The ten cheap things that determine success in fishing are inexpensive, easy-to-lose backups, a hook remover, a wire straightener, an extra hat, extra sunglasses, an extra buff, extra sunscreen, cutting dykes, a small first aid kit, an extra pair of pliers, and a spare boat plug, that quietly make or break a day on the water. In this How 2 Tuesday I run through the list I built with Jason Stemple and Jake Perry, because as the SEALs say, two is one and one is none. Press play above and follow along.
Listen now: press play in the player above and follow along.
The list is a hook remover, a wire or leader straightener, an extra hat, extra sunglasses, an extra buff, extra sunscreen, cutting dykes, a small first aid kit, an extra pair of pliers, and a spare boat plug. None of these cost much, but each one solves a problem that can shut down or ruin your day. The theme is redundancy on small, easy-to-lose gear, the stuff you do not think about until it is gone.
Because forgetting it ends your day before it starts, and almost nobody carries a spare. You pull the plug to drain the boat, it flies out, and when you get to the ramp you are done. I keep extras in three places: my truck door, my boat bag, and in the bilge right next to where it goes. You are simply not going fishing without a boat plug, so carrying backups is the cheapest insurance there is.
It is a redundancy principle I picked up from SealFit Kokoro. If you only have one of something important and you lose it or it breaks, your day is over. So for critical small gear, carry two. Hooks removers, straighteners, plugs, and pliers all blow out of the boat or get lost easily, and many of them do not float. Having a backup means a small mishap stays small instead of ending the trip.
Sometimes the only way to get a hook out, of a fish or out of yourself, is to cut it. I once put a hook through my thumb and went through three pairs of pliers trying to bend the barb when a pair of cutting dykes would have solved it instantly. They are cheap, they take up no room, and they handle the situations regular pliers cannot. A tip: vacuum-seal non-stainless tools with a little oil so they are rust-free and perfect the day you finally need them.
An extra hat, an extra pair of sunglasses, an extra buff, and extra sunscreen. If your hat flies off mid-day with no replacement, you cannot see and you get sunburned. A five-dollar pair of polarized sunglasses or your old broken pair means you still have polarized lenses if your good ones go overboard. I vacuum-seal a spare buff so it never mildews and keep it in my tackle bag, it is one of the few things I would actually turn the boat around for.
It came together on the boat with Jason Stemple and Jake Perry while we were filming Into the Blue. We got talking about the little, cheap things that make a big difference, where carrying a couple of these items can exponentially increase your enjoyment or productivity. The list is a mix of gear that protects you, gear that keeps you fishing, and gear that prevents the one small failure that ends a trip.
I was in the boat with Jason Stemple and Jake Perry filming Into the Blue when we got talking about the little, cheap things that make a big difference on a trip. The realization was simple: carrying a couple of these items can exponentially increase your enjoyment or your productivity, and forgetting one can wreck the whole day. I tell the stories behind each item in the episode, so press play in the player above.
The thread running through the entire list comes from SealFit Kokoro: two is one and one is none. If you have only one of something important and you lose it, your day is over. Most of this gear, plugs, straighteners, removers, blows out of the boat or does not float. Redundancy is the whole point. I explain how I store and stage my backups in the episode, so press play in the player above.
Here is how I group the ten items so they are always aboard. I cover each one with a story in the audio.
I walk through each of these in the episode. Press play in the player above and follow along.
None of this is glamorous gear, and that is exactly why people skip it. But the day a hat blows off, a plug pops out, or a hook ends up in your thumb, these cheap items are worth more than any rod in the boat.
Spend an afternoon building your kit and stashing backups. It is the least expensive upgrade you can make to your fishing, and it pays off the first time something goes sideways. Press play in the player above.
Jason Stemple · Jake Perry · Into the Blue · SealFit Kokoro · boat plug · cutting dykes · buff · polarized sunglasses · hook remover · wire straightener · Bass Pro · Frabill · How 2 Tuesday · Saltwater Experience
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.
I'm Tom Rowland, a professional fishing guide based in the Florida Keys, host of the Tom Rowland Podcast, and the longtime host of the Saltwater Experience television show. On the podcast's How 2 Tuesday series I break down one practical skill or lesson at a time, from fishing technique and gear to the habits that make you a better angler, in short, focused episodes you can put to use right away.
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