That one thing you never thought you needed... 2025
Lost.. reply :
But when you got it, you wonder how in the heck you ever lived without it?
Could be anything pertaining to fishing. Only parameters is that at one time you never thought you would need it/them, but when you finally decided to take the plunge and purchase said item.. You wondered how you ever lived without it. Mine would have to be a good pair of split ring pliers.
J Francho reply :
KVD Line & Lure. Use it after every trip.
Hemocuts. Simply the best tool I've found for cutting lines and removing hooks.
Side Imaging. Can't live without it now.
mllrtm79 reply :
Baitcaster. And nail weights, I never realized how versatile they could be
A-Jay reply :
Buff sun gaitor and the Talon shallow water anchors.
A-Jay
deep reply :
Scale.
Actually I was doing great before I had one. Now all my 5 lb-ers weigh 3 lb or less.
riverbasser reply :
good topic!
never thought I would need 8 combos on deck but I wouldn't give em up now
onboard battery charger.- come home plug it in and charge all the batteries at once
lakemaster map card- I spend more time looking at the GPS than any other screen.
scaleface reply :
Fishgrip .
Preytorien reply :
Mine would probably be pliers with a split ring lip on it. I used to never change out split rings, but didn't since I always had to jam some kind of tiny screwdriver in there or something, now I can change them quick and keep sharp hooks on everything.
geo g reply :
A lure knocker!!!!!!! Since I don't fish crank baits much, I never had one. Then I went to the stick marsh with a friend that mainly fishes square bill crank baits. He caught fish at a steady rate, but had to use his crank knocker to free the square bill every ten casts, from all the stumps and lay downs. It was a pain in the butt for him, but he was the only one catching fish that day. He gave me a good lesson of how effective these baits can be. But you need the tools to free the bait when hung.
NYWayfarer reply :
These are some of mine:
"O" ring wacky rig tool (Makes baits last so much longer and tool makes it easy to put them on)
Neck Gaiter (No matter how much sunscreen I applied I would always get a sunburned neck before I got one of these)
Kayak (nuff said)
islandbass reply :
Polarized sunglasses. If I ever forget them, I have that same feeling you get when you don't have your wallet or cell phone.
Choporoz reply :
@A-Jay, @Finesse Wayfarer, and @geo g hit a couple great ones for me.
Never ever would have considered that I needed a hoodie on the hottest summer days. But, now that I have them, I don't go out without. I don't do the buffs so well, but a summer-weight long-sleeve hoodie is just the ticket.
And the plug knocker is another great mention. Most cranks don't work their best unless they spend a lot of time in the wood. I didn't have the nerve to throw them into the wood until I had the confidence that I'd be able to get some of them back.
Raul reply :
A roll of sanitary paper :.............
fishballer06 reply :
Side cutters
Peroxide
Both of them are like a firearm. You hope you never need them, but if/when you do, you'll be glad you have them.
Mike L reply :
Bobber stops..
A File..
Dye
Mike
Sam reply :
Umbrella.
Yes, the kind that fits on your bass boat seat.
Never thought I would need one but use it when it is hot and the sun is out.
Looks funny but it works!
MassYak85 reply :
Oh man this is a good topic, I'm going to need to pick a few I think.
Polarized sunglasses would have to top the list for me. I wear them all the time when fishing and I often point stuff out to my father before realizing he can't see what I'm looking at because he isn't wearing a pair.
Good split ring pliers (seriously, texas tackle ones are amazing and I will never go back). It's not a big deal not having any until you start changing out more treble hooks...or try and open an Owner hyper wire size 7 with anything but a good split ring plier.
A lure knocker, not even because of the money it saves but it allows me to fish snaggy areas with confidence knowing the odds of losing whatever I am using really aren't that high.
Shanexd9 reply :
Mine would have to be braided fishing line. One specific brand I switched to lately just works for me. My casting and casting distance have both improved.
Jar11591 reply :
My Buff UV mask, a scale and braid.
Bruce424 reply :
Line conditioner.
Mike L reply :
On 8/15/2017 at 3:26 AM, Choporoz said:
Never ever would have considered that I needed a hoodie on the hottest summer days. But, now that I have them, I don't go out without. I don't do the buffs so well, but a summer-weight long-sleeve hoodie is just the ticket.
Ditto!
I never thought about them either until a boater I was with last year had one on. After seeing how it protected him from not only the sun, but from bugs that were swarming all over us I was sold.
