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Print versionMike Thrussell - What's in my beach fishing box
I was chatting to a top match angler recently and we got to discussing what we carry in our respective tackle boxes. It was particularly interesting because he’s only really in to head to head competition fishing whereas my interests are species and big fish.
That said we were equally fascinated by what we as individuals chose to carry with us when fishing.
I’ve noticed this fascination in the contents of tackle boxes from other anglers I bump in to when on the beach. Pleasantries are swapped, a little conversation ensues, but you can see their eyes switching from you to your tackle box and back. Predictably when you get something out of your box while talking to them, they’ll say ”Mind if I have a look at what gear you carry?”
This got me to thinking that it might help some of the less experienced anglers to see what I choose to carry and why, plus allow experienced anglers to compare notes.
I prefer to use a plastic seat box for several reasons. I can sit on it and over long sessions it saves my legs a little. It’s waterproof and keeps all my gear and cameras dry. More importantly I can set it up on long sessions as a proper work station I can work from making me more efficient. I prefer the ones with a full lift out upper tray so this can take all the bits I need frequently, with less often used items underneath.
To go with the seat box I have two divided trays that clip to each side of the box. I use these for holding bait and for holding gear I need instantly to hand.
I carry two shore sized rig wallets. One has all my scratching rigs in including three-hook flappers, two-hook flappers, two-hook clipped downs, two-hook clipped ups, seesaw rigs, three-hook boom rigs, one-hook clipped downs, Jammy Dodger rigs, plus specialist rigs I use for certain species on certain marks. None of the hooks in this wallet are above a size 2 Kamasan and these are my rigs for whiting, flatties and generally small fish.
The second wallet is for big fish rigs and includes one-hook clipped downs, Pulley rigs, fixed-pulley rigs, two-hook flappers, tope pulley rigs, conger pulley rigs, ray rigs, plus again specialist rigs for specific venues.
Put the two wallets together and I’m carrying around 250 rigs in total, but I’m covered for every eventuality. In addition I have spare hook snoods of different breaking strains, lengths and with various hook sizes on so I can instantly swap a snood that gets damaged or more importantly adjust rigs to suit changing sea and tidal conditions and fish preferences.
My leads are kept to a minimum to save weight. I carry 6 grippers, two plain leads with the wire holes ready drilled and a few spare release wires just in case I lose a couple of leads. I also carry two flat flattie leads. These all go in an old ice cream container or plastic peanut pot with a clip down or screw down lid.
I carry a small indestructible accessory box measuring 9½-inches by 7½ - inches with several internal compartments. In this are small individual boxes carrying assorted beads, float beads, rig tubing, swivels, links, a few spare crimps, sequins and other rig components so that if I need to I can make specialist rigs up on the beach.
Also in the box are packets of all the hooks I’m likely to need from size 16 Drennan’s for mini species, through Kamasan Aberdeen’s in sizes 6, 4, and 2, plus Viking hooks up to 6/0. Keeping accessories and hooks in boxes and packets within a box means they stay dry and will not rust when I’m fishing in pouring rain.
Also in the box are spare plastic and wire booms, a bubble float in case there are garfish about, a honing file for hook sharpening, Powergum for stop knots, both small and large bait shields, two spare tip rings for my beach rods, a cigarette lighter and hot melt glue stick so I can replace a tip ring, plus a small roll of PVC tape for get-by repairs. That’s it and this carries me through even a week long trip to Ireland.
I carry several spools of both mono and Fluoro carbon hook lengths, typically mono in 20lb, 25lb, 30lb, 40lb, 50lb and 80lb. Also Fluoro carbon in 6lb, 10lb, 15lb, 20lb, 30lb and 40lb, plus 50lb wire for tope traces. These go in one of my own MTI spool holders for instant access.
I carry leader in 60lb and 80lb sizes, clear and orange, again stored in an MTI wallet to eliminate ultra-violet contact and keep things clean, tidy and instantly available.
A small set of digital scales are kept in another wallet and these weigh up to 40lbs, which for beach fishing is enough. This is accompanied by a soft nylon mesh weigh sling so any fish I choose to weigh are not damaged before release.
My headlight for beach fishing is a LED high-output type and I carry three spare batteries for it at all times. This goes in a pouch so that the lens does not get scratched.
A set of long-nosed pliers, a pair of scissors with long blades for cutting bigger crab and fish baits, a small knife for bait cutting, plus my bait elastic go in the top of my box, along with a bait towel which is kept in a thick plastic bag to keep the damp and smell contained.
Other essentials are my sunglasses, a baseball cap, a small tube of sun cream and some lip balm.
As soon as I get home all my used rigs are washed and reassessed, everything cleaned and dried, then all I need to do before the next trip is to work out which reels to carry. Invariably over clean ground I’ll use ABU 6500’s with 15lb line on, but when not sure will also carry two Penn 525’s loaded with 20lb line to combat rougher ground and heavy weed.
Listed as above it sounds a lot, but put it all together and it’s not much at all. Keeping things to a minimum means it’s easier to maintain, plus cleaning everything as soon as I get home means I don’t forget anything the next time.
My bait goes in a small separate cool box normally along with a small cutting board, or on longer duration trips I take the big cool box.
Some anglers are surprised I don’t carry spare reel line, but I can’t remember the last time I cracked off when fishing, so don’t see the point when fishing clean ground.
As you can see everything is carefully chosen and has a specific job to do. This minimises weight as I often need to walk a fair way to the marks I choose to fish. Also everything is doubly protected to keep out the elements helping my gear last much longer and increase its long term reliability.
Having an uncluttered tackle box makes things far quicker to find and dramatically improves my overall fishing efficiency. It also maximises my fishing time helping me catch more fish by percentage.
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