|
Steelhead &
Salmon Fishing Checklist
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.
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
|
|
list courtesy of fish sponge -
http://www.fishsponge.com
| |
Home
Contact Us
Meet Your Guide
Run Timing
Our Boats
Eli's Seminars
Our Sponsors
Skykomish River
Cowlitz River
Columbia River
Drano Lake
Olympic Peninsula
Our Rates
Salmon Fishing
Steelhead Fishing
Sturgeon Fishing
Photo Gallery
Fishing Hotspots
Tips & Techniques
Salmon Recipes
Smoked Fish Recipies
Southwest Washington
|
