Inspect your boat and equipment and remove all aquatic plants from your trailer, propeller, anchor–anywhere they might be.
Remove any visible plants, fish, animals or mud. Immature forms of animals, such as larval zebra mussels, can live in mud, dirt or sand. Some invasive plants can produce an entire new colony from a single strand barely two inches long.
Drain all the water from the boat, motor, bilge, live wells and bait wells.
Dispose of leftover bait in a trash receptacle, not in the water.
Rinse your boat and all of your fishing equipment with hot (104 degrees or higher) tap water, OR thoroughly dry your boat and your fishing equipment–leave them outside in the sun for five days–before going to new waters.