Mike
Yakalong reply :
I'm waiting for the yeti cooler response 
Jeff H reply :
On 8/15/2017 at 1:01 AM, A-Jay said:Talon shallow water anchors.
A-Jay
Same for me. What a game changer!
moguy1973 reply :
I'm going to have to go with the light weight wicking shirts, long convertible pants, light weight fingerless gloves and neck gaiters. I always hated putting sunscreen on and all those keep you covered while still keeping you relatively cool on hot days.
MichaelCopeland reply :
I'd have to say braid too. Hasn't hindered my hook ups, if anything it has increased it. Knots are easier to tie, it's very strong and it holds up well. Never thought I'd pay that much for fishing line, but I'm glad I did. One more thing I never thought I'd need are Zoom Ol' Monster 10.5" worms. I'm sure glad I bought some. They have been what most of the bass I've caught wanted. Out of 16 bass I have caught, since I started bass fishing, I've caught 13 on the Ol' Monster. Best $4-$5 I've ever spent on bait/lures. 9 in a pack. All are pretty beat up now, but I still have one unused one left. Gotta get some more soon. Gonna even get some Magnum Ol' Monster 12" worms. They gotta be at least as good if not better.
david in va reply :
KVD split ring pliers
mrmacwvu1 reply :
Sunscreen
Friend of mine got cancer real bad
He was my best fishing buddy
Scared me straight
geo g reply :
An important one, take double the water you think you'll need especially in summer. If you have motor troubles, in 90* heat it doesn't take long to dehydrate. 
MassYak85 reply :
On 8/15/2017 at 9:24 AM, geo g said:An important one, take double the water you think you'll need especially in summer. If you have motor troubles, in 90* heat it doesn't take long to dehydrate.
x2
It's extra important for us self-propelled folk. I was about 2 miles from the ramp earlier this summer on a 95 degree day before realizing I was almost out. I was fine but had anything gone wrong it could have been bad.
Columbia Craw reply :
High quality rain gear. I spent years fishing cheap rain wear and suffered for it. It doesn't have to rain to have value and make a day out on the water more comfortable. On the flip side, sun wear is just as important, gloves, buff and so on.
Porkrind reply :
Good quality fishing equipment in general. I started out using the combos that I bought in stores and have found that for a little more money you can have a much better setup and not be pinned down to a general use rod/reel that only works ok for multiple things. Quality hooks, line, swivels, etc... I'm not saying spend a lot of money just pay attention and buy quality proven products.
Catt reply :
Music Roll
CroakHunter reply :
10 technique specific combos. 1 especially being my frog rod..I've always despised throwing topwater, but i bought a 7'3 heavy and a 8.1:1 reel and boy do I enjoy tossing Kermit around now.
Bankbeater reply :
Telescopic lure retriever. This thing has saved me a bunch of baits in the two years I have had it.
WRB reply :
Japanese hooks! I was a firm believer in Eagle Claw and Mustad hooks prior to the 90's.
Always had my pocket hook hone with me and sharpen every hook with a battery operated hook hone before putting them in my tackle boxes.
When I first used a Gamakatsu "Rubber worm" hook it was from a fishing partner because I didn't have a size 1 worm hook with me. The 25 pack of Gamakatsu rubber worm hooks price tag was shocking and I said I will never waste money on hooks this expensive!
Ate a lot of crow that day and was amazed how sharpe and strong those light wire rubber worm hooks were. Today all my hooks are either Gamakatsu or Owner hooks and don't even know where my battery operated hook hone is?
Game changer for sure.
Tom
FordsnFishin reply :
Those little line snips with the pull cord. I have 4 pairs. One being clipped to my side every tournament for quick hook and bait changes.
Expensive but...a bigger boat. Allows me to have all my gear stored right by my side and still have all kinds of room to fish. (More room for the lady to lay out) If she's happy, I'm happy. Also let's me get to another spot in a moment's notice.
Bluebasser86 reply :
A buff and sun protective shirts. Always thought they'd been unbearably hot to wear, but it's actually the opposite.
BuzzHudson19c reply :
Baitcaster
Braid
Fish grip
soflabasser reply :
A good gps free camera to make fishing videos.
lo n slo reply :
polarized bi-focal sunglasses
RB 77 reply :
Another lure! Haha. Then end up fishing it, getting bit with it and then wonder how I went that long with out it! Prime example: Whopper Plopper. I was a little late to the party, but the very first day I fished it, lights out!
