"Money Saving Tips for the Angler"

posted February 2003

1. If you want to ad some extra sparkle and fish attracting flash to any lure… Purchase some of the “glitter glue” at your local craft store. It come in a variety of colors and will work wonders.

2. Another trick to brighten up and ad fish attracting flash to your lures, worm weights, spinnerbait blades or spoons. Coat the desired area with clear fingernail polish and sprinkle on some of the dry sparkle flakes found in any craft store, in a variety of colors. Allow to dry and go get’em!

3. Reel covers are expensive. To protect your valuable reels from dust and dirt between fishin’ trips, but still allow air to circulate around them can be a problem. Just cut the legs off of a pair of panty hose and use this to cover your reel. Make sure your wife is not in them at the time.

4. Tired of stumbling over your measuring board, or looking for it when you need it? Simply attach it to the underside of your livewell, rod box or compartment lid with double-stick Velcro tape, or epoxy glue for a more permanent job.

5. I purchased an aluminum yard stick from my local arts and crafts store for a couple of bucks. I laid it at the back edge of my front deck and butted one end against the side of the boat. I attached it with some stainless steel screws and now my measuring devise is close, handy and never gets lost. For some guys I know… The twelve-inch size ruler will be long enough!

6. I you use a lot of Uncle Josh Pork Trailers, like I do, you need to keep them soft and moist between runs down the lake and while lying on the deck. Simply drop the pork, lure and all, into a pint sized zip-loc baggie and zip it closed, keeping the line in one corner. The new ones with the zipper work great and can be operated in even cold weather.

7. To make an inexpensive and effective lure hanger in your boat or garage, just go to the local hardware store and purchase a screen door spring. Attach one end to the side of the boat, garage wall, or anywhere you wish to store lures. Stretch the spring slightly and attach the other end. If you want to make it shorter, just cut it off with wire cutters and bend a new loop in the end. Now simply hang the lures over the spring and they will stay put, even when motoring down the lake, and will not slide all together and become tangled.

8. If you fish from a Jon boat, with the metal “tank” seats and want to make them more comfortable, just go to the local building supply store and purchase some cork tiles. Glue the tiles in place with silicone, liquid nails or epoxy glue. This will also give the seats a “non-slip” surface when you have to step up on them.

9. Keep a big car wash sponge in your boat. It comes in handy for wiping up spills, cleaning dirt and debris out of the livewell and bailing water if needed.

10. Purchase beads for your Carolina Rigs at the craft store instead of the tackle store. They are a lot cheaper there and come in lots of colors.

11. And if you want an easy, effective and low cost way of keeping those beads handy and organized… Use empty “Tic-Tac” containers. And your breath will smell good too!

12. I put strips of white and red reflective tape on the frame of my boat trailer and on the boat transom and lower unit. If you have a lighting failure on the way home from a fishing trip, it will alert approaching cars.

13. Have the little woman save you a tomato paste can… Well washed of course. Punch a hole in the bottom of the can and insert a one-quarter by two-inch inch bolt from the inside. Put a nut on the bolt and tighten against the bottom of the can. Stick the bolt in a drill and tighten the chuck. Now you have a great line stripper.

14. Get a piece of copper of aluminum tubing at your local hobby store. Cut a piece about four-inches long. Sand or file one end at an angle to form a point. Wrap some electrical tape around the opposite end. Push the rod into a plastic worm, lizard or other bait and you have a neat hole for inserting a worm rattle.

15. To keep screws from vibrating loose, simply remove the screw (if it hasn’t already fallen out) and coat the threads with a little silicone sealant. You can still remove the screw later, if needed, but it won’t vibrate loose again.

16. Don’t throw away those torn and battered “Tubes”. Cut the head off and leave about one-half inch of plastic above the tails. Slide one down over the slip sinker next time you’re fishin’ a worm, lizard or grub, for more fish attracting action.