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