Privacy Policy

 

 

 

 

Steelhead & Salmon Fishing Checklist

Be Prepared! – The old Boy Scout motto still works today. The more well prepared you are for a day’s fishing, the more likely you are to enjoy the experience. I remember having one fishing rod, one small tackle box, and a stringer. Preparing for fishing meant going out in the back yard, digging a few worms, and I was off. Well times certainly have changed!

Now our fishing trips have turned into fishing “experiences” and there are far more things that we consider to be “necessary” in order to have an enjoyable time. Add to that the loss of a few gray cells due to age and a checklist has become almost mandatory!

The following lists are fairly general in nature and may include things that are not of interest to you. So I recommend that you copy the list to your computer and customize it for your own use. Print off a copy the day before your fishing trip and make sure you have completed your preparations prior to leaving home.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

General - Here are a few general comments and tips:

Make it Easy! I have made up several duffel bags with some things permanently left there – it makes preparation far easier and much quicker. I have a bag for a change of clothes. It contains underwear, pants, shirt, sweater, socks, and an old pair of shoes/boots. I have another for first aid, and finally, I have one full of electronic goodies. GPS, camera, batteries, flashlight, etc.

Each duffel bag has a list of contents that has been laminated and a pad of paper and pen so I can write a note to myself each time I remove something from the bag so it can be replaced, once at home. I review the list during the night before a trip to serve as a reminder/refresher of what I have available. A good tip is to purchase some desiccant and keep some in each duffel to avoid mold/mildew, fowl odors, etc.

Like most fishermen, over the years Ive accumulated more and more tackle. I have segregated my "stuff" into separate tackle boxes for the type of fishing Im going to do, ie one for float fishing, another for drift fishing from the bank, and still others for the various types of boat fishing. I even have a tackle box specifically for plunking, stored away for those days when the rivers are almost blown out.

Beware of Vandals - Please consider the growing vandalism problem. Your truck full of goodies parked along the side of the road, or in a remote park, or at the river's edge has become a target. Some criminals actually cruise popular fishing areas and routinely break into fishermen's vehicles. So the key is to take what you think you need, but also understand that things left in your car may be in jeopardy.

The following lists are segregated into several categories and are generally useful for one day trips. If you are traveling off to some distant fishing location for an extended period of time, you should probably spend some time creating a more specific list.

Finally, please send us your suggestions/ideas on what else should/could be included in this list to help out your fellow fisherman. info@fishsponge.com


Night Before

  • Preload your car/truck and boat as much as possible the night before at a leisurely pace, when you are wide awake, and so you can check things twice, etc.
  • Check your tackle box to make sure you have an adequate supply of consumables, ie hooks, leader, weights, swivels, floats, etc.
  • Pre-tie leaders, wrap those Kwikfish, and make your pencil lead/slinkies in advance. Time on the water is precious, so do as many tasks as possible in advance.
  • Inspect your rod/reel etc to make sure they are well oiled, in good condition, etc. Check your line for frays and replace old line if necessary. I often pre-rig a rod for fishing the night before so I can be the first one with a line in the water.
  • Confirmation - If you are going with friends, call the nite before to confirm times, meeting locations, who is bringing what, etc
  • Phone numbers - Write down the numbers of the people you are going fishing with, appropriate public service/fishing report/water level numbers, etc. Or just take your Palm-Pilot!
  • Check the fuel level in your boat
  • Confirm shuttle service if appropriate
  • Charge your boat battery
  • Safety Check - Check both your car/truck and boat for lights, fluid levels, etc
    • Check all hoses, especially fuel lines and any thru-hull lines, for cracks or other signs of wear
    • Wind shield wipers – In the PNW, this may be the single most important item of all!!!
  • Weather conditions/forecast, road conditions – use the Internet
  • River conditions - Use Internet to determine if river is rising/falling, flow rates, temp, etc.
  • Road Conditions - Do a quick Internet check to make sure there are not detours/delays
  • Write a note of where you will be fishing, what you will be wearing, and when you expect to return. Be Specific if someone has to look for you. Leave it on your kitchen table or other conspicuous place. Tell someone where you will be fishing and when you expect to return.
  • Buy consumables in advance, ice, food, beverages, fuel for you car/truck, boat etc. The fewer stops you have to make in the morning the better. Besides if you were counting on that general store or gas station to be open at 4:30 in the morning, think again!
  • ALARM CLOCK CHECK- If you are like many of us and wake up before the alarm clock goes off, be sure to turn it off. Things could get ugly if it goes off and you are already gone!

Fishing Things
Im not going to spend a lot of time on this checklist as most of us have multiple tackle boxes set up for different fishing techniques. The key here is to remember to bring the right stuff.

  • Primary rods&reels
  • Backup rods&reels
  • Tackle boxes
  • Bait – take it out of the freezer/refrigerator. I always tape a note on my cooler as a reminder.
  • Boots
  • Extra line
  • Fishing license
  • Fishing regulations book
  • Fishing vest
  • Fish cleaning and packaging materials/baggies
  • Fishing log/diary
  • Filet/fish cleaning knife
  • Hand towel/rags
  • Lemon Joy/soap to clean everything including hands
  • Knife
  • Maps
  • Money – I always make sure I have a separate emergency stash just in case
  • Net
  • PFD
  • Pliers with nippers in case you have to cut off a hook
  • Rags/towels
  • Rubber gloves - latex/nitrile
  • Scents
  • Stringer
  • Tape measure/scale
  • Thermometer to check water temperatures
  • Waders
  • Wader repair kit
  • Wading stick
  • Weights - Dont forget that bucket-full of weights in the corner of the garage

Personal Care Items
 This list will probably never end but represents some of the things that help make our fishing experience more comfortable.

