Checklist for fishing

[pdxfisher]

How many of you all have a checklist (I have one in Google Keep) for fishing.

 

Then every time that I forget something or forget to prepare something I update the list. It has grows longer every year   My last trip I forgot to put my lunch in the cooler so that was my last update to the list.

 

If I am fishing weekly I automatically do everything on the list and don't need it but when my fishing days are spotty I often find that I have forgotten something and I am happy to have the list.

[Bird]

Everything is already on the boat so my list of things to remember is small.

1. Throw water and snacks in the cooler 

2. Do a walk around, check tire pressure and straps.

3. Put gas in the truck.

[gim]

10 minutes ago, Bird said:

Everything is already on the boat so my list of things to remember is small.

1. Throw water and snacks in the cooler 

 

This is me too.  Really the only thing I add to my own boat before I go fishing is beverages and a snack into the cooler with ice.

 

I don't generally head to the lake with an empty or near empty tank of fuel.  Fueling time is wasted fishing time, which is too valuable to me.

[Choporoz]

1.  Apply sunscreen 

2. Grab boat key, cigars and coffee/water

3. Walk down to boat

 

I still manage to forget something in 1 or 2 occasionally 

[The Budget Angler]

1. fishing rods

2. lures

 

I forget plenty of other stuff I need but I never care to make a list.  I should bring water more often cause I keep getting heat exhaustion.  I bought a hat and some cool long sleeves to keep the sun off, but wouldn't you know I always forget them.  Never thought of making a list...

[Spankey]

Certain things I’ll never have off the boat in season. About the only things I’m real anal about leaving in my are my rods, fishing tools and one of my soft plastics satchels. I’m sure I’ve forgotten things over the years but nothing enough to make me turn around and go home. 

[A-Jay]

I have a laminated pre- Under way check list that hangs in the garage.

I put it on the console of the Lund the night before.

Standard operating procedure is to review it right before I hook up the rig to the truck to ensure I have what's on the list.

As noted above my rig is mostly always "ready to ride"

but here's what's on my list . . . 

 

Situational Awareness

Float Plan

Remove battery Charger plug

Check Boat plug

Wallet

Cell Phone

Sun Glasses 

Food

Ice Packs

Drinks

Go Pro Cases

A-Jay

 

[DaubsNU1]

I'll use the Google Keep list while I'm fishing to remind myself of things to add to the boat.

 

Like @gimruis & @Bird, my boat is ready to roll, minus snacks and drinks.

 

Process as follows:

1. Back truck out of garage...install hitch ball
2. Unplug boat charger, remove wheel chocks
3. Hook up trailer dolly and start the perilous move, trying not to scrub the garage doors.
   
4. Straighten out Mercury, install transom saver
5. Back truck and hook to boat, plug in trailer lights...confirm all lights are working
6. Double check safety chains, hitch, rear straps
7. Double check I have all the snacks and drinks, Gore-tex, hat and buff.
8. Depart!

Launching boat is another checklist -- transom saver removed, boat unstrapped, plug in boat, TM plugged in, Helix's powered up...then back down ramp, close to water...unplug lights, boat cushons installed, attach rope to boat and dock, unhook boat from winch...check plug again...LAUNCH!

 

[Bankc]

Nah.  Forgetting to remember things is how I learn to remember things.  It's remembering to forget things that I struggle with. 

[MN Fisher]

I keep a checklist in Google Sheets with check boxes that get cleared after every trip.

[pdxfisher]

I guess having a fully rigged boat reduces the need for a list. With the kayak, each trip out I am starting from scratch.

[Susky River Rat]

Everytime I go fishing I’m like a chicken with my head cut off. Even if I had a check list I’d never follow it because well that’s how I am. Swing for the fences and hope for the best. 
 

like @gimruis I am always fuels up before hand. 

[Fishing_Rod]

Greetings All,

My angling adventures are more ad hoc in nature. First question is do I have enough time to go fishing? Then it is based on the decision, is it too windy to be on the water? In general I aspire to keep things reasonably simple and portable either way. So no real physical check lists, I do what I can to live in the moment and keep a focus on what I'm doing. So it is a mental verification. When all looks well and good, then let's go! Be well, and cheers!

 

[BassinCNY]

Yes I have fishing checklists. I think checklists are great tools and use them for everything that's important to me.

[geo g]

I too have a check list but as you get older there are a few things that are musts to add.

1). duck tape

2). wire cutters for hooks

3). big garbage bag for the empty live well

4). toilet paper

5}. pee jar, so you don't have to hang on the edge of the boat.

6). Summer, three times the normal amount of fluids you normally take.

7). spare prop, and prop wrench

8). rain gear

9). emergency numbers, Fish and Game, Marine Patrol, friends  with  boats, 

All of these have been used, and have saved what would have been a miserable day.

[scaleface]

Yesterday, Took the one man boat thirty miles to an oxbow lake  and forgot the trolling motor battery . To make matters worse I drove back home ,retrieved it then preceded to get skunked . Not a single bite.

[flatcreek]

@scaleface  beer time

[Catt]

My list is ingrained in my memory!

 

At 73 my memory is still fairly solid.

[BrianMDTX]

I always made an extensive list when I went on hunting trips to ensure I didn’t forget an essential item. 
 

Fishing? I keep small Plano boxes filled with tackle, etc., in my inflatable boat, as well as a scale, grippers and hook remover. So my “list” is boat, paddle, anchor, rods, water, phones, garage door opener (from my car in the garage) and keys to the truck. 
 

 Once loaded, I recheck and hit the road. If it’s a far trip on the interstate I strap the boat down (straps kept under the rear seat so always there). So far I haven’t forgotten anything. 
 

So far!

[Smirak]

I’m a kayak angler. I don’t keep my stuff in my boat, or in my truck. It stays in my garage. However, I try to keep it somewhat “organized” so when I do need it, I know where it is. I’ve left plenty of times without what I needed/wanted. Got a new Lowrance unit for Christmas this past year. First time I went to use it, it was at home. That was another 20 min drive one way to get it. So, I think I got about 5-15 mins of use with it 😂😂

3 hours ago, scaleface said:

Yesterday, Took the one man boat thirty miles to an oxbow lake  and forgot the trolling motor battery . To make matters worse I drove back home ,retrieved it then preceded to get skunked . Not a single bite.

My luck would’ve been that I traveled back home to get it, got back to the boat, and it would be dead.

[IcatchDinks]

I bank fish and keep my two main poles and my backpack full of gear in my trunk. Forgetting my water bottle sucks on hot days, though. 

[king fisher]

I need a checklist to remember my check list.

[MN Fisher]

3 minutes ago, king fisher said:

I need a checklist to remember my check list.

I'm getting there, man....such a drag.

[Smirak]

2 minutes ago, king fisher said:

I need a checklist to remember my check list.

Reminds me of when I was still working for the man. We’d schedule meetings before to talk about the meeting, have the meeting, and then meet to discuss the meeting.

[Koz]

For everyday fishing, no. But I do have a checklist on my phone for when I head out of town to fish a tournament.