I have two friends with whom I have fished for almost 30 years and we always talk about the best fishing advice we ever received.  Reading Jackson's post about breaking off made me think of it.  When I fail to heed this advice I ALWAYS wind up regretting it.

Retie often.  After every fish or hang up, feel of the line.  If it has any abrasion or nick, it's time to retie.  60 seconds of maintenance will save a day's worth of regret when Moby gets close enough to see but turns away with your bait and leaves you breathless and disappointed.  I have to MAKE MYSELF retie.

Sharpen your hooks.  I use the thumnail test, especially with jigs.  Catching a fish or snagging a limb will often take the edge off, but nothing affects good hooksets more than sharp hooks.  KVD changes his treble hooks often while he's on the water to keep the hooks sharp.  I'm not that fanatical, but I have a file around my neck throughout the day so that when I'm adjusting my trailer or worm, I do a quick file on the point.

Hands down, this is the best advice I have ever received.

The bitterness of a cheap price remains long after the sweetness of a low price is forgotten.

Sometimes it is best to save a bit longer. There have been only a handful of times when I bought the best and then said I should have gone for the cheaper version. However, there have been hundreds of times, I said why did I buy that piece of junk. This is true with fishing equipment.
 

We are cut of the same cloth.   I have to remind myself.....I'm out here for "the one" which will just be one bite.  You won't get a second chance at her.  Like the young man who just caught the 13.71 out at Marshall.  If we fish our entire life and that one fish comes along and bites our lure, are we ready?  I'm like you.....  I have to make myself retie.  I don't think it's laziness as much as I feel like I'm going to miss something if my lure isn't immediately back in the water.  But if that lure is back in the water and we aren't fully equipped for what a 13+ pound fish in heavy timber can do, we've lost the opportunity.  And those cheap Rapala hook sharpeners are just that.....  CHEAP.  I keep multiples laying around for a few swipes down my hook if I lose the point.

Great advice Bruce.

Very wise.

I've discovered that wisdom comes from experience.  Unfortunately, my experience usually comes from a lack of wisdom!

I've lost many over the years to not re-tieing often enough....Fortunately, I never got them close enough to know how big they might have been....Surely, all 10+ pounders     It is a sinking feeling.  I do re-tie more often now....but need to do so more often.  Hey, can anybody recommend a really good mono to use?  I used to use Triple fish, but can't find it in any local stores (Academy, Bass Pro or Cabelas). 

I use Trilene Big Game for Mono. Seagur Invisiz for Flouro, and Power Pro for braid.