*If you don’t like what’s on the menu, it may pay to have a backup plan.*

What food do you take on a long-distance fishing trip?

Every angler and every traveler has different needs when it comes to the amount of sustenance they need to function at their best. That seems like a simple concept to embrace, but many of us try to emulate the best anglers and that can be to our detriment.

By 2006 I had been tournament fishing for a decade, and had bought into Rick Clunn’s notion, expressed in the book “Bass Wars,” that by limiting the amount he ate in the days prior to competition he could “shrink his stomach” and be less reliant on food during the tournament day. Indeed, many of the best bass anglers I knew ate and drank next to nothing during the course of an event. I tried to emulate that, but it didn’t work for me. Failure to eat a decent breakfast left me hungry during the day and I’d end up eating crap as I drove the boat between fishing spots.

Then I attended a meeting which included both Kevin VanDam and some non-angler television executives. As we tried to fill the execs in on the rigors of tournament fishing, I mentioned that many of the top pros effectively starve themselves from blast-off to weigh-in. “Not me,” said the high-energy VanDam. “I need to eat a lot during the day to compete at a high level.”

It was a light switch moment for me and that simple line changed the way I fuel myself for fishing. I’ve learned that I do better when I eat a decent-sized breakfast with some protein versus some crappy snack food for breakfast. By getting that good start, I end up eating less during the day and avoid gorging on a massive dinner. I still love to eat a lot between stops, but over time I’ve refined what I’ll throw in the boat. Even if it’s not always super-healthy, I’ve moved away from Pop-Tarts and the like and toward something with protein and some other benefits.

I’ve extended this to travel, too, and whether you’re headed across the state, across the country or across the world, it pays to devote some of your luggage space to emergency food.

Why Carry Your Own Snacks on Fishing Travel?

As anyone who has engaged in air travel lately knows, increased waits, delays and cancellations are becoming the norm rather than the exception. At some point you may have to spend hours at an airport gate, waiting for updates on your yet-to-arrive plane or maintenance crew.

You can often buy something there in the airport. Of course it will come at a markup of several hundred percent over what you would’ve paid in an outside store. Even if that doesn’t deter you, there may not be many palatable options – those Sour Cream and Onion chips may not sit will on your upcoming flight (with you or the person you’re breathing on in the seat next to you) and a Snickers Bar might not hold you over. Additionally, at many smaller airports the shops and restaurants can close remarkably early, so even those less-than-optimal choices may not be available. During one long evening wait at the Birmingham (Alabama) airport, I found that everything seemed to close shortly after 7pm. Furthermore, if you’re hoping to grab something during a layover between flights, a delayed first leg may mean that during the rush to the next one (often across multiple terminals) you simply don’t have time to stop.

I can also tell you from experience that if there’s any sort of snafu or delay that requires interaction with the airlines staff, you’re going to want to have a full belly. I make better decisions when I’m not “hangry.”

Finally, most of my fellow travelers are not picky eaters, but if you are – or if you have dietary restrictions for other reasons – at some point during a trip the only options may be to eat something that will cause you distress or go hungry…unless you’ve brought something to tide you over. It’s better to have something and not need it than to be famished and not have access to anything.

Quest Bars are very high in protein and come in some unique flavors

What Foods Travel Best?

If you’re going to bring food on a long-distance fishing trip, you want it to be both edible and available when you need it most. Figuring out what will make it until the proper point in time is an exercise that requires proper considerations.

First, don’t bring banned foods. That could be as simple as not trying to bring a bottle full of water through airport security. Instead, bring an empty container and you can often fill it up on the back side with filtered water. More importantly, check customs requirements. The United States TSA allows you to bring a wide variety of foods and beverages on the plane either in checked luggage or in your carry-on, but that doesn’t mean that all such items can make it back through U.S. Customs. Trying to bring in a prohibited item may result in confiscation and/or a civil penalty.

Other countries impose similar requirements and enforce them with varying degrees of severity. In most cases, the goal is to prevent the growth of new species (thus the prohibitions on fruits, plants, seeds, etc.) and the spread of plant- and animal-borne diseases. In some countries they may simply ask you to declare whether you have any such products in your luggage, and in others they may pick apart your bags to see if you’re telling the truth. Sometimes, scent-trained dogs will be employed to find likely violators. As a presumably ethical traveler, you don’t want to cause any harm to your host country, and as a presumably intelligent person I’d guess that you don’t want to end up subject to a foreign justice system. You definitely don’t want to end up incarcerated, at home or abroad.

