The Underrated Fishing Tool From Home Depot You Never Realized You Needed In Your Tackle Box

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Fishermen and women are famously versatile. One minute, they're hauling in a morning's catch with ease; the next, they're mending nets or fixing engines. When the unpredictability of the weather is at play, this flexibility is a golden skill, which makes having multi-use items equally important. For example, some essentials include a trusty fillet knife that doubles as a hook remover or an ice box that keeps drinks cold and works as a makeshift seat (like the Costco cooler that could save your life when camping in bear country).

These are old faithfuls, but if you can believe it, even a solder iron can be useful on a fishing trip. It might sound unconventional, but trust us, it's a tool that deserves a place in your tackle box. Generally used for electronics or weekend DIY jobs, solder irons are tools that melt solder, allowing two pieces of metal to be joined together. They're often portable and surprisingly versatile, which makes them ideal for unexpected fixes in the field. 

Unsurprisingly, you can find many solder iron kits at stores like Home Depot (along with other essential camping gear, like a foldable camping table with cupholders for under $40). However, Ryobi's USB Lithium Soldering Pen Kit is completely portable and under $100 at the time of writing.

A solder iron is a multifaceted tool for fishermen and women, and Ryobi's Soldering Pen Kit is perfect for the job. It heats up rapidly, reaching 900 degrees Fahrenheit in under two minutes, and the fine-point tip makes it suitable for small, detailed repairs. It even has features like an on-board work light, making it easy to work with on early-morning or late-night casts. So make room in your tackle box, and then head out to the best fishing destinations off the coast of Texas to try out your new gear.

Broken lures, split hooks, or loose eyelets no longer require long, fidgety repairs. You can even use the solder to add or adjust weight on lures or to wire components when crafting custom jigs, spinners, or more complex hard baits.

For pro fishing enthusiasts, the YouTube account Marling Baits also suggests using the tool to create swimbaits and other lures in a video. This is a process that often involves small metal parts, hardware, and weights in precise placements. However, with a solder iron, you can carefully melt and apply warmed plastisol into bait molds, helping you build the body of the lure with controlled heat. You'll want to keep the soldering iron temperature relatively low (around 100 degrees Fahrenheit) to avoid burning the plastisol, but be warned: this process can be very time-consuming.