What to Pack For a Saltwater Destination Fishing Trip
Written By: Pete Robbins
For much of my life, I’ve traveled extensively domestically and internationally to fish in freshwater, but over the past five years, I’ve caught the saltwater bug badly. From sailfish in Guatemala to tuna in Panama and halibut in Alaska, I want to taste it all—whether it’s stripers near home or far-flung GTs. However, each new destination and species requires a slightly different approach, not just the tackle but also the process and the particulars.
There are plenty of rugged destinations that involve freshwater. However, the harshness of the salt air adds a different level of intensity – and the fact that the fish are often bigger and pull harder means you need to be ready for additional challenges.
As with every fishing trip, comfort is your first requirement. If you’re cold, sunburned, or seasick, you can’t fish effectively, if at all. Make sure you have climate-specific, layerable fishing rain gear. You’ll be glad you did when a storm creeps up and drenches you, but even if you go someplace where it rarely rains, you can use it as a barrier against chill and spray.
Consider your hands, too. They’re the lifeblood of any fishing efforts, holding onto the rod and the reel handle, filleting fish, and tying on lures. If they become disabled in any way, you’re out of luck – so protect them from the sun, the cold, fish teeth, or your fillet knife with fishing gloves as appropriate.
Your feet, at the other extreme, are equally critical. Will you fight an 800-pound bluefin on a slippery deck standup gear in raging seas for hours? Or chase a breaking bluefish across ungroomed sand on foot? Deck boots are an excellent footwear option that will help keep your feet dry and protected. You’ll need something that is non-marking and provides incredible stability and support. If you fall flat on your face when a giant Goliath grouper surges back into his hiding hole, your chances of winning the fight might plummet. To avoid sliding around on deck, wear comfortable and dependable deck boots.
Anglers need protection from head to toe, and sunglasses are a must. The sunglasses I used to sight fish for bass or stream fish for salmon in Alaska were okay on the flats of Islamorada and offshore in Central America, but they weren’t ideal. I needed a different lens color to be ultra-effective. Either way, they must protect you from harmful rays, flying lures, or even the bill of an airborne marlin.
Your clothes should be comfortable for the climate and enable you to make the necessary moves, whether trolling for pez vela, speed jigging the depths, or casting again and again for calico bass. You want fishing pants that are flexible and breathable, along with durable fishing shirts that won’t catch your rod butt at the most inopportune moments.
No matter where I’m going, I like something with a hood to protect me from the sun, glare, insects, and other problems. The AFTCO Samurai sun protection hoodie is a great starting point if it's warm. It comes in colors that match any shorts or pants. It has UPF 50 sun protection, an antimicrobial treatment for odor control, and is quick drying. When comfort is paramount, Samurai has you covered.
You’ll need sunscreen and possibly insect repellent, but if you’re not a veteran of the high seas, even mild waves may cause motion sickness. When you go offshore or into deep sea environments for the first time, you don’t want to get seasick – it’s the most miserable feeling you’ll ever have. You can try to counteract or prevent any sickness with over-the-counter meds and various preventative products, but if you’re serious, consider having your doctor prescribe the Scopolamine patch. I’ve used it prophylactically, and other than a bit of dry mouth, it’s had no ill effect on me, even in heavy-duty washing machine-type waves.
If you’re going on a charter boat, contact the captain to find out what you can and should bring. There are certain things they won’t want onboard or may not have space for. The space on a large sportfishing boat differs greatly from a 28’ center console or what you’ll have on a panga. Or perhaps you’ll be surf fishing. Either way, you need to have your gear in a single bag that will hold it, protect it, and make it readily accessible. Again, the salt air and pounding waves mean you’ll want to put it in a durable, waterproof fishing bag. A fishing backpack is better if you’ll be trekking long distances with other items in your hands, while a boat bag or overnight bag may hold more overall gear.
If you're flying, check the airline's rules and regulations and the country you'll visit. I've found TSA's rules relatively straightforward, albeit somewhat subject to the whims of particular agents. Meanwhile, the short rod tube that I've toted onto planes in Alaska, Africa, Brazil, and across the lower 48 got me sent back to the gate in Mexico. On our regular trips there, we pack reels in our carry-on on the way down and in our checked baggage on the way home. On a recent trip to Panama, I was glad that I checked our carrier's website because I found out that they didn't allow any reels – even without line – in carry-on bags. Consider buying travel insurance, too. If you get there and your gear is missing or damaged, it might allow you to get new stuff on-site. At the very least, it should compensate you after the fact.
Furthermore, print out the airline's baggage rules when you fly. In a fishing town like Anchorage, the gate agents will know them, but closer to home, they might not. This is especially true if you bring a full-sized rod tube, which often confuses them.
When you talk to the captain or local experts at tackle shops, figure out if there’s any species-specific gear beyond rods, reels, hooks, and lures that you’ll require. Many will have everything you need, but you might want a fighting belt that fits your body or a fishing harness to help you through a seemingly endless battle. A few years back, I was humbled by a 200-pound yellowfin, and when I came back to Panama the next time, my new gym membership and a few minutes of harness instruction helped significantly. I will say that I was particularly delighted when the mate on the boat got out his fillet knife to get the final word on my defeated adversary. Sashimi has never tasted so good. Remember, anything sharp, from a fillet knife to your gaff and hooks and lures, must be appropriately packed in your checked luggage if you’re flying.
Saltwater fishing travel has opened a world of opportunity for me and has kept me fully engaged in the sport. Fortunately, I didn’t have to replace much of my AFTCO fishing clothing to take on these new challenges – the same gear that served me well for bass, salmon, peacock bass, and tigerfish across the globe still holds up and excels. However, I have had to adjust my psyche to deal with bigger targets. Whether you have your sights on offshore fishing in Panama or some of the world’s best bluewater fisheries in Costa Rica, get ready for the trip of a lifetime as long as you pack accordingly. If you do it right, you’ll come home with memories, photographs, and perhaps a cooler full of the sea’s finest bounty.
Author's Profile: Pete Robbins
Pete Robbins is a one of the most trusted and heavily published scribes in the world of bass fishing. He is a Senior Writer for Bassmaster and has blogged for Yamamoto’s Inside Line for well over a decade. He has also been published in outlets as varied as Texas Monthly and Goat Rancher Magazine. He and his wife run a website called Half Past First Cast that’s dedicated to promoting and simplifying fishing travel. Robbins received a bachelor’s degree from Columbia College in 1992, and a JD from Columbia Law School in 1995. In his “day job” he specializes in Federal administrative law.
