes of lures. Things get messy when you “borrow” lures from one box to chase a different species. I try and avoid this and keep my lures in smaller boxes. If I need to split the lures up, I’ll simply take the whole box instead. At home, label the boxes and stack them neatly so they’re easy to grab before a day fishing.
If you own a boat, it’s a good idea to keep pliers, leader material, nets, terminal tackle etc in the boat at all times. That way it’s simply a matter of choosing your lures depending on location and species and using the terminal and rigging gear already onboard.
Invest in water proof or water resistant tackle bags to hold your lure boxes and gear and carry onboard your boat or wherever your fishing takes you. This subject deserves much more space.
