Handy fishing items make fishing much easier. These are a few that you might not think of that we use on our charters. All of our fishing items are quite inexpensive. It doesn’t hurt so much should you happen to lose them overboard or misplace them.
Nail Clippers
One of our favorite tools is a pair of toe nail clippers and are available at places such as CVS and other drug stores for under four bucks. They come in handy for cutting fishing line and trimming tag ends. We keep clippers in both front pants pockets because they are easy to get at. 50 lb test line is no match for a new toe nail clipper.
Sharp Pocket Knife
Another handy fishing item to have on board on your person is a sharp pocket knife. Not only can you cut fishing line with it, but a knife is a good tool to salvage snelled hooks. The snell is easily cut by sliding the knife blade up the shaft of the hook through the mono.
Metal Punch
Perhaps the most handy of all tools to have if you fish meat is a punch. A metal punch with a shaft diameter of 1/16″ is perfect for knocking out toothpicks out of cutbait heads. It was first shown to me by the late, great, Kevin Davis, God rest his soul. On our boat, we have it hanging from the center downrigger with 50 lb test fishing line.
Fish Bat
Last, but not least, is an item we use for safety, and being humane as possible to the fish. Its a miniature baseball bat! Here’s the aluminum bat we use from Bass Pros as pictured below. All fish that we plan to keep get a sharp rap to the brain to euthanize the fish. This prevents the fish from flopping around with hooks in its mouth and possibly impaling the mate or angler near it!
Check out some of these related posts: https://acecharters.com/blog/using-rubber-bands-for-rigging-coppers-and-spoon-rods/ https://acecharters.com/blog/blacks-releases-and-why-we-use-them/ https://acecharters.com/blog/controlling-the-drag-with-rod-bend/ Fishing reels for Lake Ontario