Repurpose for the Purpose of Fishing

One way to combat symptoms of cabin fever is to organize your fishing tackle. There are items readily available around the cabin that can be reused to assist.
 

1. Empty mint tins or plastic snap top gum dispensers can be loaded up with the split shot weights that have been rolling around in the bottom of the tackle box. That telltale sign of a disk pattern on the back pocket of jeans does not necessarily mean it is from carrying a can containing chewing tobacco; during ice fishing season, that can is full of wax worms or other bait. Costing about $.20 apiece, you want to keep this valuable commodity secured and handy.
   

2. A buddy of mine loads safety pins as carriers for various sizes, types of hooks and spinnerbait blades. 
   

3. You know that stack of broken rods sections in the corner of the garage? Tie a 6-foot piece of yarn to the end and finally learn to cast that fly rod you got for Christmas 6 years ago. What may look like rhythmic gymnastics or a cat toy actually is a great way to practice timing the 10 and 2 positions so the fly line will “flatten” in the air instead of big loops.

4. Stream anglers in the northeast part of the country sometimes wear a clear, plastic coffee or peanut butter jar tied around their neck. In this tribute to the movie, “What About Bob?,” a steelhead angler is equipped with a small jar of minnows, now able to re-bait without leaving the stream.

What stuff around your cabin has found a new home in your fishing tackle?

Andy Whitcomb

Andy is an outdoor writer (http://www.justkeepreeling.com/) and stressed-out Dad has contributed over 380 blogs to takemefishing.org since 2011. Born in Florida, but raised on banks of Oklahoma farm ponds, he now chases pike, smallmouth bass, and steelhead in Pennsylvania. After earning a B.S. in Zoology from OSU, he worked in fish hatcheries and as a fisheries research technician at OSU, Iowa State, and Michigan State.