The Inshore Fishing Checklist (Everything You Need To Bring)
- By: Justin Ritchey
- on
- Found In: *Tackle & Gear, Fishing Tips, Weekly Newsletter: 8-29-21
Do you have a checklist of everything you need to bring on your next inshore fishing trip?
Whether you’re fishing from a kayak, boat, pier, or even wading, it’s crucial to be organized.
And having a streamlined, minimalist checklist will ultimately keep you prepared so you can be successful on the water!
So in this new video, you’ll learn how to put together your inshore fishing checklist!
Check it out below!
The Ultimate Inshore Fishing Checklist [VIDEO]
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Here is the Ultimate Inshore Checklist:
- Life Vest (Check for damage before every trip!)
- Whistle (I recommend attaching to your life vest.)
- Fishing License (Either hard card or digital on your phone)
- Waterproof Backpack for tackle storage (If you’re not in a kayak or boat and you’re wading, take a backpack or wading belt.)
- Head Lamp (If you’re fishing in low light conditions, this will help you see
- Sunscreen (We recommend wearing long sleeves and fishing pants, but you still need to protect your face.)
- Bug spray or a Thermacell
- H2O (Hydrate often! And you can use for clean water to wash out any injury that could occur.)
- Pliers with Line Cutters
- Lip Grippers
- Landing Net
- Ande Monofilament Leader and/or Vanish Fluorocarbon
- Topwater Lure (Try out our new Moonwalker or Rapala Skitterwalk!)
- Hard Bait search lures (Mirrodine Suspending Twitch Baits)
- Spoons (Gold, Silver, Black, or Aqua Dream Pinfish)
- Light color paddletail (Slam Shady 2.0)
- Dark color paddletail (Gold Digger)
- Natural color soft plastic (Alabama Leprechaun)
- Shrimp lure (Power Prawn)
- Owner Twistlock Weighted Hooks (Bring a variety of sizes to cover the water column)
- Mustad Grip Pin Hooks
- Trout Eye Jig Heads (1/8 oz, 3/16 oz, 1/4 oz)
- Texas Eye Jig Heads
- Variety of Hooks (Organized in a tackle tray)
- Extra waterproof storage box or tackle tray
Please Note: If any of the tackle mentioned above is out of stock, click on the Notify Me When Available to get an alert when these items are back in inventory!
Have any questions about putting together your checklist?
How do you get ready the night before or the morning of a fishing trip?
Let me know down in the comments.
And if you know someone who is tired of getting skunked, please TAG or SHARE this with them!
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Excellent review Justin. Thank you. I fish from a flats boat in PI Sound (just got
a new Hewes Redfisher 18 last spring!). I do like having my line cutters & inexpensive pliers as separate tools for several reasons. I like the stainless 7” pliers without a tether or lanyard attached that I keep in my shorts pocket. I also like
the Boomerang line cutters that I purchase from Amazon for $10.- $12. This tool
is very light, stays sharp & attaches via a self retracting light line that I attach to
my belt/belt loop. I prefer this set up to using a combo pliers/ line cutter in a holster/case. I often fish with another angler on the stern. I keep a 2nd pair of
Pliers & line cutters in my vertical rod rack so that my fishing buddy & I do not
have to run back & forth in the boat sharing these tools.
Keep the good info coming!
Shelly Friedman, Bokeelia
Great video Justin I really like your organization and I agree simple is better.
Much appreciated, Tom! A little bit goes a long way 🙂
Great video Justin! Nailed it man!
Thank you Brotha!
Great stuff Justin. I have created a checklist and will update with some of the things I may have missed
Thanks
Awesome! Glad to hear Pablo.
AWSOME tips…you guys are truly THE BEST ! ! !
Thanks Bertha! Appreciate you!
For a minimalist that seems like a pot of stuff.
You should have seen my Tackle Tray and Milk Crate (or Backpack) over the years…..piles and piles of soft plastic bags, hard suspending lures, topwaters, 5 different brands of shrimp lures….it got a little out of control. I suppose Minimalist is in the eyes of the beholder.
With this video, an angler can fit everything he needs into a single Backpack or Milk Crate and stay relatively organized for a day of fishing. Having 5-7 different types of lures, some basic accessories for protection (water, sun screen, bug spray), pliers and leader would keep things pretty lightweight during travel, which helps you stay out on the water longer.
Trust me, I’ve gone off the deep end in the past, so this is actually a refinement to what I used to bring with me! Haha. The items shown in this video will arm an angler with essentials without bringing “the Kitchen sink”.
Justin, great topic for inshore newbies like myself. Gave me some ideas to improve my checklist and lure/tackle storage!
Glad you found it helpful, John!
Justin, great job! One suggested addition would be to let someone know where you are going and when you expect to return. Makes it a bunch easier to find you if you do not return for any reason!
This is probably one of the Most Important things I should have mentioned…..My Wife harps on me all the time about keeping her well informed on where I’m going to be, and what time I’ll return. You’re absolutely right, Glenn: Safety First! Thanks for sharing this.
Lucky guy Justin. I come home 4 hours later than expected and my dinner’s on the stove and my wife’s in bed watching a movie🤔😉. Good information and presentation, thanks.
Hahaha! I can’t complain!
Great job Justin; Thats very good info there I would suggest a pair of line scissors,I put mine on a utility reel and locate it in a handy spot on my back pack or in my Kayak. Also I carry an extra pair of sun glasses just in case.
The Scissors + Split Ring Pliers we carry on our Shop Page are pretty useful. The side cutters on my Aluminum Pliers get the job done most of the time, but it’s important to have a backup cutter, that’s for sure. And YES on the Sunglasses! I keep a spare in my Truck just in case, but have not brought out a 2nd pair on the water.
Good checklist, Justin. I’ve heard other discussions about the importance of eliminating unnatural scents from your fishing tackle. Have you noticed any issues with the use of sun screen or bug spray in this regard? I have been trying to only use clothing, hats, gloves, etc to protect against bugs and sun burn just in case.
Interesting. I would agree that getting things like Suntan Lotion or Bug Spray on your Leader Line or Lure would have a negative affect on your catch rate. The same applies to Sun Glasses (definitely DON’T get either on a pair of Polarized Sun Glasses, that spells disaster most of the time). I’ve always worn long sleeves and pants and just carefully applied Bug Spray to my arms, legs and neck, but I always make sure to apply it away from my fishing gear to prevent it from getting on my line/lure. But in general, I haven’t had any issues yet with my current method! I just try to apply both at the Launch Ramp before I make it out onto the water.