Even once you settle on what’s legal to bring, figure out which items will survive the rigors of travel. If you’re hoping to save something for the return flight home, that means no bananas or tomatoes (even if they’re allowed), because they’ll almost certainly go bad by then. So will the tuna sandwich your mother lovingly crafted for you. I’d also personally rule out items like granola bars and Nutri-Grain bars, because after a week of being jostled around in your bags, they’ll most likely be reduced to powder form rather than their intended state.

Also, even though I love chocolate, it’s a less-than-ideal travel food because it tends to melt and get all over everything.

Variety pack of RX Bars are good snacks for air travel and to keep in the boat on fishing trips

Which Travel Snack Foods We Prefer

The basic criteria for emergency road food should be how well it travels, is it legal, and does it tide you over in an emergency?

Hanna and I have come up with varying solutions, some of which may help you, but as the KVD/Clunn split (see above) shows, this is a highly-personalized effort. First, if the lodge or outfitter provides something that we like, we almost always take it. For example, Anglers Inn at El Salto will provide you with burritos or sandwiches for the Mazatlán airport trip. Even if you don’t think you’ll need them, what can it hurt to take them? I almost always get a couple of BLTs and with hurried connections in Dallas or Phoenix having them in my belly has occasionally saved the day.

If you’re packing your own, there’s no reason you can’t do the same. Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches do well for the trip TO a destination (and in my opinion get better as they get squished together), but they probably shouldn’t be brought into a country, and they certainly won’t last a week in your bag.

So what are some other options?

I think almonds and trail mix are good if you’re traveling within the country, as they taste good, can be packed into small, durable portions, and offer up some protein. I will admit, that they make me nervous that I have them stuck between my teeth.

Other offerings that are inexpensive and reasonably filling are various types of energy bars. Of course, many of them are filled with sugar, so do your homework. I like the RX Bars. They may not be ideal health wise, but at least the ingredient list is straightforward and it contains no added sugar. Just don’t buy the ones with bananas because everyone with any sense at all knows they are bad luck on a fishing trip.

Hanna needs something with more protein or she gets cranky, so she often carries Quest Protein Bars in various flavors. I’ve enjoyed several of them, but several others have a medicinal taste that I dislike. She also likes the One Bars, which come in both regular and “mini” sizes, an added bonus. Once again, though, I’ve liked some of them and found others to be less-than-tasty. Your mileage may vary.

Jerky or meat sticks are another great protein boost, albeit an expensive one. Just make sure that it’s packed/sealed properly. I like the Duke’s Shorty Sausages and the Cattleman’s Cut Spicy Double Smoked Sausages in the boat, and Hanna often buys the Old Wisconsin Turkey Bites in the check-out line at Wal-Mart.

One other food that Hanna often brings is packages of dry oatmeal. If the breakfast options aren’t to her liking, she just asks for hot water and has an instant satisfying meal.

Old Wisconsin turkey bites are a low-fat high-protein snack for travel

Other Travel Snack Considerations

While you’re taking care of yourself, be sure to look out for the interests of others. While I can’t tell you what you can or cannot take on a plane, something that has an intense odor or greasy footprint is not really fair to your seatmates. If it lingers on your breath or your hands, that’s even worse. The flip side of that, of course, is to bring more of whatever you carry than you alone will need. Someone in your traveling partner may forget to bring their own and will be thankful for your largesse.

Also consider your own stomach, intestinal and bowel issues. I’ve made it a goal never to take a dump on a commercial airplane or in an airport, so that’s a guiding light when I consider which foods I’ll eat. Eggs run through Hanna’s system like water, so I have to remind her of that sometimes. Before downing a preflight snack or meal, take an honest inventory of what it’ll do to you. That means no street meat, no ingredients you’re unsure of, and no unwashed fruits or vegetables under any circumstances. This is one case where it may be better to be hungry.

If possible, bring only securely-wrapped foods (preferably sealed from the factory/store) and tote a few additional lightweight ziplock bags for extra security.

Finally, even if you’re staying at an all-inclusive lodge that you paid for in dollars, have some of the local currency with you. Shops on the way to the airport or in the airport may accept your credit cards, but you don’t want to run the risk that they won’t if you’re desperate for something to eat.