Murphy’s Law often takes over when it comes to towing and operating bass boats — but by taking some simple precautions and making a few minor investments you can often salvage a trip. Be prepared.

Paired with an appropriately-sized tungsten weight, the lizard might be the most versatile lure in the boat at El Salto and Picachos. You can Texas Rig or Carolina Rig them You can flip them. You can even catch fish swimming one or bouncing it along the bottom on a slow, steady retrieve. Moreover, they’re inexpensive and durable.

I like trinkets but I also like them to be useful, particularly when it comes to travel. Every square inch of packing space matters, and I also want to protect all of my gear. Over time, I’ve learned about some inexpensive items that fit that description and now they go on virtually every trip.

While travel to the Brazilian Amazon may be difficult right now, we still saw some tackle introduced at the 2021 ICAST show that should be perfect for big Rio Negro peacock bass. I've been three times, and as soon as things are consistently opened up again we'll be back.

Whether it’s Mexico, Brazil, Alaska, Panama or anywhere else, nothing in fishing beats the excitement of a brutal surface strike. Sometimes it’s so amazing that I even put down the rod to watch and photograph the action.

I recently wrote about the need to bring spare treble hooks with you on fishing travel, with our trips to Mexico as the focus. Making sure you have ultra-sharp hooks on your lures at all times is one of the best ways to maximize your catch rate. I’ve amassed quite a selection of replacement hooks, but I’m always looking for better solutions. Here are some of the new options that were introduced at the 2021 ICAST show.

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.