Life hacks to enjoy your summer outdoors

ROANOKE, Va. (WFXR) — Summer is here and you want to get into the “Great Outdoors,” and maybe do some camping, or fishing, or hiking, or paddle sports, or any other outdoors activity. All this summer, George Noleff of WFXR’s Outdoors Bound will provide us with some “life hacks” to make your time outdoors more enjoyable. Here is the first in that series.

Glove Box Tackle Box

When it comes to fishing, you always want to be ready so you don’t have to get ready. That means having fishing tackle with you when the opportunity to fish presents itself. Many times as we move through our days, we come across places that we might want to fish. To be prepared to do that, always stow a two piece light action rod in the trunk of your vehicle, and have a small tackle box ready that you can keep in your glove box.

What should be in it?

Here’s what we suggest:

• Two to three small crankbaits; square-bills and lipless
• Two to three small inline spinners or safety pin spinners
• Quarter ounce jig heads
• Two-inch long twister tails
• 1/16th ounce Ned heads
• Two to three Z-Man TRDs
• One to two small topwater lures
• Terminal tackle; swivels, hooks, weights

Having a small box packed with basics will give you what you need to fish on a moment’s notice, and it is small enough to carry in your pocket while you are on the water.

Repurpose and Reuse

As lovers of the outdoors, we always want to be conservation-conscious. That means repurposing things we might otherwise throw away like hook or bait packaging.

The packaging treble hooks come in can often be reused to hold small lures or flies. The same applies to bait containers. Don’t throw them out. Reuse them.

Ketchup & Toothpaste

If you find your spinner blades and spoons have become dull or started to rust, before using an expensive cleaner, try ketchup. That’s right, ketchup!

There is just enough acid in ketchup to remove rust and offset the effects of oxidation in many cases. Simply squirt a little ketchup on the blade or spoon, rub it, then rinse it. In most cases, the blade will be shinier than before.

If you find the finishes on your lures are becoming dull, try gently scrubbing them with toothpaste. The paste is abrasive enough to remove any films that will dull the finish. After rinsing the paste from the lure, the finish will be improved.

Must Haves!

There are three things you should always have in your backpack or tackle box.

• A bottle of water
• Mosquito head netting
• Emergency poncho

Remaining hydrated, especially if you are out longer than anticipated, or if you get lost or stranded, is vital.

Mosquito netting for your head is inexpensive. You can find it at most outdoors stores and it can cost as little for a dollar. It is invaluable if you are ever caught in an area where mosquitos or other flying insects are a problem.

Emergency ponchos are also available at most outdoors stores. They generally sell for around a dollar. They are light weight and can fit easily in the bottom of a tackle box or backpack pocket. They come in handy if you are caught in an unexpected rain storm.