for tools in boats has been reduced . With that , Walker offers the bare minimum hardware needed for the boat .
“ The most vulnerable components on the boat are the props , both on the outboard and trolling motor ,” Walker says . “ Curling a prop or slinging a blade can leave you immobile ; always carry a spare outboard prop and trolling motor prop in your boat and the tools to replace them with .”
Walker ’ s boat mainstays are an 18- inch breaking bar with 1 1 / 16-inch deep socket dedicated for the prop nut , needle-nose pliers for the cotter pin and a 4- by-4-inch block of wood as a prop stop to wedge between the prop and the lower unit when putting torque on the prop nut . He also carries a complete spare prop nut replacement set . If he drops any of the bolts , pins or washers in the water during replacement , he has backups for all .
Beyond that , Walker carries a pair of diagonal side cutters , a multi-tool featuring pliers with screwdrivers and
ILLUSTRATION BY JOE MAHLER plenty of zip ties , duct tape or Gorilla Tape and electrical tape . He ’ s also a big proponent of portable jumper boxes that will jump start the boat in the event of a dead battery .
Davis ’ boat tool list is a little more extensive . He carries two prop wrenches : an 18-inch breaking bar with a prop socket as well as a T-H Marine floating prop wrench . His toolbox in the boat includes screwdrivers , an assortment of pliers , a few basic socket sizes and all wrench sizes in the form of a “ universal socket wrench ,” which includes up to four different sizes all on one wrench .
“ With just three or four of those universal wrenches , I ’ ve got 12 to 16 sizes of metric and standard sizes covered ,” he says . “ Also , I carry a complete set of Allen wrenches in the boat , which are critical these days .”
In addition , Davis is adamant about carrying spare fuses for electronics , shallow-water anchors and jackplates . He also carries a healthy selection of electrical connectors like butt connectors , ring terminals and quick connectors . In addition , he has spare pump cartridges for his livewell and bilge pumps as well as extra hose clamps and zip ties .
“ Any one of those things I just mentioned can fix something that is ‘ broken ’ in a matter of minutes ,” Davis says . “ So many times it ’ s not the device that ’ s broken ; it ’ s a blown fuse or a broken terminal off a power wire , or a seized up pump cartridge . All big problems with simple fixes if you ’ re prepared .”
Davis even carries a spare 2D sonar puck with a cable clamp for his front graph . In the event of an accidental nicked or cut transducer cable , he can strap the 2D puck to the trolling motor , run the wire to his unit and at least have a depth reading again .
keeping that tow vehicle rolling
When it comes to tools in the truck , both anglers are prepared with complete toolboxes with all sizes of wrenches , sockets , Allen wrenches , screwdrivers , vice grips , knives and box cutters . In addition , they carry cordless drills ( including an assortment of bits and driver sizes ), hydraulic jacks , tire irons , hammers , hacksaws and even heat guns for heat shrinking tubing for electrical repairs .
According to both pros , tires are the equipment that are most vulnerable to damage on tour . Since most pros have a total of eight tires per rig , it ’ s only a matter of time before one gets punctured with a stray nail or screw .
“ If I could only take a few tools with me in my truck , I would pick a tire plug kit ( T-handles type ), my 3-foot breaker bar for tire lug nuts , a hydraulic jack , vice grips and an electric air inflator ,” Walker says . “ Being stuck on the side of a busy interstate with a flat is horrifying . In most cases , if you have one of those portable air inflators , you can pump air into the tire and at least limp to the safety of the next exit or gas station .”
Many times , the nail or screw is visible and can be removed with a set of vice grips and quickly plugged with the plug kit without even jacking the vehicle up . Use a portable / cordless air inflator to put air back in the tire and you ’ re rolling again .
For tires that need to be replaced with the spare , Walker says there ’ s no substitute for a good mini hydraulic floor jack .
“ Don ’ t even bother with the mechanical jack that comes with the vehicle ,” Walker says . “ Always carry a portable hydraulic floor jack in the truck . I promise you it will be worth it the very first time you have to use it . It ’ s much faster and more secure .”
Davis even carries a pre-assembled trailer hub kit in case one of his trailer bearings goes bad .
“ The farther you travel , the more tools and spare stuff you need ,” Davis says . “ If you mostly fish around home and have an issue , you can usually call a buddy to get out of a bind . But if you travel the Toyota Series or the Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit and you ’ re 1,000 miles from home in rural New York and get in a pinch , trust me , you ’ ll be glad you have tools with you .”
“ You ’ d be surprised at how resourceful you can become with a pair of vice grips , some zip ties and duct tape when it comes to keeping something put together for just a few more miles ,” Walker says with a laugh . “ Being able to limp back to shore or to the next exit is far better than just being outright stranded in the middle of nowhere .”
JUNE-JULY 2022 | MAJORLEAGUEFISHING . COM 19