What's the best and the worst thing you bought for fishing?

[APKape]

Every time I go to the sporting goods store, the more I notice new fishing items for sale. It seems like there is a product for about everything: fishing line spool holder for rerigging, a collapsible fishing pole holder for fishing off the bank, jingle bells to attach to your rod so that you don’t have to watch for that catfish strike, fillet gloves for the work after the fun fish outing, every kind and color of jig for each fishing method, and the list goes on and on. When I look at some of the new things, I wonder how many of these things last and how many end up gathering dust in the fishing box. So I pose the question to my fellow anglers, "What's the best and the worst thing you bought for fishing?"

So, I'll start it off with two for each:

Worst: 1. Plastic fishing boxes. They break on me all the time. 2. Bass Lures. Lets face it, what was I thinking!

Best: 1. My Minn Kota 565 fish finder. What a difference it makes knowing what's below the water line. 2. My first long pole that was bought this year. I can dip trees all round me without moving my boat.

[Sarge]

Best:
My boat.


Worst:
My boat.

[Bigby]

Worst. Fish basket, I used to use these pieces of crap years ago and lost more fish out the bottom trap door than I would like to count. My friend was fishing below the dam this year for Walleye and the guy next to him caught a 10 to 12 pound walleye and put it in a fish basket, after hearing how he was going to mount it and all that my friend said the guy reached down to pull the fish basket out of the water to leave and you guessed it the trap door comes open and there is one happy walleye in the Lake Of The Ozarks some where, he said he thought the guy was going to cry.

Best. Has to be my boat also, beats the hell out of fishing off the bank.

[headbanginhillbilly]

the worst: all the cheap rods & reels, you definately get what you pay for

the best: the boat I used to have

[cook]

best:power pro

worst:most any shakespere item

[gabowman]

Best: my Lowrance LMS-522C IGPS

Worst:hmmm...Currently, I'd have to say the underspin Zebco 11's on my long poles. The drags suck.

[olesilverside]

We used to rent a 16' wooden boat and put our 1 1/2 hp flywheel rope start motor on it and fished for crappie with quill corks and minners and oars to work the banks...... The trolling motor is by far the neatest longest lasting new item they have invented my 70# motor guide would out run small outboards.... Then come along the depth finder...very nice item but not all that needed but I do use 2 of'em...... they come and go like vhs and cd's will be replaced soon with our technology today..... Of course a boat, motor and trailer to put all this on is nice.... then the best thing I have ever gotten for fishing was to join CRAPPIE.Com sure keeps me busy and lots of friends and info to share and trips to share.........

[bugman]

Best...gps

worst...nothin

[Speck]

Best: Yamaha 4 stroke

Worst: Cheap azz fiberglass trolling rods that break in half the first time they get hung.

[kazualobzerver]

Best - Cable drive foot control trolling motors and there have been several. Could fish from a bathtub if it would float and it had a foot control on it, in my book its all about boat control.

Worst - Probably an oxygen meter.