Tackle tart or Tackle tramp?

[symonh2000]

How would you describe yourself, a tackle tart, a tackle tramp or somewhere in the middle?

I have a few really nice bits of kit, but I do get a lot of satisfaction in turning up at a venue with lower end kit and often catching as many (if not more) fish than the people there with expensive gear.


I am in the firm belief that it is the angler that catches the fish, not the expensive gear. I understand that some of the expensive stuff is very nice to use, but at the end of the day it is the anglers skill in catching the fish that matters most.

What do you think on this?

 

[terry m]

100% tart here.

You are correct, the angler catches the fish. But my enjoyment is greater when I am using quality kit. I make no apology for that.

 

[xenon]

70% tart-but only on those bits of kit that have a direct bearing on the fishing (rods, reels, line, hooks etc) Things like luggage, nets etc. can be pretty well anything serviceable.

 

[robtherake]

Yeah, I'm a practical tart, too. Function before form, but it helps if it looks nice an' all!

Can't be bothered with all the "keeping up with the Joneses" rubbish. If I find the right piece of kit for the job then it doesn't matter how old it is or (to a point) what it looks like as long as it still performs.

Edit - I was sitting along from a bloke last week who'd obviously spent a mortgage on his mountain of kit, fastened to what looked like an oil rig in both size and shape.
We chatted amiably for a bit about this and that - like you do - and he then proceeded to regale me with the price and spec of all the hot new gear fanned about him - all bought from "The Best Shop In The Area" .
After a bit, he realised my attention was waning, so he changed tack to ask which shop I used. Well, it's a friendly little place in a one horse town, so I told him so. He gave a snort of contemptuous amusement, turned away, and didn't speak to me again for the whole day. Not that it bothered me - the silence was a blessed relief - but lordy, what a ****!

 

[bigfish74]

Cant afford to be a tart so make do with what i have
Theres only me working at the minute with the little lad and another on the way so if i need anythi g new i save for a week and get it do t get me wrong its not cheep poo gear but not top end either and i still catch well and wnjoy what i do sa.e with my rifles with a bit of knkw how tbey run just as good as rifles 10 times mlre costly

Andy

 

[hunters moon]

I would not call myself a tackle tart but I do derive a great deal of pleasure from using a piece of equipment that has been made using quality
materials, a prime example being the luggage I bought many years ago made
by the ENGLISH company AQUARIUS its still as good as the day I bought it
despite all the hard work it has done over the years I am a firm believer in
that you get what you pay for.
tight lines
HUNTERS MOON.

 

[chefster]

I would class myself as a bit of a tackle tart,but in the past i,ve had to struggle and use low-end gear,but sometimes i,m a bit trampy with my organisation...But i agree with you totally-it is the angler that catches the fish!!,Chef

 

[Judas Priest]

Tackle tramp.

Working on the theory that the only bit the fish is interested in is the bit on my hook.
I'll buy whatever I need from wherever based on will it do the job, is it value for money, and finally, do I really need it.

Prime example being the little tackle bag from Aldi. Stick a Fox, Korum etc badge on it and there'd be £30 added to the price and folks whittering on about what a great bit of gear it is.

 

[jacksharp]

A tackle tart, by definition, is someone who thinks more about the tackle, and its price, than what it's supposed to be used for and puts more store by brand-names than by function.

Never heard of a tackle tramp but I have a mate who fishes with a rod that has the bottom 2 sections of painted bamboo and a green, solid fibreglass tip, an old Intrepid Deluxe reel with no bail-arm roller, he uses old porcupine, peacock and crow-quill floats and sits on a wicker basket and he is as happy as Larry just fishing!

I fall into the vast majority of anglers who just buy the best they can afford and don't only buy stuff because it has a "name"

.

 

[symonh2000]

Just to add a bit more. On some types of rod, I actually prefer lower end gear.

Lure rods are a good example. They might be heavier and thicker than a full carbon rod, but I actually prefer rods which are carbon composite. I just find the action is nicer, and being thrown about in the car doesn't seem to harm them as much.

Then if they do get damaged, they are also cheaper to replace.

 

[Wilko]

If it does the job I want, is gonna last and is well priced then I'll buy it, regardless of name. A good case in point is the Lidl tackle bag mentioned by Judas, I bought one for my fly fishing and it's effing brilliant!

I have got a couple of 'Tart' names like Normark, Shimano, Harrison etc but they are luxuries because like anyone else, I like to indulge in the finer pedigree of certain brands, but I will not snub other people or brands in favour of them.

Edit: Sorry, I meant the tackle bag from Aldi......Lidl is sooooo downmarket!

 

[sam vimes]

If better gear doesn't land you more or bigger fish, how exactly is it "better"?
I'm perfectly content that better gear does indeed land you more or bigger fish. I can only assume that those that don't believe this are still using their Woolies specials from the mid eighties. No? Thought not. Perhaps you don't really believe what you're saying.

