We travel a fair bit, and spend lots of time trying to figure out packing hacks, but despite that effort we still overlook some necessary items. Even on a trip like those to Casa Vieja Lodge, where they take care of everything, it’s always possible to wish you had packed more. When we visited in February. Hanna and I both checked a suitcase and brought a carry-on, but I still ended up missing some things.

In between long-distance fishing trips? Sitting at home? That doesn’t mean you can’t be using this time productively to get ready for the next incredible angling excursion. Here are five ways to make the most of your “down time.”

You’ve saved for your bucket list vacation, acquired all of the necessary gear and the luggage to get it there. The forecast is perfect, the flight gets off without a hitch, but when you arrive at the baggage claim it’s the nightmare scenario. Either your rod tube doesn’t arrive or its contents are destroyed. Here’s how to avoid that nightmare scenario.

A lot of you have seen the incredible pictures that Bassmaster photographer James Overstreet takes every day. I’ve spent a lot of time in the boat with J.O., and the most amazing thing about his work is how nonchalant he seems en route to getting those world-class shots. He can be telling you a story about his grandfather, eating a pickled egg, adjusting his sunglasses and facing the wrong way, but when the action goes down he picks up his Canon, swivels around, and gets the killer shot.