Avoiding illness on a fishing trip comes down to a handful of habits: pack stomach and seasickness medication, be careful what you eat and drink in unfamiliar places, use seasickness patches correctly, and tell your destination ahead of time about any medical or dietary needs. Nothing ruins a trip you have been dreaming about like getting sick and spending your fishing days on a bucket. On this How 2 Tuesday I brought in Elliott Stark, who wrote the book on travel fishing, for his best advice. This is an audio episode, so listen along as Elliott lays it out.
Listen now: press play in the player above and follow along.
Elliott Stark's advice comes down to preparation. Always pack stomach medication like Imodium and some Tums, since they take up almost no room in your bag and a bad stomach can cost you days of fishing. Be cautious about unfamiliar food and water, bring seasickness remedies if you need them, and call ahead about any medical or dietary needs. As Elliott puts it, it is much better to sit in a fighting chair than to sit on a bucket all day.
Elliott always brings stomach medication such as Imodium A-D and Tums, because a stomach issue can wreck an entire trip and those items take up almost no space. If you are prone to motion sickness, pack seasickness pills or a patch. The point is to carry the basics with you and not assume you can buy them once you arrive, because in remote places you often cannot.
Elliott's rule is to use judgment. At a reputable lodge, eat whatever you want, but in a new place you are not accustomed to, be wary of things like raw lettuce, food that has been sitting out, or anything you are unsure about. If you have a question about it, maybe just do not eat it. The same goes for tap water, which the rule of thumb is to avoid. When in doubt, skip it, because it is not worth losing fishing days.
Use it as directed and do not double up. Elliott shared a story about a guy who wore a patch for a few days, washed it off in the shower, then put a fresh one on without removing the old, effectively double-dosing himself and seeing things funny, so know what you are doing with the medication, follow the instructions, and do not stack doses.
Yes, and Elliott calls this one of the most important tips. If you have a medical need, a dietary restriction, an allergy, or a condition like diabetes or a predisposition to heat or cardiac issues, call ahead and tell them so they can be prepared. Things can go wrong fast even 45 miles offshore of New Jersey, let alone somewhere truly remote, so bring what you need and let your hosts know in advance.
I have done it, and I have watched a lot of other people do it too: you save up, you build up a trip you are genuinely excited about, and then something goes sideways and you get sick. Now you are there for five days and you only fished two because the other three you were down. That is the nightmare Elliott helps you avoid, and it is almost always preventable with a little preparation. Press play in the player above.
Some of Elliott’s advice clearly comes from experience, and I told him as much. When somebody is that specific about stomach medication and seasickness patches, you get the feeling they have spent a day or two on the bucket themselves. He has traveled to fish more than just about anyone I know, so when he tells you to prepare, it is worth listening. Press play in the player above for the stories behind the tips.
The trips you look forward to most are exactly the ones you do not want to lose to a stomach bug or a bad reaction to a patch. A few ounces of medication and one phone call ahead of time is cheap insurance.
Elliott Stark wrote the book on travel fishing, and it is available at fishtraveleat.com. If you travel to fish at all, his advice is worth your time. Press play in the player above.
Elliott Stark · Fish Travel Eat · travel fishing · Imodium · seasickness patch · international travel · food and water safety · How 2 Tuesday · Tom Rowland Podcast
How 2 Tuesday is my weekly series where I break down one fishing skill at a time, from knots and casting to gear, tactics, and the habits that make you a better angler. Watch and listen to every How 2 Tuesday episode from Tom Rowland.
Elliott Stark is a writer and travel angler who literally wrote the book on travel fishing, available at fishtraveleat.com. He has fished all over the world and shares hard-won, practical advice on how to travel for fishing without letting illness or logistics ruin the trip.
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