So, Tip Number One...every angler has a box (well, in my case, boxes) where s/he keeps hooks. Consequently, those of us who wet a line from time-to-time have all dealt with pulling out that tangled mass of hooks when we just needed one. Sometimes a hook has gone through the eye of another hook past the barb (in what seems to have been a physics-defying act because, try as we might, getting it back through is simply impossible). And, what's worse, you wind up with fingers like pin cushions. So, how can we avoid this? Styrofoam. Simple enough, right? Yes, but it can revolutionize your tackle box.
So much of what we buy comes packed in Styrofoam (you need to capitalize it because Styrofoam is actually a branded name, like Q-Tip, Band-Aid, or Kleenex - I know, right?!?). When you get something you ordered off eBay, or a new TV (who doesn't need a new TV?), Styrofoam is often the packing material of choice. Now. Take the Styrofoam and cut it into 3/4" (or 1" is fine) cubes. Write the size of the hooks you'll keep on it in Sharpie (again, a proprietary name, but any permanent marker will do just fine). Now, take a bunch of hooks and stick them into the cube of Styrofoam. Line them up so they're next to one another (like ribs - mmmmm, ribs...). Now, you've got nicely arragned and organized hooks from which it's easy to get just one to tie on to your line.
Now for Tip Number Two...How many times have you gotten your favorite lure or a hook out only to see that its metal is covered in rust. You raise your face skyward a cry out, "WHY? Oh, why?" Oxidation caused by moisture, that's why. Class dismissed. Well, anyway, I have an easy fix...and it again involves packing material.
Electronics, medication, shoes, backpacks, and who knows what else comes with a little package that says "DO NOT EAT." First off, if someone eats the little translucent yellow balls in there (yes, I had one tear open inside a shoebox once and my "...'the hell is this crap?" was answered when I saw the torn package, not by my tasting it like Sonny Crockett testing a stash of Bernie's Gold Dust on an episode of Miami Vice).
Anyway, those little things are called "desiccants." Now, how can a tackle box benefit from those? Just toss a couple in the box. The desiccant will absorb the ambient (you're welcome for your word of the day) moisture in the box and keep your hooks and lure components from rusting. I once read that a light spray of WD-40 (or Amzoil Metal Protectant) over an open tackle box would do the same, but knowing (well, reading that) fish are so keen on smell that I cannot bring myself to do that, and I'm a firm believer in WD-40 and in duct tape, too. Since I started using the desiccants, I have never faced the horror of a rusted lure or hook straight from my tackle box. And they're easily replaced, too. Those little "DO NOT EAT" packs can be found just about anytime you want them. I even labeled an old Tylenol (another brand name, see the capital "T"?) bottle "DESICCANTS" and started putting them in it as I came across them, so I have a generous supply at hand now. You can tell your non-fishing friends (yes, we all have them) to save those little packets for you. They'll look at you like you're crazy, at first; but, once you tell them why you want those annoying little packets, they'll give you a, "Huh, that's pretty smart. I usually just threw them away."
That's it for some terminal tackle ease and preservation ideas. Hope it provides some ideas for you all who fish, and I hope you non-anglers got a laugh somewhere. The Bernie's Gold Dust thing with the old-school Mismi Vice pull - I thought that was pretty good...
The wagon rolls on. Thanks for riding shotgun.
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