when was the last time you guys cleaned out your tackle box

[bonjqvi]

yesterday my girlfriend was ill so I had a day indoors in the glorious weather which we had bank holiday sunday ,a day when I would be on the bank hoping to pull out a good few big carp .

so after designing a bracket to carry my fishing equipment to the local pond for my mobility scooter ,its was what do I do now so out came the fishing bag ,I dont know about you guys but I cannot remember the last time I cleaned it I dont mean removing old empty tins of sweetcorn or the odd hook length that gets bitten off after the last cast when coming home but a proper clean .

mine was disgusting pellets roaming about on the floor weights scattered about as if to say this is our home ,feeders with old dried on pellet mix stuck to them ,floats I would never use and move around till I found the ones I use regulary ,

empty boxes of weights with just a few in in a size I would never use ,the more I looked the more I thought why have I been lugging all this extra weight down bankings along paths etc so it got gutted and now fit for an inspection for the queen should she ever wanted to have a butchers ,

 

[steve2]

I am in the process of cleaning out my tackle shed of all my tackle it’s surprising what you find that you have forgotten about.
I was missing two expensive reels till I open my match seat box, last used in a match 4years ago. In the bottom box in amongst the ground bait and pellet were the two missing Diawa TDR reels.
A few years ago I clear out all the ledger weights from my pike bag and they weighed the best part of 2lbs.
When I sorted out my lure boxes and bags I was surprised, do I really need over 400 lures? They must have cost me £1000’s.
My unused fly tackle bags really do need sorting. Anyone know how long fly lines last?

Like many on here my tackle collection could stock a tackle shop.

 

[Peter Jacobs]

I readily admit to being somewhat OCD when it comes to most things but especially my fishing kit.

After each trip everything is cleaned, rods, reels, tackle box etc., all cleaned and the contents are replenished, so no nasty surprises next time I'm out.

I am particularly keen on washing out all bait boxes, riddles and buckets as I am very focussed on having the best conditioned bait available, so no point putting it in dirty boxes.

My bait cooler bags are emptied and cleaned as are my carryall and holdall.

As I said, somewhat OCD but I cannot tollerate messy kit

 

[108831]

I just knew you would say that Peter,funny enough my tackle has its place and I'm fairly well organised,I don't like dirty gear,so it's pretty clean too,but I'd like to bet it's filthy compared to yours.

 

[theartist]

I readily admit to being somewhat OCD when it comes to most things but especially my fishing kit.

After each trip everything is cleaned, rods, reels, tackle box etc., all cleaned and the contents are replenished, so no nasty surprises next time I'm out.

I am particularly keen on washing out all bait boxes, riddles and buckets as I am very focussed on having the best conditioned bait available, so no point putting it in dirty boxes.

My bait cooler bags are emptied and cleaned as are my carryall and holdall.

As I said, somewhat OCD but I cannot tollerate messy kit

Blimey I'm totally the opposite, my kit hums at times, most of it is in my waistcoat, some of it I don't even use. At the moment some of my shot has fallen out and is loose in the pocket and it's surprisingly easy to find and use and dead easy to put back lol My floats are in an old tin pencil case, my hooks on spools in various pockets. Despite all this I know whats in each pocket and can set up blindfolded. My maggots are sometimes old and knackered and I've found that fish actually prefer them like that when it's freezing, they are flavoured to counter and amonia or bad odours and this flavouring adorns my unwashed jacket, bib and boots. In turn this helps counter unwanted attention on the bank

 

[bonjqvi]

Blimey I'm totally the opposite, my kit hums at times, most of it is in my waistcoat, some of it I don't even use. At the moment some of my shot has fallen out and is loose in the pocket and it's surprisingly easy to find and use and dead easy to put back lol My floats are in an old tin pencil case, my hooks on spools in various pockets. Despite all this I know whats in each pocket and can set up blindfolded. My maggots are sometimes old and knackered and I've found that fish actually prefer them like that when it's freezing, they are flavoured to counter and amonia or bad odours and this flavouring adorns my unwashed jacket, bib and boots. In turn this helps counter unwanted attention on the bank

hahahha im sure the smell helps hahhahaaa we all cant be the same as peter can we with ocd im sure my woman would kick me out if I started to be really neat

 

[steve2]

In the bottom box in amongst the ground bait and pellet were the two missing Diawa TDR reels.

Forgot to mention it was also home various weevils in the baits. The same with my others baits stored in various containers. Adds a bit of meat to the ground bait.

 

[terry m]

I may not be quite so OCD as Peter, but I am very organised, everything has its place and levels of consumables are regularly checked and topped up.

For me being organised increases the efficiency and enjoyment of my angling and the added bonus is that with an organised approach, the likelihood of leaving kit on the bank is minimised.

 

[rayner]

The drawers of my seat box are kept extremely tidy, if I do say so. each time I take something from a drawer I replace it as soon as I'm finish with it.
That gives me nothing to keep tidy, I do it as I go. my rods and reels are very grubby, bait boxes are washed at the peg before I leave. Anything left goes into bags then into the freezer when I get home.
Generally I have nothing to clean, just as well. cleaning is not for me.

