Squeeky’s Top 10 Boat Items you may not know you need

As I spend the half of my life in a drift boat I find myself enjoying the little things in fishing life. And most of the items below are little. They do not take up much space while bringing me above all safety. The comfort and joy items finish second to safety. And sometimes if I don’t have any Tic Tacs following my Deviled Ham snack I get grouchy. And that is unsafe!

1. Eye Glass Repair Kit. A must have. Specifically if you do not have back up glasses. Those little screws included have saved the day before. For both sunglasses and reels!
2. Extra Oar Lock and Oar Lock Pin. Be smart out there. Shortsightedness is not all that sexy. I love the excuse folks use for items like this “I’ve never needed an extra oar before!” OK fella. I’ll be sure to spoil my afternoon helping you out pal.
3. Extra Eye Protection. I love having lots of eye protection in the boat. I always carry extra sunglasses for guests who forget their eye protection. Also clear eye protection goggles or safety glasses for low light situations. Those cheap clear construction ones you get from your home improvement center. They are cheap, disposable, and can keep a fly from your eye.The yellow ones are good too. Like gun glasses. The only hard rule I have in my boat is that everyone has to wear eye protection. Light conditions dictate you need differing colored lenses. If you like to toss buggers into the darkness, you need clear lensed eye protection.
4. Tic-Tacs. I love sugar. An afternoon hit of Orange Tic-Tacs can brighten my post lunch mood.
5. Lots of Extra Readers! I can’t see shit anymore. If I cannot find my readers I freak out. And it does not come across that well if I ask the guest to tie on all of the flies. Although, I am not afraid of that. I actually encourage it. But alas, my conversion rate of tricking the guest into tying the fly on is quite low.
6. A fully stocked, updated, First Aid Kit. An item you do not need until an emergency. So not too sexy. But so very important. Update you kit. Include some items like a splint, eye wash/irrigant, rubbing alcohol, large size Band-Aids, rubber gloves…update yours today!
7. Deviled Ham. By Underwood of course. Great on crackers. I consume about 3 cans annually. I have never liked the Vienna sausages in a can by Libby. But Deviled Ham and a sleeve of saltines? Yessir. Stranded at the boat ramp when that damn shuttle service is late? No worries. Chug down a couple crackers with everyones favorite ham spread. Too many tubers blocking the ramp? No problem. Slather up a couple crackers for you and your boat mates, shotgun a warm PBR tall boy, and magically your frustration just melts away.
8. Binoculars. For being rising trout a long ways away. For handing to the guest in the back of the boat to look at eagles. To watch the angler feed a big brown rout bank sipper. If you have not witnessed a trout, through the binoculars, sip a tiny mayfly pattern with the magnification of the glasses, you will not spend another day in the boat without this fantastic ocular magnification tool. I carry tow pair. One for short, and one for long.
9. Baby Wipes. A must have. Accidents do happen.
10. Zeiss Glasses Wipes. All the better to see you with…
11. Loon UV Wader Repair/Knot Sense. I think it is the same stuff. But nevertheless this product is awesome. Have a reel with that line groove in it lacerating your brand new Headhunter Dry Fly Line? Fix it with UV Wader Repair.
12. Aspirin, Ibuprofen, antacid, antihistamine. Always smart to have these on board. For obvious reasons.
13. Hot Sauce. Life Lunch is better with hot sauce.