Tackle Tart

With a few days off and no fishing planned, I did some sorting of my tackle.

These lures I had sorted a while ago, not so many now. The soft plastics are mostly gone. Will need to buy more.

This next was a picture to illustrate the kit I would take on a session. I have all my kit arranged in a cupboard in small boxes. I can then just take bits I need for that session, and blog about the things I left at home!!

This next one was some bits I won in a competition on face book for Angling direct. It got me using the hybrid feeders and I love them now, so easy to use!!

When the river was flooded, I used the big round weights. At 5.5oz in weight, I think they are beasts . Am sure people use larger,sometimes over 8oz on the Trent I think!

You can never have enough "winders" or reels as we call them.

All those reels? You ask.
Surely you only use 1 or 2 at most, at a time?
I do.
I only ever use 2 rarely, mostly I use one.
It really depends on the number of rods you have???? 8 in the pics, 3 more  ( 1 duplicate and 2 that are over 20 years old) not shown plus a pole!

 

Am pretty happy with what hook to use with which bait. Am happy with feeders for certain situations. Am less sure on length of hook length for feeder fishing and the holy grail.... What stick float to use when??

I wish that was all I have, but there is plenty more kit in the cupboard. I will show you that another day.

No fishing so let's play with the tackle

As I look at the weather outside and ponder that indoor fishing greenhouse and pond located at Cast North West , I wonder what I can do.
Of course my mind turns to my tackle. I have ordered a replacement net and whilst looking at other bits of tackle, it got me thinking about making tackle. I see lots of FB, youtube and the like posts about people making floats, rods, lures and weights. It means you can be enjoying your hobby whilst not actually doing your hobby. A bit like me sat indoors writing about fishing, and that makes me happy!!

I assume you just need the moulds and then you cast the soft plastic lures, or the craftmanship to cut and shape hard plastic? I have seen videos of people shaping and sanding wooden lures and drilling holes to put weights in plastic lures called Burts. Is that really all you need to Do?
Recently I was given some home made weights, they are superb, again I think you just need moulds, coatings and bits? Am not much of a diy guy.

But the satisfaction of catching a fish on something you made yourself, the actual tackle not just the rig, must be obvious to all.

I have visited the health food shop too, and bought "stuff" for making pastes, baits and boilies maybe for the warmer climate. Again, the satisfaction of catching on a homemade creation, albeit copied from a book or magazine is definitely appealing.

Rods seem a lot more in depth, I tried to look at how you do that but that definitely was over my head. So as I try and decide what I can make, I asked my fishing companions Dave and Ellis.
Ellis had already showed me a super rod holder cabinet that he made, a lot better at diy than I will ever be. Ellis then told me about some spool bands he makes, I was intrigued. They go on the spool to hold the line from spooling off and make taking line off easy. It actually worked. I slipped a few in my pocket and made off.

If you want to read more about these clever spool bands or buy some, I have added the link  Here

It seems I am not designed to make my own tackle, but I have certainly enjoyed watching others that do, maybe I am the marketing guy to their creative ability!?!

Equipment list aka Tackle!

As my mum would tell you, as a boy, I would very often get all my fishing stuff out of the shed, garage or wherever it was being stored at the time and carry it all into the house, lay it out on the floor and "sort it". The anglers amongst you will understand but for the rest, sorting basically entailed going through all my tackle; throwing out old casters you find in the corners of boxes or aprons, chucking out that small plastic bag or box that you have kept for several years " just incase a small item fits in it" and generally being proud of all the tackle you own! I often hear people say the tackle in tackle shops are just about catching anglers as they are about catching fish!

Unfortunately I still do this now!!

It was during a sort out that I realised I did not actually know all the rods and reels I have gathered over the years and an inventory would be useful. If for no other reason than a) it would be fun and I was not on the bank and b) there is always that rod, that would be perfect for the situation that you find yourself in when you did not know you had it, so it was left at home. I usually am sure what my fishing trips will be for, so I only take what I think I will use. I would hate to have stick float set up with maggots on the river while a big pike was swimming around my silvers, leaving me no chance of trying for her.  Most of my fishing is for pike now but strangely enough I still have tools for the stick float, maybe one day I will find the will to try it, watch this space.......

Rods
Korum 12ft 2lb tc Barbel rod
CK Armaplate 12ft 2.75lb tc Carp rod
Mitchell 12ft 2.5lb tc Carp rod
Leeda Blue Diamond 13ft 1.25 lb tc Specimen float rod
Daiwa 12ft 1.25lb tc Specialist Avon
Chevron 10ft float rod
Keenly 12ft ledger rod
13ft super lights float rod
Drennan Graduate pole
NGT 9ft travel rod cw 20-50g
March series 7ft Lure rod cw 5-21g

Reels
Mitchell excellence 60 special
Shimano 6010 Baitrunner
Abu Garcia 1044 closed face
DAM Camaro LSB 235
Shimano Exage 2500FD
HTO Ventura Baitcaster
Comoran BX LN 30

The carp rods are what I use for my deadbait pike fishing, the other rods more suited to chub, barbel on rivers and occasional closed season forays to carp waters. My first fishing trips were on heavily stocked, easy carp waters where I used the Keenly rod. My old faithful rod, more about those trips later.
The newest edition, the korum is still a virgin as it was used on the Wye. I will maybe venture on the river soon and see if it can tame a Swale chub.
The Baitcaster is pure too, have only cast a few times with it, but thinking of using it this weekend with the travel rod on a lake I have been targeting for pike.

I don't claim to have fancy or up to date tackle but I care for it and love using it as often as I can.