Cheating Bass: DIY Hacks When Prepping Your Tackle Kit

Before you set out to fish, you should have your tackle kit loaded up, ready for whatever fish you have your eye on. But what if the kit is missing a few items–or worse, it’s completely empty? You’re in luck with these handy DIY hacks for fishing.

1. Use pill bottles to organize your terminal tackle

When their contents are used up, pill containers can be transformed into storage containers for the rest of your tackle. Keep them sharp and rust-free in pill containers. Clean them once in a while with vinegar water.

2. Nail clippers are a budget line cutter

A large pair of sharp nail clippers make an excellent line cutter. And unlike specific tools designed to cut fishing lines, this is something you’re almost guaranteed to have around the house. Cheaper and easier to use than a knife, you may even be able to build in some shaving also.

3. Peg your sinkers with a toothpick

Ensure that your weight is close to the lure when you fish with it. That way, the weight will sink faster and won’t fall off your lure so often. Practice this with a little bit of weight until you get the hang of it. When you don’t have a bobber handy, you can use a toothpick or pencil for pegging your sinker into your line.

4. Paint your hooks with nail polish

One good reason to keep nail polish around the house is for touch-ups when they’re needed. If you’re painting nails, you’re bound to have some leftover polish in a bottle. The same goes for small hooks with nicks and scratches on them–a few coats of polish will help protect the hook from rusting and camouflage it a bit so that it doesn’t stand out as much on the line. The added bonus is that this helps prevent fish from seeing it too. Use cotton swabs to paint those hard to reach parts