Coat to to keep me dry only from the water cause I walk so much and work up such a sweat, I might as well go swimming, but it keeps the water out of the waders. Red headlight.
1 rod and reel. Depends where headed. May bring an extra spool.
Wader belt with pliers and a good, sharp knife that is easy to get in and out of the sheath, and at least one draggin strap. Just picked up a small Dexter Russell to replace my old one.
Leader wallet with pretied rigs and plenty of material (hooks, swivels,snaps,)to make or change additional leaders.
EEL BUCKET.- Go with the old salad dressin/ mayonaise jar deal. Use a shoulder strap from an old duffel bag for the strap. Drill holes in the top, but not in the bottom. That way eel slime doesn't drip out down your leg or in the car, or in the refrigerator. I tried the Aqaskinz eel bag last year after I buried my faithful old eel bucket at sea. My eels died way too quick, regardless of how frequently I dunked em. I keep em alive for a couple of days in my bucket, but they wouldn't make it through a nite in the bag. Don't actually spend much time in the water, so they are gettin dried out by the air/wind. Plus its a fother mucker gettin hooks out of that mesh, especailly when you got an eel already on that hook and its ticked you just stabbed it in the eye.
I carry a whole bunch of plugs in a large Aquaskinz bag, but never use any of them
oke: Need to stop carrying it.
My motto is to stay mobile. I carry and keep everything on me so I don't have to worry about stuff gettin washed away or have to go back searching for something, like a black plug bag in the dark or fog. If you do fish where you leave gear on the beach, I recommend using some reflective tape on your bag or bucket so you can find it easier.
The other solution is only fish where you can drive to, get out of the truck, walk ten steps, make a few casts, then get back in your truck, turn your headlights on, drive 25 feet, repeat process. That way you always have everything and don't have to carry anything.