Your Fishing Checklist: Gear Up for a Day on the Water

One thing we love about fishing is its diversity. Whether you’re throwing topwater baits on a farm pond for bass or tossing dry flies for trout, the tug is the drug, and all anglers are after that same exhilarating feeling of fighting a fish.

Many of us have shown up ready to cast and realized we forgot our rod. To prevent that, use the checklist below before you head out the door.

Because there are so many different types of fishing and areas to fish in, this isn’t a comprehensive list. Use it to get started and then hone it to include certain types of gear specific to the species you’re targeting and where you’re fishing.

Checklist for Fishing

Saltwater, freshwater, backwater — no matter where you’re fishing, you’ll need this essential gear:

• Cooler with ice
• Snacks and water
• Fishing net
• Knife
• Fillet board
• Forceps/hemostats
• Polarized sunglasses
• Sunscreen
• Hat
• Bug repellent
• Fishing license
• Cell phone
• First aid kit
• Stringer
• Life jacket
• Bandana or buff
• Maps or GPS files

A crappie angler doesn’t need waders. We’ve divided the following lists for traditional anglers and fly anglers.

Traditional Tackle

• Rod and reel
• Reel
• Fishing line
• Extra reel spools
• Tackle box
  • Lures
  • Extra line
  • Split shot/sinkers
  • Swivels
  • Quick connects
  • Hooks
  • Bobbers
  • Bait
• Saltwater gear
  • Gaff hook
  • Steel leaders
  • Braided line
  • Lip grippers
  • Binoculars

Fly Fishing

• Flyrod
• Reel
• Spool with floating line
• Spool with sinking line
• Fly boxes
  • Nymphs
  • Streamers
  • Dry flies
  • Poppers
• Fishing vest
• Strike indicator
• Nippers
• Zinger
• Floatant
• Tippet
• Leader
• Waders
• Wading boots
  • Boot cleats/studs
• Wading belt

See Below the Surface

No matter how well prepared you are, sometimes the fish aren’t biting. If you’d like to increase your odds of success, electronics will help you find where the fish are and tell you how deep you should be fishing. In fact, you won’t see many people fishing from a boat without electronics these days.

Whether you’re after grip and grins or just want to fill the cooler for a fish fry, Garmin has several products to help. Keep it simple with STRIKER™ Cast GPS, a castable sonar device that links to an app on your smartphone that you can use anywhere you can cast.

For more detail and features, the Garmin Vivid STRIKER™ series provides the information you need in vivid color displays ranging from 4” to 9”. And if you’d like even more intel, get double the views with an ECHOMAP™ UDH2 chartplotter, which boasts Garmin CHIRP traditional and ClearVü scanning sonars.

Be safe, have fun, and keep your lines tight!