"Money Saving Tips for the Angler"

Previous tips #01 ... They may be old but they're just as good!

1. Use a kitchen turkey baster, the kind that looks like a huge eyedropper, to top off your batteries. It will save the overflow and spilling mess. And use ONLY distilled water for the task. Even "sealed" batteries need to be topped-off occasionally.

2. Attach an 18 inch length of clear plastic tubing to a sports bottle. Fill the bottle with distilled water and use it to fill top off your batteries.

3. Use one of those retractable dog leashes for your lure retriever. It stores the cord neatly, is readily available, and will rewind the cord as you pull in the retriever.

4. Keep a supply of large safety pins in your tackle box or boat. They can come in handy for MANY uses. Like removing the paint from jig eyes, tagging small fish to be culled later; emergency clothing repair; picking out a knot in your line or professional overrun in your reel. You can also thread split rings, snaps and other small items on them for easy storage.

5. Use empty coffee cans with plastic lids for storing important items you want to keep dry. They come in handy for storing toilet paper, snacks, tools, spare parts and fuses, and as a first aid kit.

6. Scum can be removed from the bottom of your boat with one of the liquid toilet bowl cleaners. Keep a good coat of was on the hull to make the removal job even easier.

7. As soon as you pull your boat out of the water, spray the hull down with X-14, Tilex, or one of the other bathroom tile cleaners. By the time you get home, all of the scum will be gone.

8. Use a pint-sized plastic bag with a zipper closure to keep your pork baits some and moist when not in use, or while running from one spot on the lake to another. Drop the pork, jig and all inside the bag and zipped closed, while keeping the line in the opposite corner of the bag.

9. Use one of the little plastic boxes that lipless crankbaits come in to store your round toothpicks that you use for pegging worms and sinkers. Drill a small hole in one corner of the box for easy removal of toothpicks, one at a time.

10. Don't use rubber bands to secure the line on your spinning reels. It will quickly deteriorate and break, and could leave a sticky residue on your line. Instead, use one of the little rubber cords for ponytails, found in the cosmetic section of your local drug store.

11. Set up your own private tackle shop in your garage or basement. Then, purchase all of your fishing needs when they are on sale, and store them in your "Tackle Shop". Great bargains can be found at the major mass-market stores at the end of the season. You can even make a few bucks by reselling to your buddies.

12. To prolong the life of your electronics, never trailer your boat with your depthfinders, GPS, VHF radio, or other devices on board, especially in their mount. They receive tremendous amounts of vibration, jarring and bouncing on the highway. Much more than when the boat is on the water.

13. Don't spend money on expensive trailer hooks for spinnerbaits and buzzbaits. Purchase a pack of limerick or trotline hooks instead. They work just as well and are one-third the price.

14. An inexpensive "seam ripper" from the fabric department at Wally World makes an ideal tool for removing the paint from jig eyes, picking out those pesky "Professional Over-runs" and can even cut mono or braided line.