No matter where you’re going to fish for largmouth bass — even El Salto, the Cal Delta or Okeechobee — you need a “panic box.” Why should you listen to an outdoor writer instead of the pros? Because they can catch fish with anything, I need surefire hits.

While most of us are rigorous about packing high-quality, laser-sharp hooks for our single hook presentations at El Salto and Picachos, it’s easy to slack on replacement trebles. If you’re going for just three days of fishing you may be able to get away without bringing any but any more than that and I’d recommend that you bring a small stash.

When you’re at home, it pays to work on techniques for retrieving snagged lures. Learn to feel what you’re hung up in, because the strategies that you employ for a single-hooked lure in rock may differ from those for treble-hooked lures in trees, or any lures in a discarded tilapia net. It also pays to keep some sort of lure retriever handy. Here are some of our favorite ways to dislodge stuck lures.

There are a variety of great rainsuits available for women from companies including BPS, AFTCO, Simms and Huk. Find the one that’s right for your body and the weather you’re likely to face.

Unfortunately, scales made for fishing have historically been unreliable or imprecise. Many of you remember the old De-Liars that were probably the worst in this respect, but even many later digital models were all over the place. No matter which scale you use, here are a few steps that I recommend that you take to ensure accuracy.

I am a classic overpreparer and also a tad disorganized when I’m in the midst of a hot bite, so my m.o. is to take a belt and suspenders approach. That means that even though I have a huge supply of tackle stored at Anglers Inn there are additional small items that I restock every time without actually knowing whether they need to be supplemented. The good news is that they’re all inexpensive, take up little space and don’t weigh much.

Restaurants may sometimes have a strict “No Substitutions” policy, but here at Half Past First Cast we’re not that rigid. If you need to save a few bucks on your trip to El Salto or Picachos, we have some ways to shave down your tackle-buying bill.

Despite a pledge to do so, I have not yet conducted the rigorous test travel rod testing that I discussed late last year and early in 2021. I simply haven’t fished enough at home to give meaningful analyses, and I did not bring any multi-piece rods when we visited El Salto in June. That doesn’t mean I’ve stopped my travel rod acquisitions, though.

So you’re headed to Lake El Salto, Lake Picachos or some other dream bass fishing destination for the first time? It can be daunting to try to figure out what tackle to pack, especially given seasonal variations and differences among different lakes and forage bases. Here’s a list of basic items that’ll pay off 12 months out of the year.

Tuna fishing has now become an obsession and we’re getting fully accessorized to demonstrate our passion. Some of the items are purely functional while others are more fashion-oriented. Check out four recent purchases that we plan to put to use on our next trip to Panama — if not earlier.

Lin Bell of Fishing Pro Tech eats, sleeps and breathes Megabass lures. One of the least-appreciated tools in that box is the PopMax, a unique topwater. Lin carries several colors that are hard to find or discontinued.

I may have more tackle in Mexico (with backups in my garage) than I will ever use, but I’m always looking for new options and better mousetraps. This year’s ICAST show introduced a litany of cool-looking products, many of which will no doubt make the trip South of the Border with me. Here are a few of the early favorites.

For someone who doesn’t get to fish nearly as much as I’d like, I have a lot of fishing rods. While there are plenty of workhorses that I’ve bought off the rack like the rest of you, there’s a trio that I use all the time that each have their own stories. They’re as much about the people who made them as they are about what it says on their labels.

The first thing I’ve always done when I get to a new town – even if I’m not there for a fishing trip – is try to hit a local tackle shop. The process is particularly exciting abroad, where I’m unlikely to have seen many of the products before. Some of my purchases have paid huge dividends. Others have been abject failures. Many are in between – I just haven’t found the right venue to fish them yet.

After a one-year hiatus, ICAST was back in Orlando in 2021 and the overwhelmed tackle industry came out with guns blazing and all sorts of new products. Here are some of the ones that are aimed at traveling anglers, or that might benefit anglers making a long haul.

The Citrus Shad Fat Free Shad is a long term staple for Mexican largemouths, still producing long after it was introduced to the world by Bassmaster Classic winner in 1995. There’s just something about that color that makes ‘em mad. I’m not sure, then, why I’ve largely restricted its use to crankbaits that dive over 10 feet deep. Is there some science behind it, or is it just that I’m hidebound to tradition?

I still have lures that don’t get used unless it’s an important situation, and they never get loaned out. There will come a time and a place for all of them. I just hope that I’m neither too cautious nor too cavalier, and that when they’re eventually gone I can be satisfied that they lived up to their special purpose.

No matter where you’re fishing, no matter when you’re going, there are certain items that should remain permanently packed. Here are eight that I don’t leave home without.

When I go on a fishing trip, it’s about more than catching fish. It’s about finding products that work for me and for my readers. To quote Bryan Adams: “Everything I do, I do it for you.” Prior to our recent trip to El Salto, I wrote about a few items I planned to torture test. Now I’m reporting back, on those and some others that also passed with flying colors.

The rod that excited me most before our recent trip to Mexico was a Dobyns Rods Champion XP DC 795 SB, 7’9” and rated for 1 to 5 ounce lures. While I certainly hadn’t dialed in the big bait game in Mexico, I reasoned that part of the problem was not having the right gear—with the proper equipment I’d be more apt to confidently and efficiently chuck the big stuff around.