 

[John Keane]

I had a good clear out of my bags, boxes, drawers and garage shelves. I found 8 pairs of braid scissors, 4 pellet banders, 3 bait drills, 3 baiting needles, 3 pairs of line snips, 3 Kwikstop needles, rod rest heads galore, side arm brackets for Octoplus legs, a compartment box full of fake baits, hooks and hooklengths by the cartload, magnetic hook boxes, a red tub for an Abu 506 spool and the list goes on. Being a bit of an eBay entrepreneur I batched them up into 9 small lots and put them on the site. The lot sold, making me over £30 but to date only 3 feedback received. Ungrateful barstewards!

 

[S-Kippy]

I'm fairly well organised and keep most of my gear clean. The bait and bits bag can get a bit whiffy at times but that's really what's in there rather than it being filthy. Its a bit of a must do for me as most of my " in play" gear lives in the utility room. Mrs S just about tolerates that provided its not too stinky.

But one of my bags seems to have developed a nasty niff of late. Its clean enough and contains no bait ( nor ever has) but it has started to smell like a ditch. I wonder if its got wet a few too many times ? I am seriously thinking of sticking a car air freshner in the bottom. Failing that it will mean a new bag.

 

[mikench]

I am very much like Peter and, having just returned, I have replenished bait boxes, cleaned my cool bag and emptied my tin containing old hooks, float stops etc . I am all set for next time out. If I didn't do this I'd be in a mess.

 

[John Keane]

I am organised to the point of being OCD and can get all the stuff for a particular trip ready in under 5 mins. All my bait, flavourings, bait boxes are in a Drennan bucket, the one with the zipped neoprene lid. The bucket makes a great side table when zipped up. I have a Daiwa (Shakey Beta) Box with Octoplus legs that houses all my tackle, catapults, alarms, and has the old school 2-tier, 3 tray Shakespeare tackle box that fits inside on the ledges and has all of my terminal tackle, floats, feeders, etc. Add my chair, unhooking mat, net and stick the lot on a trolley and I’m good to go with made-up rods to suit the venue in a quiver.

 

[steve2]

Finally finished sorting the tackle shed it should keep tidy till I go again.
All my lure rods are now setup ready for the start of my pike season. All lures are sorted into their correct boxes; I even cleaned some of them.
Cleaned out the bait fridge and found 2 pints of maggots that I meant to freeze after my last trip. They didn’t look or smell very healthy but the birds seem to like them.
Freezer next on the agenda what in there is anyone guess.

 

[john step]

I readily admit to being somewhat OCD when it comes to most things but especially my fishing kit.

After each trip everything is cleaned, rods, reels, tackle box etc., all cleaned and the contents are replenished, so no nasty surprises next time I'm out.

I am particularly keen on washing out all bait boxes, riddles and buckets as I am very focussed on having the best conditioned bait available, so no point putting it in dirty boxes.

My bait cooler bags are emptied and cleaned as are my carryall and holdall.

As I said, somewhat OCD but I cannot tollerate messy kit

I cannot possibly give this post a LIKE. :wh:wh

 

[john step]

Blimey I'm totally the opposite, my kit hums at times, most of it is in my waistcoat, some of it I don't even use. At the moment some of my shot has fallen out and is loose in the pocket and it's surprisingly easy to find and use and dead easy to put back lol My floats are in an old tin pencil case, my hooks on spools in various pockets. Despite all this I know whats in each pocket and can set up blindfolded. My maggots are sometimes old and knackered and I've found that fish actually prefer them like that when it's freezing, they are flavoured to counter and amonia or bad odours and this flavouring adorns my unwashed jacket, bib and boots. In turn this helps counter unwanted attention on the bank

BUT I GIVE THIS POST A LIKEmg:

 

[theartist]

BUT I GIVE THIS POST A LIKEmg:

You smell too?

There is a skill in being a tackle tramp

 

[john step]

You smell too?

There is a skill in being a tackle tramp

Absolutely mg:

 

[Mark Wintle]

I tend to use two sets of gear, a river roving bag and a box for Stillwater. I usually clean them out about every couple of months but in the meantime I will notice when a packet of hooks needs tying, some shot or line need replenishment or I need to adjust what floats/feeders I'm carrying. Reels get attention once a year and I never bother cleaning rods as within 30 minutes a rod handle will be as encrusted as ever. Here's the handle from the rod I used last night when I had several dozen roach and skimmers so a mix of slime and maggot dust.

 

[john step]

I tend to use two sets of gear, a river roving bag and a box for Stillwater. I usually clean them out about every couple of months but in the meantime I will notice when a packet of hooks needs tying, some shot or line need replenishment or I need to adjust what floats/feeders I'm carrying. Reels get attention once a year and I never bother cleaning rods as within 30 minutes a rod handle will be as encrusted as ever. Here's the handle from the rod I used last night when I had several dozen roach and skimmers so a mix of slime and maggot dust.

View attachment 7451

Thats my type of rod.