10 Things You Need in Your Tackle Box (not what you think).

Most of the time, when you think about what you need in your tackle box, it is likely that the first considerations will be fishing tackle.

Do I have enough worm weights, enough hooks? How many top water lures should I put in, what color of plastic worms or which trout flies.

Often, things that should be included are overlooked. This page is to remind you that being prepared can save you some headaches.

1: Fishing Pliers: Good enough quality to cut line, and, or cut a fishing hook.
Clipping the Trilene knot off close to the the hook is very handy, or loosening a nut on your fishing reel, but more importantly if you get a hook embedded in you, or your partner does, being able to clip the eye off the hook to remove the lure or push the hook on through can save you some pain.
Having a 1-1/4 ounce slab dangle from the back of your head as the boat you are in pounds the waves of a rough lake on your way back to the boat ramp will make that $15 pair of fishing pliers you passed on seem like you missed the deal of a lifetime.

2: Salve: For bee stings, scorpions, spiders, or any of the crawly things you might encounter. I hear liquor takes the edge off just as well, but that's just hearsay.

3: Pain reliever: Tylenol, aspirin, Motrin, or others, to help with that migraine while your partner spends the next eight hours fishing, with you lying in the bottom of the boat with a wet cloth over your face, taking it off at his insistence, just long enough to see the six pound bass he caught. Memories.

4: Antiseptic: A small pad in a foil pouch will do for cuts, scrapes, hook sticks, and other minor injuries to keep from developing an infection. Tough guys can do without this, just ask my friend, Two-Fingers Bill.

5: Heavy Duty Flex bandage: Works for the same reason as number 4 and can also be used to patch a ripped boat seat in a pinch. Clear ones will match the seat color better than the flesh colored ones.

6: Sunscreen: You know why. If your reel gets squeaky, this will fix it temporarily, until you can get some reel oil. Come to think of it, maybe you would be better off packing reel oil with SPF15 added to it.

7: Roll of electricians tape: Repair fishing rods in a pinch, temporarily patch a leaking water or fuel line, can be used as a butterfly in an emergency to pull a cut together long enough to fish that great looking cove, or rock ledge before leaving the lake.

8: Knife: Fillet, pocket, or Bowie. Your preference here, just as long as the blade is sharp so that if you need to fight a bear for that trout you just caught, you will be on even terms. It might also come in handy to cut branches for a sled to drag your partner and his broken (leg, back, whatever) the 3 or 4 miles back to the truck. If you happen to look back to see how he is doing and step on a Copperhead, see #9.

9: Snake Bite Kit: There are probably worse things than being bitten by a Cotton Mouth, like maybe not having the kit to siphon the venom from the bite. You could probably leave this out, after all, look how old you are, and you haven't been bitten yet, right?

10: List of phone numbers: For the area you are going to be in for the closest hospitals, towing service, emergency clinics, boat repair places, golf courses (fish might not be biting), bars (better than an emergency room waiting area while they work on your partner.)

Just remember that a fishing trip is all about fun. Just relax and enjoy yourself. What could go wrong?