Long gone are the days I carry lots of rods and tackle,
I no longer take 5 rods (2 match different lengths, 1 Avon, 1 medium and 1 heavy leger), 4 reels, about 100 floats, swing tips and quiver tips, target board, line weights right down to dust shot, legers including arlesey bombs, rolling and coffin leads, about a dozen different feeders and all the bits and pieces.
Nowadays its just one rod and what I think I will need for the venue and the style of fishing I have chosen to fish that day.
As a consequence I have made up several boxes all small with just the bare essentials in each one for light float river fishing, one for deeper and faster rivers, one for legering and a second small box with a few extras if I am going to a larger and deeper river. Then I have 2 boxes one for lake float fishing one for lake legering. Most of the boxes are in the style of small craft boxes with removable partitions although I have hacked some up with a Stanley knife the first time I did it was to fix in a multi-size line weight box. I have marked all the boxes so now I open the cupboard and can see and grab exactly what I am going to use instantly, it just makes going fishing easier and quicker and I don't forget anything. Also in the cupboard are my reels in marked pouches and the fixed spools have spare spools in the pouches.
Spare tackle is kept handy in a set of drawers again all marked on the outside for topping up the boxes after getting home from a fishing trip/session. Hanging on the door of the cupboard is a list of my tackle its been laminated so if I run out of something I mark the list and the next time I go to a tackle shop I copy out what I have marked as needed and take the list.
By doing it this way over a period of time I have saved myself a lot of money and many a disappointment at the waterside of not having what I need with me and the added bonus in that I no longer forget to buy something I need and am a lot less tempted by impulse buys...well except for floats...hehehe
But for me the biggest bonus of all is I am no longer a pack mule, I simply do not haul loads of tackle I am not going to use to the waterside. I get all my tackle ready the night/day before and leave my flask by the kettle and my bait and sandwiches in the fridge...simples...hehehe