Really though the list can seem like it can be endless. Oval rings and replacement hooks for all my hard baits, Good pliers, UPF Sun Gaiter and long sleeves, Headlamp, braid on spinning reels, top shelf polarized sun glasses, Gucci hooks, Good landing net, etc...
fishwizzard reply :
This dumb little thing;
As I moved away from all-finesse and started using heavier lines I started having issues pulling out or breaking off snags. With floro lines I was finding that if I used a stick to wrap the line before pulling it would damage the line so that even if I got my lure back, I had to cut off dozens of feet of line. I started using a rag wrapped around my hand, which worked ok but was a huge pain if I was in an awkward spot on the bank. I saw this thing on some JDM tackle site and thought that for $15 it was worth a try. It works great with every line I have tried it on and so far I am in love with it. I keep it clipped to my tackle sling and use it all the time.
J Francho reply :
That thing is pretty cool.
fishwizzard reply :
On 8/18/2017 at 1:27 AM, J Francho said:That thing is pretty cool.
Yea, it makes me wonder what other cool little gadgets exist in the JDM market that we never hear about.
Lost.. reply :
On 8/18/2017 at 1:22 AM, Bunnielab said:This dumb little thing;
As I moved away from all-finesse and started using heavier lines I started having issues pulling out or breaking off snags. With floro lines I was finding that if I used a stick to wrap the line before pulling it would damage the line so that even if I got my lure back, I had to cut off dozens of feet of line. I started using a rag wrapped around my hand, which worked ok but was a huge pain if I was in an awkward spot on the bank. I saw this thing on some JDM tackle site and thought that for $15 it was worth a try. It works great with every line I have tried it on and so far I am in love with it. I keep it clipped to my tackle sling and use it all the time.
I'm sold.. I need one now.
NHBull reply :
The list is long
Buff
Braid
O ring splitter
Sunshirts
Rod rated for 3 Oz
Ect
Rick Howard reply :
I got rid of something and my fishing got better..... wife. This is only a joke folks but ironically its true for me lol
reb67 reply :
On 8/15/2017 at 1:23 AM, deep said:Scale.
Actually I was doing great before I had one. Now all my 5 lb-ers weigh 3 lb or less.
I was a better fishermen when I used my big eye scale
Rick Howard reply :
On 8/15/2017 at 5:35 PM, Catt said:Music Roll
A dry bag for this
Quarry Man reply :
Polarized Goggles, a Boat, Fishfinder
Chance_Taker4 reply :
Scent. I thought it was gimmicky until I started using it. Now I don't throw a bait unless it has scent.
XpressJeff reply :
GREAT TOPIC!
Senko...
bagofdonuts reply :
The app that shows the river gauge and flow. Fishing the river is all about flow rate and know where they set up at different rates of flow.
Crappiebasser reply :
A trolling motor with spot lock. No more hiding in coves on a windy day.
gimruis reply :
Modern GPS and polarized sunglasses. The first GPS I got was 3 years after I started fishing and it changed things dramatically. I would have a hard time not using it now, especially on larger bodies of water.
Bulletman20XD reply :
New side/down imaging, no real need to comment on it everyone that has them knows how this helps.
My Old Hound Dog lure retriever that I have had for at least 25 years. There is no telling how many times it had paid for itself.
New "cooling" shirt technology. Living as far south as I do, some summer days would simply be unbearable without them! I fished Falcon a month ago in 105 degrees and stayed cool all day!
Sword of the Lord reply :
I used Power Worms until I tried Trick Worms. Also zip ties for wacky rigging. Fluoro too.
Al w. reply :
Similar to others: Navionics map card especially for unfamiliar waters and braid on spinning rods.
"hamma" reply :
ulterra w/IPilot link!
Im a cheap ole cuss!, swore up and down Id never spend that much on a electric motor. Not only am I dependant on it now.
I'd put one on my crawdad if I could manage the battery space.
cgolf reply :
For me it was an 80 lb thrust Terrova with the longer shaft on a 16 ft aluminum boat. First few years with the 55 lb thrust standard shafted power drive saw the batteries barely lasting a day on the lake we vacation on and the prop coming out of the water all the time in the wind. This makes me wonder how the big bass boats do it with the 100lb thrust motors, wouldn't think it was enough.
WTnPuddleJumper reply :
has to be Vienna sausages and ritz crackers
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