The March 2009 issue of Trailer Boat Magazine featured an article titled "Bright Thinking" by Jim Hendricks, which described how to use battery-powered stick-on LED lights as dome lights for his boat. He happened to use Sylvania DOT-it Lights, which retail for around $8.00 each, but they're available from a number of companies. A little expoxy secured the lights to clamps which he used to mount them on his Bimini top.

The September, 2006 issue of Salt Water Sportsman has a great "How To" article on building your own fender teaser.

If you are not familiar with a fender teaser, it is a boat fender painted to look like a large baitfish (typically green/yellow for a dorado, black/purple for a skipjack), then weighted and rigged so that when towed behind the boat it dives and wiggles rapidly. Fender teasers have become almost a standard item in some areas for billfish.

"Off-the-shelf" fender teasers can cost up to $80, so this looks like a good "do-it-yourself" project.

GripTwists® Ever need to bundle something together securely, but didn't have a strap or want the hassle of tying it with rope? These items are called "GripTwists®". They are a fairly stiff, but bendable, carbon steel cable encased in a non-marring soft foam cover. Wrap a GripTwist® around something, twist the ends together like a trash-bag twist tie (three times or more), and fold the ends over for maximum security. We've been snaking them around rods to bundle them for carrying, as well as tying things down in the boat or on roof racks. Available in various lengths and colors. For more info, click HERE for the GripTwist® website.

Are you having trouble getting your switch bait away from a fish? Try enclosing the bait in a sleeve made from a heavyweight clear polyethylene bag, such as a Ziploc® before stitching it up. The sleeve allows the bait to slide out of a fish's mouth a bit easier.

This tip comes from Captain Brad Philipps in Iztapa, Guatemala, via the May 2006 issue of Marlin Magazine

Hole-cutters are marvelous tools - indispensable for mounting gauges. But what do you do when you need to make a just a bit larger? We saw this tip in the August 2006 issue of Boating Magazine: Simply use two hole cutters on your mandrel. Mount the larger one first, then add another cutter that is the same diameter as the existing hole. The inner cutter will keep the outer cutter centered.

Do you have reels with graphite sideplates that are looking a bit faded from the sun? Try wiping them down with a rag with WD-40. The WD-40 restores the color. This tip came from the folks at Shimano.