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Re: Minimal tackle box

Posted: Sun Jul 16, 2017 12:20 pm
by Slumption
Ah yes limes disease, I'm mountain biker so I've had my share of ticks. I have a tick remover and my local GP is good at making sure you get a blood test if you get bitten. However yes its a nasty business and can make you very sick.

The problem of the tackle box is a new thing for me! I'd bought a small Chubb roving bag for short sessions (longer sessions I have a korum ruckbag/chair) but then I was given a lovely double sided wooden float box as a leaving present at work. The box contains 30+ handmade's and probably 20 or so old Drennan / Billy Makins. However it also fills my bag and is heavy so if I take then other stuff has to stay behind....previously I'd used a float tube.

What I've done is made one small essential box (the one I mentioned in the post) to cover most sessions and night fishing, plus I have a small flat tin float box with 10 favourite floats.

My feeders are in a seperate box, rest of the floats in the wooden box and I now only take either of these if I'm really going feeder fishing or float fishing all day. Then there is the issue of pike tackle/lures/dropshotting/jigs...and some random carp stuff. I figure maybe I should just keep these in the car.

I have started to ditch things I'll never use but I doubt I'll achieve the tackle bag/box for all occasions any time soon.

Re: Minimal tackle box

Posted: Sun Jul 16, 2017 12:23 pm
by Slumption
Stour Otter wrote: Fri Jul 14, 2017 3:34 pm a pair of vintage opera glasses!
Are you using these to see your float at distance? You may have solved a problem for me here!

Re: Minimal tackle box

Posted: Sun Jul 16, 2017 3:28 pm
by Stour Otter
Slumption wrote: Sun Jul 16, 2017 12:23 pm
Stour Otter wrote: Fri Jul 14, 2017 3:34 pm a pair of vintage opera glasses!
Are you using these to see your float at distance? You may have solved a problem for me here!

Hello Slumption.
The opera glasses are used to view the wildlife while fishing. But I do have a pair of Russian MCN 5x25 monoculars which I have used to track the passage of a trotting float or fishing marshmallow for carp at distance. These days my swan quills are so large, I can still seem them in the next county!

Russian 5.25 monoculars.jpg
Swan quiills for distance.jpg
Regards
Stour Otter

Re: Minimal tackle box

Posted: Mon Jul 17, 2017 5:40 pm
by Mitch300
I too always carry a pair of compact binoculars, but in the pocket of my Barbour jacket, and a small camera in my tackle bag. Sometimes the birds and wild animals are as interesting as the fishing. I also take a Coleman folding camp chair as it is the smallest/lightest one that I find comfortable.

G. B.

Re: Minimal tackle box

Posted: Wed Jul 19, 2017 12:57 am
by Slumption
I've really struggled to find any tackle boxes in the three shops near me, it all carp systems boxes or the massive match ones for the platform/seatbox type things.....I like the wooden float box, it does the floats justice but its the wrong width and is heavy so what I'm going to do is make two lighter ones that are the width of my bag. One for wagglers and my more commonly used floats and the other for the sticks, balsa's and other stuff. They can stay in the car with my feeder box and then only the relevant box goes in the bag along with my small night essentials box.

I have an old holborn tin for roving and another for drop shotting, both have come out recently for an hour long session and I probably walked for longer than I fished and that made for a cracking time catching in places I'd never go to with all my kit. Hadn't considered a camera, I already ditched half my pike kit to make room for a kelly kettle!

Re: Minimal tackle box

Posted: Wed Jul 19, 2017 1:01 am
by Slumption
Stour Otter, where did you get the monoculars from? I've been exploring the 100ft drain and they look useful for spotting swims. Also are the floats made by yourself or did you buy them?

Re: Minimal tackle box

Posted: Wed Jul 19, 2017 8:20 am
by Stour Otter
Hello Slumption.
I bought the monocular many years ago in an old camera shop in Bournemouth, but modern versions are available. As for the floats, the swan quills are of my own making. If you would like to PM me your address, I will be very pleased to send you some. As for shotting for these floats, I now follow Dr Mark Everard's example and use 60mm oval headed galvernized masonry nails, instead of bulk shotting, held to the line with three rubbers and set 18" above a No.8 sedge hook for fishing flake, see utube: (Heavy Trotting in winter for roach & chub) well worth a view.

Roach 1lb 1oz 2013 Jan.jpg
Stour Swan Quills.jpeg

Kind regards
Stour Otter

Re: Minimal tackle box

Posted: Wed Jul 19, 2017 9:12 am
by ExeAngler
I do go through stages of taking more or less equipment. In the Summer I take more stuff then in Winter. If I have to lug around too much kit in Winter it puts me off going. My fav set-up is (for Chub on the River):

One rod and reel (Modern or old)
One landing net
Bit of tackle (hooks, weights, shot, disgorger,) in my ruck/chair
Bread (hook bait/ground bait) and maybe worms in a bucket
Unhooking Mat

I tend to free line or maybe use a light bomb for this fishing and have started to use "Jig" hooks as they have a built in weight.

On stillwaters I seem to take a bit more but not us much as my Match kit. Then it get's way too heavy.

Re: Minimal tackle box

Posted: Sat Jul 22, 2017 12:53 pm
by Slumption
Yes get tested for Lymes, I used to organise mountain bike races so we'd spend a lot of time cutting back over grown trails. The guy I ran the races with got a tick on him but he didn't notice as it must have then come off and after feeling off for a few months had a test and confirmed he'd got Lymes. He was quite sick for a long time, off the bike for over a year.

Re: Minimal tackle box

Posted: Fri Aug 04, 2017 11:56 pm
by Ian
I've cut my gear down now too but only when fishing a river.when I'm fishing a loch with lots of species I tend to cover all eventualities.

Loch fishing. River fishing.
Three rods-float,feeder and pike+reels for each. Float rod+reel
Landing net+keep net. Landing net
Seat+brolly. Floats,bands,shot and hooks
Groundbait bowl. Tub of maggots+catapult
Several rod rests
Towel
Plenty of crumb+hook baits
2 catapults
4 bait tubs
An array of terminal tackle

When loch fishing I have tons of gear but relaxing in the same spot all day.when on the river I have minimal gear but roving all day.sort of evens out.