How to Not Lose Your Fishing Gear

So you like to relax and fish on your day off, you think it will go smooth until you start losing your gear. This can be frustrating when it is your lucky hook or best bobber. Let us back up and think about this before it happens.

You can lose your gear anywhere and it seems to be the notorious fresh water spots that cost you the most gear. It does happen in salt water, but this is usually from hooking into a fish that is more than your gear can handle—a problem that more of us would like to experience.

When you go fresh water, you are likely to be fishing around trees and casting near stumps, and these are signs of trouble waiting to happen.

Know the Area

You want to get your hook as close to that old stump or tree as you can to entice that big monster to indulge itself on your fine sushi bait. The thing is you do not know where the roots or branches are underwater and this becomes a guessing game.

I always bring a pair of binoculars to try and see the stump and what is around it. I will walk the area the best I can and look at every tree and branch that can snag my line.

I spend time doing this because it gives me a lay of the land and helps to tell me where the really big boys may be hiding at.

If you fish the place regularly, you will get to know where the snags are and know where the big ones are hiding.

Watch the people that may be there fishing, see where they may get snagged or where they hook fish at. All this information goes into making you a better angler at that location.

Trout

Trout are fun to fish for; I especially like fishing in back water holes in the forest. Sometimes you get a place that is untouched or had very little fishing pressure.

This can be fun but also the area is unknown and the snags are possible because there can be many roots or stumps not to mention the fallen branches.

Exposed Snag Points

Seeing an exposed snag point and hitting it because of your casting inability happens. You want to practice your casting either at home by putting your weight into a can or hitting and object. I do it when I am fishing an open area by picking a point to hit when casting so I turn every cast into practice.

Down Trees

Downed trees can make good places for fish to hide and feed. They are also known for having underwater branches that create snags. Fish use these branches to swim in and out of the avoid predators.

They will also head for them when hooked and create snags. I feel this is the worst kind of snag because you lose the fish and most likely it will die there.

If you fish near the trees be ready to get the hooked fish away from them.

Overhead Snags

Getting caught on something overhead should not happen. If you know there is and overhead object then side cast.

The thing is you know it is there because you can see it at all times, yet it still happens because of not paying attention or rushing to get a hook into the water. These just hang there in front of you teasing you the whole time.

If you cannot side cast then learn and practice it. Some good fishing holes may have low overheads where normal casting is impossible. The side cast gives you another tool to use.

Gear Up!!

I keep extra gear with me; more than you think you will need because you never know what could happen. You can easily lose 3 or 4 set ups in an hour with bad luck, plus you never know when you could help a fellow angler out with a hook or bobber.

Not saying you should outfit yourself to help others, but it is nice to help and it may get you a tip from a local that leads you to a good hole.

There is nothing worse than leaving early because you do not have enough gear, so plan a head and have extra.