In response to a couple of recent posts, I thought it might be helpful to illustrate some of the basic gear that I have found useful over the past few years for fishing in the Gulf of Mexico’s estuarine waters and inshore/offshore along Florida’s Atlantic Coast. In addition to the fact that the Hobie Sport seems to be designed around the Igloo 25 qt. cooler, I will use this and the Plano waterproof #3740 tackle box (that also fits inside this cooler perfectly) as examples.
I got rid of my crate and now use the Igloo 25 as a combination cooler and crate, but mostly the latter. Everything you see here except the insulated bag will fit nicely inside the Igloo cooler during transport to and from your launch site.
So, from left to right and top down, what we have here are the following:
1. A Plano #3740 waterproof tackle box, some bottles of Gatorade/water plus an empty, and the Igloo 25 quart Marine Cooler.
2. Next to the Plano #3740 is the Pentax Optio W30 waterproof camera in a protective Plano fly box, a Ziploc bag with a spare bandana and handkerchief, and a Hefty bag with various snacks.
3. Just below the Plano tackle box at far left we have 2 PVC rod holder extenders with rubber bands to keep them seated in the kayak’s built-in rod holders. These are designed to keep the reels above the usual splash and spray. Just to the right is a bag with 2 cotton gloves (lacking fingertips) for sun protection. These are a very recent addition, after I got a second-degree sunburn on top of the scar following some recent skin cancer surgery. Further to the right is a bag with several wiping cloths, and my fishing pliers and leash.
4. Next down at left is an anchor with 50 feet of line wrapped around a short piece of broomstick. Just to its right is a Ziploc bag containing 6 rod and gear leashes made from paracord and old cell phone cords. Further to the right is the small Eagle Claw fishing knife and leash, and then two RAM rocket launcher-type rodholders, followed by the Berkley lip gripper and leash.
5. At the bottom is the Sam’s Club insulated bag to carry any catch that I might need to take home. It will carry Ziploc bags of water that were frozen for a couple of days beforehand in the freezer. Although I enjoy eating fishes of all types, it seems that most of my fishing these days is CPR-style (Catch, Photograph, and Release). Finally, here is the rigged Sport ready for action on the Forgotten Coast.
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