I have no qualms with the idea that some gear is overpriced. I've no problem that you can catch very well with good cheap stuff. I've no trouble believing that the best of the cheap stuff can be better than the worst of the expensive stuff. Pick well and you can get superbly performing gear for very little. I do have trouble with the prospect of all expensive stuff being no better than gear at a third of the price. It invariably seems to be proposed by those that can't or won't pay for it and it's just inverted snobbery.

Ultimately, why worry what the bloke next to you is using and why worry about what the bloke next to you thinks of your kit? Regardless of the price point you shop in, show a bit of class and stop even thinking about it. The only thing worth thinking about is how much you catch. If you are a competitive type, you might think about how much the blokes near you catch too.

 

[john step]

Bit in the middle really. Quality rods and reels when you can afford them ( they are certainly lighter) and the good alternative I find is to watch for the angling press adverts. Last years rod at £150 is often advertised at half that.
I have had a quiet smile to myself a few times when using my "holiday gear".
I used to camp and caravan a lot in the UK and on the continent. In fact I lived in my caravan for some years and any tackle had to be compact and damage resistant due to packing and space requirements. Tele rods etc.
Many a time I would get sideways glances and sneers when setting up. The attitude would invariably change when I started catching well. One old chap insisted on running up the bank and netting my fish as he couldn't accept the fact I was experienced as I had a tele rod!!

 

[neil1970]

Total Tramp here

I've only just returned to fishing & my tackle when I was a kid was my dads 10ft tank ariel and a shakespear reel that probably cost £3 max

Things have come a long way since then, and I've been happy with my two ebayed £10 daiwa 123s,a £30 daiwa sweepfire rod, £10 landing net and
a £7 uncomfortable stool over the last year.

My bags an old eastpac messenger thing, and I pride myself on my tackle boxes - 2 old tobacco tins.

Floats have been wrapped up in an old paper bag until recentlymg:

Just this weekend I've bought a new reel for £50 and a plastic float box...

its a slippery slope

 

[bigray]

I'm a bit of both. I need a new rod and i'm looking at reasonable quality. The one I use for barbel hasn't broken it just doesn't give me the control I need. Having said that I still use my old (about 18 - 20 years old) Shakespeare seat box (think almost every angler has had one) it does the job and at the end of the day thats what matters!

 

[nicepix]

I don't buy anything for the name. Nor do I buy anything based on its re-sale value. Fishing tackle is for using not selling. When I'm done with it I'll give it away. But I don't buy cheap tackle just to save a few bob. It has to be up to the job. The Aldi tackle bag is a great example of an item that sells at a fraction of the cost of named similar spec' bags. However, some other Aldi items aren't worth having.

I made a comment a few months ago about Okuma centrepins that was lost on the recipient. It holds for many items of tackle and is basically that many cheaper items of tackle are manufactured to a higher standard of quality than is actually required for the task in hand. Buying something better than that, i.e more expensive, might give someone the pleasure of ownership, but it won't result in your catching more fish.

I do find it amusing when I read adverts on eBay for rods or reels saying things like; "Looks great on the bank." Who cares?

 

[mick b]

When doing a bit of piking last back-end my kit was referred to as 'old school' by another angler

Back home a googled it up and realised the mutt was commenting about my matched pair of Sportex Hornsea rods and Mitchell 306's.....still I did catch 7 compared to his blank.......

 

[Derek Gibson]

When doing a bit of piking last back-end my kit was referred to as 'old school' by another angler

Back home a googled it up and realised the mutt was commenting about my matched pair of Sportex Hornsea rods and Mitchell 306's.....still I did catch 7 compared to his blank.......

Sportex, Hornsea. Wow, now their's a blast from the past. Old Ray Webb did a field test on them, at Hornsea Mere no less. Needless to say most of us speci types in Sheffield had to have them, and used them. But I came to favour the Tag Barne's Carp rod, mainly for wobbling dead's, which we used to great effect on the South Forty Foot Linc's.

But I digress, good to hear that someone still finds a use for the Hornsea in this ultra cult age. Nice one Mick.

 

[noknot]

Not a tart but I keep everything a neat as possible, everything has it's place close to hand.

It's true the tackle does not catch the fish, then again a Skoda will get you from A To B, then again so will an Audi!

I love nice tackle, nice to look at while I'm blanking

 

[pidgergj]

I suspect the majority of us have a budget as to what we can spend on tackle. I basically buy stuff that is within my means and up to the job. Im sure we would all like to be able to walk into the tackle shop and completely empty it into the car, but the reality is i have to stick to what i can afford. The thing is, as has been mentioned, there are some excellent quality bits of gear available that dont cost the earth.