Top 10 Things to do During Fog Delays

Surefire suggestions for passing the time

Fog delays are an all-too-common aspect of fishing. Especially in the spring and fall, a long wait can really put a damper on a tournament day. Nonetheless, they’re essential for safety and something that everyone has to play through at some point. Below are the 10 best uses of your time during fog delays.

1. Snack

Having a full breakfast during a fog delay isn’t often an option (that’s probably what heaven is like), but snacking is. Done right, you can set yourself up better than usual for the coming day and be nice and energized once competition kicks off. If you didn’t bring enough food for the day you might be in trouble later, but assuming you’ve packed right, the number of options might be the only real issue. Swapping snacks with someone nearby would be a good suggestion in that case – maybe you only have cheese crackers and they have some peanut butter ones you can get in the mix.

2. Drink coffee, then drink more

This comes straight from Chris Burgan, FLW’s Video Production and Digital Brand Manager, who is decidedly not a morning person. Coffee might not always be an option, but Folgers Morning Takeoff will have you covered at an FLW Tour event. Too much coffee could lead to a bathroom emergency, but it will certainly keep you alert, and if you really go all-in it could help your shaky head fishing later in the day.

3. Nap

If mornings aren’t your thing, napping is basically the alternative to coffee. Be sure to put the Power-Poles down or tie off to something before you hit the hay. You wouldn’t want to nap into an accident. Finally, consider telling a buddy or your co-angler that you’re shooting for some shut-eye because sleeping through takeoff would be tough to live down.

4. Sharpen all your hooks

Sharpening hooks takes time and isn’t particularly fun, but it’s something everyone should do. Fog delays are a perfect opportunity to put some time in on the task, and you probably won’t have many distractions. Start with what you have tied on, then just start opening boxes one by one and get as many sharpened up as you can.

5. Organize your tackle

Forrest Wood Cup champion Justin Atkins came through with a lot of fog delay ideas, and organizing tackle topped his list. Just about everyone has some aspect of tackle that’s out of organization or just thrown in a box, and a little more organization will pay off down the line. Similarly, waiting out the fog is probably a good time to clean out the baits stashed in the cup holders and other odd nooks and crannies.

6. Tighten things up

Another tip from Atkins is to take the opportunity to get your boat back up to 100 percent. Given time and use, things tend to loosen up on any bass boat. Atkins suggests that you check battery connections, tighten screws (especially around the console and the bow) and generally give your ride a once-over.

7. Take to social media

If you’re not going to do anything productive, you might as well bust out your phone. Tweeting is a great option, but going live on Facebook or Instagram is a pretty dynamite choice as well. If you’ve got fans then you can chat with them, but if you’re a regular person then you can grouse with your buddies. One bonus of social media during fog delays is that you’ve got an almost unlimited pool of guest hosts to pull from, considering the whole field is chilling there together.

8. Psych out the competition

Fog delays don’t usually benefit the fishing – a shorter day and stifled morning bite don’t tend to help things. Coming from Chris Burgan, this is just an idea, but it might be worth trying to give yourself an upper hand in the mental game when the fog rolls in. Maybe you talk loudly about how you practiced for the fog, or about how you’ve got a guaranteed limit spot to go to that’s perfect for the short day. The downside is that you could crash and burn in embarrassing fashion or everyone just follows you out of takeoff to see how dialed you are. The upside is a super baller move, similar to JT Kenney’s pre-game smack at the 2015 FLW Tour showdown on Toho.

9. Learn a new knot

Assuming it isn’t pitch black, a good long delay is the prime time to pull out a spare rod and learn a new knot. Maybe you get a buddy to show you the FG knot, or maybe you just really get your snell knot dialed in. It’s easy to waste the time away, but learning something new is never a waste.

10. Meet a cute dog

This one obviously depends on the availability, but if there is a cute dog around (Roo!) then you’d be foolish not to spend some time acquainting yourself with it. Perhaps you bring snacks, or just try and corral it away from its owners for an extended petting or play session, but time spent with a pupper is always time well spent.