Tag: fishing tackle

On-Foot Outing Ease

The simpler I keep my gear and angling approaches, the more likely I am to go fishing when I only have limited time.

Among my favorite things about an on-foot angling approach is how quick and simple a fishing plan can be. I can easily scoot over to a nearby creek or lake shore after work or in the morning before a day really gets going.

Unless you live on the water and keep a boat docked, virtually any boat-based fishing trip requires some extra steps that take time and require more effort. I’m more likely to slip a fishing trip onto a limited time window if I can just hop in the car and go and actually be fishing just minutes after arriving.

I’ve mentioned in other posts that I keep a little fishing kit in my car, with a travel rod, a light spinning reel and a little selection of lures and terminal gear in an ice cream bucket. That makes those quick plans extra simple, and at times I’ll do nothing more that put the rod and reel together and put a little lure box and a few packets of baits in shirt pockets.

Even when the car kit doesn’t have quite the right stuff for where I’m going or how I want to fish, it’s easy to go in my basement, where I keep my fishing gear, grab the right rod and put a small tackle selection in a backpack.

I have a handful of little boxes assembled already that have suitable selections for trout streams, bass ponds, crappie fishing docks… With one of those boxes and a few packets of soft plastics and accompanying terminal tackle, I can be well set for a modest outing.

I definitely err on the simple side as an angler. I seldom carry an extra rod for bank fishing or wade fishing, and I keep my lure selections small. I like to be as mobile as possible, and if I carry too much stuff I just get indecisive, and I end up spending too much time changing lures instead of just fishing!

Ready for Whatever

When you don’t know what a fishing day will hold, sometimes you have to tote a little bit of everything!

Tomorrow is a travel day, and part of my work plan is to do some bank fishing and shoot lure photos (hopefully some with lures on fish’s mouths). That sort of plan can make for tough car packing because I really don’t know what the day will end up looking like or how I’ll be fishing.

I have several idea for places I might stop. They differ notably in character and are diverse in their offerings, so I’m not sure of the lures I’ll end up using or even the size rod and reel, and all of that might change from stop to stop or even within any given stop.

Complicating things more, a few of tomorrow’s most likely stops are access points I’ve never actually visited, and they are big-river spots that vary dramatically in character based on the amount of water flowing.

What that means from a practical standpoint is that I’m toting a fair amount of fishing gear (along with the usual array of cameras and accessories) for what might not amount to a ton of actual fishing time. Some stuff, almost undoubtedly, will never leave the car hatch. I want it available, though, just in case.

Hoping my next post affirms that I packed the right stuff and includes catch photos and a success story.