  • Baggies – for every thing from keeping things dry to roe storage to filet storage
  • Bear Protection
    • Pepper spray canister
    • Bear bells
  • Binoculars
  • Bug repellent
  • Camera- make a dry container to store it in
  • Chap stick
  • Cooler
  • Ice
  • Clothes –
    • Boots
    • Complete change of clothes - You never know when you might end up in the water
    • Extra layers of clothes
    • Foul weather gear
    • Windbreaker
  • Cell Phone
  • Cigarette lighter and fire making materials
  • Duct tape - It fixes everything!!!
  • First aid kit
    • Remember lots of band aids and try the new liquid band aids
    • Antiseptic/Neosporin/ Iodine wipe
    • first-aid handbook
    • Ace bandage
    • Aspirin/bufferin
    • Moleskin
    • Motion sickness pills
    • Razor blade – safety razor
    • Snakebite kit - if you are in rattler country
    • Antacid
    • Tweezers and magnifying glass
  • Flash light and batteries
  • Food
    • Sandwiches
    • Beverage
    • Thermos/coffee/tea
    • power bars
    • Water
    • Condiments, salt, pepper, etc
    • Eating utensils
  • Glasses –spare pair if you wear them
  • Gloves – multiple pairs in case they get wet
  • GPS
  • Hat
  • Hand warmer/ footwarmer
  • Keys – always have a spare set for your car/truck and your boat. If you store your boat offsite, make sure you have access keys
  • Medicines - be sure to take ant prescription meds like insulin, etc
  • Pen/pencil & paper/notepad
  • PFD
  • Radio
  • Rope – 25-50 feet coil. You never know
  • Soap
  • Sun block, sunscreen or suntan lotion, even if it's cloudy overhead. You can buy the waterproof kind but the best idea is to keep applying it throughout the day.
  • Sun glasses and a spare pair
  • Survival kit. Toss in matches, handi wipes and a Swiss Army knife, just in case you run into a McGuyver situation out there, Survival blanket
  • Toilet paper- put it in a ziploc bag to stay dry
  • Towels
  • Trash bags - take more stuff out than you brought in!
  • Wading Stick
  • Whistle or other sounding device

Boat Related

  • Weather Report, Weather Report, Weather Report!!!
  • Boat keys
  • boat plug - at least one extra
  • Check gas tanks for fuel
  • fire extinguisher
  • Grease gun – with full charge of grease
  • Oars
  • Extra tie downs/rope
  • Fuses, fuses,fuses, - You cant have too many extras!
  • Knife SPECIFICALLY earmarked to cut your anchor rope in an emergency
  • Spare trailer tire
  • PFD's for everyone on board
  • Radio and nav gear that you may store separately
  • Safety flares
  • Tool kit
  • Jumper wires
  • Trailer tires, jack, wrench & spare
  • Transom saver

Survival Items
 The following table contains a basic list of survival items.IT IS NOT A COMPLETE LIST - use your common sense and ask experts what addional items should be included for the areas you intend to travel. For example, if you are traveling in desert conditions make sure you have higher SPF sunscreen, polarized glasses, larger hats, etc. If traveling in very cold ares you will want more clothing and shelter materials and fire starting materials.

  • First aid kit - bandages, tape, tweezers, aspirin, antimicrobial dressing, gauze, hand sanitizers, etc
  • Lighter - butane or high tech types
  • Fire starter material - for example, soak cotton in wax and store in waterproof container
  • Personal items - medications, toilet paper, sunscreen, sanitizing wipes, spae socks, insect repellent, and a set of dry clothes and shoes/boots
  • Food & snacks - carry as much as you can, wind a fishing line, hooks, split shot into an old film container, wire to build a snare.
  • Shelter items - Poncho, reflective blanket, small tent if you have room
  • Water purification - tablets or filter bottles
  • Signaling/location indicators - whistle, signal mirror, GPS, maps, compass, and a Personal Locator Device if you are traveling in mountains and wilderness. Make sure you have spare batteries.
  • Other equipment - strong knife, multipurpose tool, aluminum foil, duct tape, flashlight, a small pot and cup, rope, small shovel.

 

Fish, fishing, sponge, salmon, steelhead, salmon fishing, steelhead fishing, fishing tackle, salmon tackle, steelhead tackle, steelhead lures, salmon lures, plunking, bank fishing for salmon, bank fishing for steelhead, recipes, salmon recipes, steelhead recipes, steelhead tackle, salmon tackle, fishing etiquette, fishing ethics, fishing regulations, Oregon fishing, Washington fishing, California fishing, BC fishing, Alaska fishing, color, float, bobber, spinner, lure, jig, roe, bait, gear, tackle, equipment, fish bait, fish shop, manufacturer, angling, sport fishing, fisherman, fishermen, rod, reel, hook, fishing lure, fishing tackle, stream, river, fishing equipment, freshwater, fishing gear, buy fishing, purchase, fishing, fishsponge, steelhead fishing tips, salmon fishing tips, technique, steelhead fishing technique, salmon fishing technique, tips, roe, cure, curing, rig, wrap, sponge wrap, herring wrap, sardine wrap, catching, setup, secret, how to catch salmon, how to catch steelhead, drift fishing, side drifting, boondogging, ocean fishing, river fishing, Ontario, Alaska, secrets, curing roe, tips, steelhead fishing tips, salmon fishing tips, spawn sac, sponge sac, skein, bite, egg loop