These adaptions are now often known as “hacks”. One piece of equipment that I always carry with me whenever I go fishing is the humble cable tie, or zip tie as it is often called. Mainly used for organising and keeping cables tidy, these little items have a 1001 other uses – not unlike rubber bands.

The following are 12 top great zip tie hacks. But first, it is important to note that although zip ties are a cheap item to purchase, they are not all equal. Some are only suitable for inside use as they are not made using UV stabilised materials, so will break down rapidly when exposed to the elements. It should say on the packaging if they are suited for outside use. Also remember that this is another piece of plastic so use them wisely as we don’t want any more garbage in our precious oceans.

Tip 1: Hook keeper
Make a hook keeper for rods by zip tying a solid ring to the butt of your rod. The reason for doing this is to give you somewhere to keep lures and hooks when the rods are in transit in a rod holder or rocket launcher. It’s not uncommon to see anglers hooking on to the bottom guide of the rod. Not only can this damage the eye, but sinkers or heavy lures will bash against the blank which can cause enough damage to break a rod. Graphite rods are particularly vulnerable to fibre bruising.

Tip 2: Sinker loop
When using large sinkers such as the teardrop ‘puka ‘bombs’ for deep water fishing, the hole can be too thick to put a swivel clip through. Combining a zip tie with a swivel gives you a simple way to rig up and take sinkers on and off.

Tip 3: Dual hook popper rig
It is quite common when using stickbaits and poppers to run dual single hooks attached to the belly. This can give the lure a better action, avoiding the use of trebles but still getting a reliable hook-up. Zip tying the two single hooks together maintains the balance of the lure and positions the points for optimum penetration.

Tip 4: Trailer chain and lights
When towing your boat, the trailer light cable can become damaged if it drags on the ground or gets in a position where it can be strained or pinched when turning. Securing the cable to the safety chain will go a long way to preventing this from happening.
 

Tip 5: Anchor marker 
If you have a capstan or any mechanical winch on your boat, add a brightly coloured zip tie to your chain half a metre or so above where the anchor is connected. This acts as an indicator as to the proximity of the anchor, giving you time to slow down the retrieve to reduce the risk of damaging the hull or bow sprit with flailing ground tackle. Different coloured ties can be secured to the warp at measured intervals (e.g. every 10 metres), which indicate how much rode has been deployed if you don’t have a counter on the dash. Zip ties can also be used as a breakaway on your anchor, where the chain is fixed to the head of the ground tackle and the shank of the anchor secured with a zip tie or two. When the anchor gets stuck in rocks, the zip ties break away and the anchor is then pulled out by its front end. 

Tip 6: Lure rigging

Zip ties can be very useful with lure rigging. I have used them for everything from fixing a skirt on a favourite trolling lure to attaching a soft-bait to the jig head.
When gamefishing and using double hook rigs in a lure, zip ties can be used instead of heat shrink tube to stiffen up the rig.

Tip 7: Landing net repairs
Landing nets, especially those with a fish-friendly plastic mesh, are prone to breaking where they are attached to the net’s frame. A finer zip tie is a good way of making a permanent repair. Any holes in the mesh can be repaired the same way.

Tip 8: Attaching keys to floats
It pays to keep your boat keys on a float just in case they fall in the water. Many keys come with metal split rings which don’t last in a harsh saltwater environment and will rust quickly. Put your keys on a zip tie and attach these to the float for a lasting connection. 

Tip 9: Replacement zipper tab
Zips and salt water don’t go together very well and it’s not uncommon to have a perfectly good rain jacket or tackle bag zip break. Zips can also be hard to do up when you have wet slippery hands when trying to open or close them by just using the slider. Adding a zip tie makes it a lot easier to get purchase on a zipper that is hard to close when the original tab has been broken.

Tip 10: Bung and shackles
You probably have all struck the problem of not having a tool on hand to deal with a tight bung or shackle. Putting a zip tie through the hole of the bung or shackle will give you the extra pressure you need to undo it if it is stuck.

Tip 11: Number plates 
Number plates that are fixed firmly to a lower part of your boat trailer will occasionally be bent when they scrap against the ground. Replace the bolts with sturdy zip ties, leaving just enough space for them to allow the plate to swing when in contact with the curb or hump in the ramp. 

Tip 12: Fish ID
When it becomes important for members of a crew to identify their own catch in a bin of fish – especially during a tournament – assign a different coloured zip tie to each angler. Anglers then place their coloured tie around the tail of their fish to determine who caught what.

Zip ties won’t solve every problem you have when you are fishing but they sure are a handy item for all sorts of reasons. Carry a small pack with a variety of sizes and colours to cope with a wide range of needs. They don’t rust and they are strong and versatile, so it pays to not go fishing without them.