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? In years of fishing we learn so many different things. What follows is a short list to help you out on the water. Although the list is not complete it is just some things that can be used on the water or off to make things so much easier.

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.
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.
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. They can also be used to place an “x” on the bill of any crank bait that just has a knack for catching fish. Call these your “warrior” baits. They should only get used when money is on the line. Do not chance losing these. Also, 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. Take it and tie it onto one of your 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 and knocker to the surface. Will save you hundreds in lost baits
5. High quality hair cutting scissors – These are one of the best and most used tools in anyone’s boat. Cosmetology school teaches their students 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 are stainless and extremely sharp. They will be the last pair of scissors you ever buy and can be used for so many things.
6. 6. Line and Lure Conditioner – This is some of the most versatile stuff you will ever come across. Line and Lure 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. You can also spray it on your electronic screens and gauges. It actually coats them and will prevent fogging up as well as condensation build-up. Do the same to your sunglasses. This stuff really works great.
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. They can also serve as a trolling motor tie-down in rough water. Hook them between your trolling motor and tie cleat when expecting rough conditions. It keeps your 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. If it needs to be held together duct tape is the answer.
9. Tie-ties – See above. Many uses for these. One of the key uses for these is to make wire routing neat and painless. Things go wrong out on the water and these are a must have.
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. Braided line has a tendency to slip in some knots. To prevent this put a drop of super glue on the knot and “cross their eyes.”
11. Extra change of clothes – Ever fall in the lake in January or get caught by a fast moving rain? This is one thing that should never come out of your 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. If installed and used properly you will hardly ever have to run your 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.
13. Rejuvanade – Add this stuff to your live well and just watch the fish. It is as though the fish are on speed. It will even help deeply hooked and already unhealthy fish survive. It also replenishes the fish slime coating as well as provides many other benefits to the fish. A must for tournament fishing.  Rejuvanade is also environmentally friendly.
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. Use these on every crankbait you throw during tournaments. 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. A must for any one who loves to throw lipless crank 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. They are very affordable.
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. Fishermen are one of the worst for tying knots. One of the things that everyone has been taught to do is wet your knot before you cinch it down. This keeps the line from generating so much heat when tightened. This is typically done by wetting the knot with your saliva. Your saliva has digestive enzymes in it that will break down the line. Either wet the line 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. Even some Rat-L-Traps are now coming with them. Use these on most of your 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. You can 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 – According to a book by Kevin VanDam, he even uses this little trick. 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. Use them on your lipped crank baits and see what you think.

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.