Have you ever been on the water with a buddy and saw him pull out some little gadget or do something that was such a great idea that you wondered why you never thought of it? Well in my years of fishing I have learned so many different things and I thought I would put together a short list to help you out on the water. Although the list is not complete it is just some things that I use on the water or off that make things so much easier. Almost all of these came from someone else, but they all work.

1. Channel Lock 4-inch round-nose Little Champ pliers - These little pliers make the perfect pair of wire bending pliers for your spinner baits. They allow you to change out all your blades without breaking the wire. With these you can bend your wire back to look just like it came from the factory. Rich Lillard, President of Hart Tackle Company, taught me this one. FYI – Hart specializes in spinner baits.
2. Texas Tackle Company Split ring pliers - These split ring pliers are the best on the market. They are small and work perfect for changing your hooks on all your crank baits. Go to www.texastackle.com to get yours.
3. Permanent magic markers of different colors - Cheap tool that can be used for several things. First off, you can mark the last few feet of your braided line when flipping, which makes it less visible or so they say. Secondly, you can mark all of your crankbaits running depths so you never have to wonder. I also use it to place an “x” on the bill of any crank bait that just has a knack for catching fish. These are my “warrior” baits. They only get used when money is on the line. I do not want to chance losing them. Also, you can use them to make changes to any bait to “match the hatch.” Must-have colors are: black, red and orange.
4. Plug Knocker - If you crankbait fish you better have one of these. I take mine and tie it onto one of my marker buoys after cutting the lead weight off. This will allow you to attach it to your line and drop it over board while you just move the rod tip to get it hooked up with the bait. Then you just grab your buoy and pull the bait to the surface.
5. High Quality Hair cutting scissors - These are one of the best and most used tools in my boat. My girlfriend, Diana, gets credit for these. While in cosmetology school she learned how the human hair is one of the hardest things to cut. Hence, hair-cutting scissors are of the highest quality. They will cut anything you want them to, to include: mono, braid, string and even rope. You cannot buy these at any store. You have to get them from hair supply stores. Find a hair stylist and ask them to buy you a pair. You have to have a license to buy anything in these stores. Be prepared, they are expensive, but well worth the money. They will be the last pair of scissors you ever buy.
6. Line and Lure Conditioner - This is some of the most versatile stuff you will ever come across. Yes, they are one of my sponsors and I am very proud to have them as a sponsor. But the stuff can be used for many other things beside its intended use. For those of you who do not know, Line and Lure Conditioner is applied to your line and guides to give you more casting distance and to cut down on line memory. It does both of these fantastic. I also spray it on all of my electronic screens and gauges of my boat. It actually coats them and will prevent fogging up as well as condensation build-up. I do the same to my sunglasses. This stuff really works great. To learn all about this go to www.lineandlure.com.
7. Bungee tie downs - Now what the heck could these be used for? Well, lets just say your motor cowling is lose or one of your compartment latches break, they can be used to hold things down or keep them shut, this way nothing blows out of the boat and you will not be slowed down in a pinch. I mainly use mine to hook between my trolling motor and my tie cleat when running in rough water. It keeps my trolling motor from bouncing but still allows it to move somewhat at the hinges so nothing breaks.
8. Duct Tape - What can you say about duct tape? The uses are endless.
9. Tie-ties - See above. Many uses for these.
10. Super Glue - Once again, see above. You can do a lot of repairs with this stuff and duct tape combined. Heck, I bet you could build a bullet-proof boat from scratch.
11. Extra change of clothes - Ever fall in the lake in January or get caught by a fast moving rain? This is one thing I never take out of my boat.
12. Oxygenator - This is one that does not get the credit it should nowadays. If you tournament fish you would be crazy not to have one installed in your live-well. It actually generates oxygen and saturates your live well water. I hardly ever have to run my live wells other than to change out the water. It really keeps your fish alive and healthy. Less stress on the fish means more weight in your bag. Go to www.aquainnovationsinc.com to learn more.
13. Rejuvanade - Add this stuff to your live well and just watch the fish. I have always jokingly called this stuff “cocain for fish.” If you ever try to get the fish out of your live well after they have had this you will see what I mean. A must for tournament fishing.  Go to www.bassmedics.com to learn more.
14. Mustad Triple Grip hooks - If you throw your crank baits without these your losing more fish than you should. These hooks will stick and hold anything that gets close. I use these on every crankbait I throw during tournaments. I will use the stock hooks during practice but change out all of them when it counts. The best thing about these hooks is that they are harder for the fish to throw and that in itself makes them worth the extra money. Mustad now makes them in red, as well as with feathers for those jerk baits and top water baits.
15. Rubber bobber stops - These are fantastic for pegging your weights when flipping.  They allow the weight to slide up the line on the hook set, thus eliminating a lot of leverage for the fish to throw the hook. They do not damage your line either.
16. Knot Tying booklet or card - This can be any knot book you can find. Knots are the weakest link between you and the fish. It will benefit you greatly to learn all about them and how to use them properly. You will be surprised at how much utilizing the proper knot will make a difference. One little tid-bit I learned while reading about different types of knots is that fishermen are one of the worst for tying knots. One of the things that we ALL do is wet our knot before we cinch it down to keep the line from generating so much heat when tightened. We do this by wetting it with our saliva. Your saliva has digestive enzymes in it that will break down the line. I either wet mine with water or spray a little Line and Lure Conditioner (See #6) on it.
17. Oval Split rings - Crank bait companies are finally catching on and using these more often. I even noticed that Rat-L-Traps are now coming with them. I use these on most of my crank baits as you will get better hookups with the fish. They allow the hooks to hang just a little lower so they expose more of the hook to the fish. I also utilize these on the line tie. By using these over round split rings you will not tie your line off in the split of the ring.
18. Berkley Cross Lock snaps - I learned about these by reading a book by Kevin VanDam. In his opinion, by attaching these to your crank baits and tying your line to it instead of the split ring it gives the bait more freedom to move. I use them on most of my lipped crank baits and I have never had one fail on me.

This list, by far, is not complete, but by utilizing some of these tips and tools you will make your day on and off the water much more enjoyable and hopefully put more fish in your live well. Keep in mind that all of these came about by an angler trying to make his or her day on the water a little better. Do not be afraid to try new things and come up with something yourself. Make sure and share the knowledge as we all get better by learning from each other.

Lee Wheeler is a regional professional angler that speaks at promotional
events and seminars across Southeast Texas. He fishes the BASS Open
Central Division, Texas Tournament Trail, as well as the Southeast Texas
Federation Nation Regional tour. He is sponsored by: Ardent Outdoors,
Awesome Bait Company, Bassboat Saver, Bassmedics, E2 Baits, Hart
Tackle Company, Line and Lure Conditioner, Lowrance, Minn Kota,
Mustad, Texas Marine, and 2IG Ultra Strike Rods.

To learn more about him visit his site at www.leewheeler.com.