The 10 Best Bait Boards

The Magma Products Econo Mate (around $62) boasts grooved sides and a slotted back, so any leftover water or fish juice will simply flow overboard, rather than splash on you. You'll still come home smelling like sardines, of course, but, hopefully, not as bad as you otherwise would.

The knuckle on the Brocraft Cutting Board (appx. $99) is adjustable, letting you tilt it in whichever direction you need it to go at the time. Once you find the right spot, you can lock it in place, allowing you to leave it there until all the goop has drained off.

The Magma Products Combination (around $119) is FDA-approved for food preparation, even though your finned friends probably wouldn't mind if your bait isn't able to pass muster from the health inspector. Still, it makes for a handy platform for cleaning your catch once you haul it in.

The Lee Fisher Joy Fish (around $25) has a raised cutting surface in the middle, with a large channel surrounding it, enabling you to cut bait without getting fish guts all over your clothes. It also makes dumping the residue easier once you're done, with minimal risk of spilling.

If you have plenty of minnows and shad to deal with, the Rapala Pro Series (appx. $43) is an extended model with room for all your bait and even some gear. There's absolutely nothing here that could qualify as a bell or whistle, though, save the juice groove along the entire surface.

There are a couple of drawers in this offering from Pactrade Marine (about $40) that can come in handy during an outing, as they can hold bait or lures, or even be used to catch runoff. Feel free to leave it out year-round, too — the polyethylene is treated against UV deterioration.

There's a circular cutout on the bottom of the Rapala Fillet N Carry (about $29) that allows it to fit snugly on top of most buckets, and the large handle also doubles as a drainage port for all of the gunk you have left over after chopping up fish or worms.

Streamlined and no-nonsense, the Boone Fast Feat (about $19) has only the bare essentials you'd need in a preparation surface and nothing more. The ruler etched toward the rear of the board for measuring your catch is as close as this gets to being fancy.

The modern fisherman has to lug around a lot of gear, and the Scotty #455 (around $20) has room for nearly all of it. Its built-in lure and accessories rack can support your jigs and spinners, as well as your knives and all of your other cleaning tools.

It may look like a simple base, but the anodized leg supporting the Oceansouth Fillet (appx. $43) is actually a double-edged sword. On one hand, it provides a steady working area without a lot of wiggling, but on the other, the plastic elbow can't take much pressure.