6 ABSOLUTE essentials when Floundering

6 essentials. 0 tears

Maximise every single outing with these tried and tested essentials.

Tools of the trade

This is a no brainer but you would be surprised how easy they are to misplace.

Don’t forget the net but also don’t forget the spear.

It is very easy to forget the spear when you’ve got a target in mind that is only caught in the net.

Take both!

Always take both the spear and net, you can always chuck it in the punt.

Better to be looking at it than looking for it.

The Dolphin

Ahh the trusty dolphin.

This was actually one of the ways this whole journey started, a dolphin torch in one hand and net in the other.

In the unlikely event of an emergency… (pulling out the cabin crew lingo here)

Just have a backup torch in case things go pear shaped.

And make sure the thing turns on and the batteries aren’t cooked.

The last line of defence

If you’re rocking a similar setup to Gar’ouse, the most recent Gar Punt runs blade fuses.

After a couple dramas with seizing circuit breakers, blade fuses is how the circuits are protected.

Which means a 6 pack of blade fuses are kept in the waterproof battery compartment.

Chances are if a fuse blows, it’s because something is shorting from water getting in.

If it can be rectified it’ll save having to be one light down or going back in.

If it’s a proper oopsie, the fuses won’t do much, but it was the thought that counts.

Multiple blades

I say this because we can’t be expecting big things if we’re not prepped for big things.

You gotta have a knife for two reasons.

1. Humanely dispatching fish.
2. Cleaning your fish post session.

Now back to my point, if you’re taking one knife you’re only expecting small things (solo fisho’s you’re the only exception here).

If you’re expecting a big feed, your mates need to be filleting too.

Believe me, they’ll need to be if you have any chance of cleaning 100+ Gars before the sun comes up.

Chop chop

Following on from bringing a few knifes, this item will help keep those blades fresh.

A chopping board will keep your blades sharp.

Gar’ouse has provisions in the front of the hull to fit a small board.

We found it to be a must have with not every location having cleaning stations.

Might sound precious, but filleting on the sand is painful to try and keep fish clean and ready to eat.

Also means no cleaning when you’re back home.

Win win.

Finders keepers

If you have a smaller setup but don’t want to reduce your ability to bring home fish, this is a real kicker.

Any fish we can’t fit in the esky or particularly calamari, goes straight into a keeper net we clip on the back.

No ink in the esky and if you’re approaching full, theres plenty of room in the keeper net.

This does mean you’ll need another esky in the car if things don’t fit.

We have an esky bag in the car just in case we surprise ourselves.

Summary Checklist

• Spear and Net
• Waterproof torch
• Fuses
• Knives
• Chopping board
• Keeper net