Storing Items in the Boat

[jeepinchad]

What are some common tips/tricks for storing items in your boat? A list of items I'm thinking of are:

• Golden Rule
• Fish Net
• Anchor
• Dock lines
• Safety Equipment
• Other necessary items.

Just curious on how some of you store items that you need to get to, but aren't necessary to have at your fingertips while you are fishing.

[bamabassman]

first aid kit is MUST HAVE!!

[Bender]

In Michigan it is law to have the throwable "accessible" which some law enforcement mean on deck, not in a storage compartment. I need to figure out how to mount that under the console.
Other than that I keep all gear in the lockers. Spare prop, spare TM prop, first aid kit, change of clothes, tools, anchor, extra life vests, net, jumper cables, bailing bucket, signal flag, marine radio, oar, etc. I keep small stuff like spare batteries for GPS, big spray, documents, etc. in the glove box. IMO you cannot have too much safety gear.
If I find myself fishing more tourneys I will probably end up even getting a spare TM. A guy I know carried one in his 285 before he upgraded to an 08 Champion this year. For now I have to spend all my money replacing electronics.

[BassinBandit]

For the Golden Rule we put Industrial strength velcro on both the golden rule andthe lid of the rod locker and it holds it really good. I think we got that from someone on the board though. I wish I could give credit to them but I am not sure who it was.

[carolina-rig-01]

i pretty much designate one compartment to my lifejackets, throwable flotation device, and safety type stuff. i keep my bump board in a canvas sleeve that velcros to the underneath side of a compartment lid and my pliars are suctioned to the same lid, this keeps them off the deck out of my way and i never have to dig to the bottom for them. also whatever you do keep your bumpboard up and in a place it won't get stepped on or bent. a guy in my club got busted twice last year for weighing in short fish before he figured out his bump board was bent making short fish look legal.

[zooker]

i have my golden rule in a sliding sheath like thing that is screwed to the step to the front deck. fast easy out of the dang way.-ever step on one bare foot in the summer?-

plyers i use a double tool case and a large hose clamp. i clamp it to my pole seat..in there i have a set of neddle nose and a set of side cutters..

nets are a pain in the azz they tend to slide around and blow out of the boat when you least want them to..there for even though i own 4-5 nets i don't use them in my boat.

anchors rarely use them for fishing they sit on top of a cabniet in the shed..

dock lines i have 2 a short 8 footer that is tied to a front cleat and looped thru the passanger grab handle. and a 50 foot dual snaped job. which i use for launching the boat. it is coiled up and placed behind the drivers seat..

zooker

[JB]

life jackets, pliers, scales, extra pair of dry clothes, and rain gear.

[mariner]

Originally Posted by zooker

dock lines i have 2 a short 8 footer that is tied to a front cleat and looped thru the passanger grab handle. and a 50 foot dual snaped job. which i use for launching the boat. it is coiled up and placed behind the drivers seat..

zooker

why dont u get in the boat and back it off trailer and dock it instead of usin the rope

[Bender]

A lot of launches don't have a place to beach the boat and sometimes a rope is the easiest way to do it. I used to use a rope all the time but now I beach it on the small lakes and normally have a fishing partner to park the truck on the big ones.

[zooker]

Originally Posted by mariner

why dont u get in the boat and back it off trailer and dock it instead of usin the rope

i take it you have never lone launched a boat in a crowded launch. the rope trick is much much faster.. also saves gettin your feet wet in the winter..



zooker

[WTL]

For the dock line on my Dads small boat, I rigged it through a hole in the front of the hull, ran it under the deck to a retractable dog leash reel - it was a small line, but the slack was always pulled in by the leash.

Nets - when I am trailering I put it around the butt seat, when I am fishing lay it around the top of the console.

Golden rule - I'm gonna steal the velcro idea. In the past I put it under the braces that go up the gunwales.

Plies go in a sheath attatched to the seat pole. I also have lanyards with line clippers and a small LED light attatched to the pole.

Life jackets have been put anywhere from under the console to in the middle storage compartment.

Shotgun goes in the rear deck compartment. High and dry and close.

[mariner]

wtl do u really carry a shotgun if u do wouldnt it be better to put it in the rod box

[WTL]

If I had a rod box, it would be.

I was being a little facetious. I normally dont take the shotgun. I have before and will again, but its normally for fun and no real reason - get bored, go up on an island and shoot beer cans - that sort of thing.

[zooker]

Originally Posted by mariner

wtl do u really carry a shotgun if u do wouldnt it be better to put it in the rod box

lol... i bet if you asked a 100 southern bass anglers if they tote a gun in the boat. i bet a 100 would say yes..

i got a glock model 22 40 cal stashed in my boat all the time..

zooker

[Fishnngolfn]

The guns are to defend yourself against pirates.

[bamabassman]

lol, yea...pirates, theives,snakes and other varmits. no gun in my boat.......yet. wish i had one 2 weekends ago. had about $100.00 worth of gas stolen outa my boat. never will i go to a state park again.

[WTL]

Not so much pirates...I keep the guns in the boat as defense against Ninjas and Hippos. But then again, Ninjas are so totally awesome and sweet they could probably just kill me by staring at me really hard, and they totally would if I got a lure hung in a bush my friend joey said he saw a Ninja do that one time to his former best freind but hes not his friend anymore cause he was dead cause the Ninja killed his friend now joey wants to be a Ninja...haha he wishes hes not cool enough