Work and Fishing help

[Zeal]

Well now,

I'm going to be doing 6 day work weeks 9am-9pm with only Sunday off. However there is an unnecessarily long break in between those hours (about 2 - 2.5). My job is an hour away from home and but it is close to 2 beaches. I'm hoping to get time to fish during that break if possible.

Any suggestions from those who have pulled this off? My main issue is leaving the tackle in the truck without getting rinsed (attracting all the bugs along with the waders (lot of bugs) and if I get lucky and hook into some fish, any tricks on getting the fish smell off besides washing my skin off? I love the smell of fish but I doubt the patients do.

Also, god forbid I foul hook a bass or blue and it dies with nobody around to give it away to, I'm not too confident my cooler can keep that fish without some serious ice even if I fillet it (no fridge at my job and it would be a good 6 hours before I could get it home).

My idea would be to travel light (typically when I go fishing I always go to war, but in this instance I'd figure just keep a bucktail, swimmer, and popper to cover all 3 water columns).

How have you guys done it?

[chefchris401]

ive done it in the past, worked at restaurant that was close to 3 spots.

get a rubbermaid bin, that seals tight, throw all your fishing gear in there before and after, rinse it when you get home, not a big deal if it sits for a few hours.

change of light clothes to wear under waders and then change back up into work clothes.

know your spots and travel light like you mentioned.

as far as fish goes, keep the cooler packed with ice beforehand, that way the cooler is already cold, bleed the fish and cut gills, pack the whole thing on ice and deal with later, no a big deal

as far as the sweating and smells, take a "whore shower" which means get some baby wipes and after youre done, just wipe down your arms, neck, face and then wash hands well at work.

[Ian]

For the smell get some abrasive GoJo for your hands and arms, use Chris's method for everywhere else.

Get a fish grip or Boga, pliers, and a decent pair of gloves. That combo plus GoJo will keep you pretty fish smell free. You'll be more put off by the smell of your musty gear after a week of this routine than the fish smell anyways.

Coolers will hold ice for a lot longer than you'd think. Get a nicer cooler that seals up and you would be surprised.

If you are going to keep salty stuff inside a hot (or even cool) car without washing it, it WILL smell. I'd suggest finding a hose or bringing a garden sprayer, otherwise make sure you wash the Rubbermaid bin with soap when you get home, then reuse it. If you are working till 9 PM you are gonna have a tough time drying your gear out in between, so that "smell" is going to be there when you start fishing too, so keep that in mind when you are washing your gear at night... The better you do it at 9 PM the better off you are the next day. Also, if you get any sort of "slime" (bunker, eel, bait fish) on your gear, clean that off before you store it... This is where the garden sprayer comes in VERY handy. That stuff will make your stuff smell in an hour flat and the car will hold that for a week.

Get some of those baking soda disks with the suction cups that they sell for fridges, I did something like you're proposing a few summers ago and those things soaked up more stench than I ever could have imagined. They also sell those little buckets at home depot that absorb humidity for basements, if your stuff ends up steaming your car that might be a good idea.

Again, you'd be surprised at how well a cooler will hold ice.
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[zimmy]

Gallon jug of water will do an ok job of rinsing. Yu can also throw a plastic watering can in an fill it with the plastic jug if you want a gentler rinse for things like reels, but I wouldn't bother. Another option is a solar shower. You can rinse yourself and your equipment
http://www.cabelas.com/product/Relia...3361325&rid=40

A 9' two piece rod is helpful when you need to hide a rod in a vehicle. There are ways to make it virtually disappear.

[Redsoxticket]

Thrown on some comfortable beach clothes, put on the shades and enjoy the sites.
Posted from my iPhone/Mobile device