I blame commercial fisheries!
When I mainly fly-fished rivers I used a waistcoat with a couple of tapered leaders tucked in a pocket, with a spool of tippet line, a couple of fly-boxes tucked in other pockets, towel attached to belt and tucked into top of waders and not much else. Forceps, net, etc. on clip-ons to vest. Only used a bag for butties, drinks, etc. Roving on banks all day - relatively un-encumbered!
When fishing commercial trout still-waters there seemed to be a pressure to ensure you caught something - so you took all you could to ensure you did! Another 3 boxes of flies, lures, etc, spare reels with sinking lines, cool bag and chiller blocks - for the catch
- scales, SLR camera, folding chair, etc. Not quite as unencumbered as roving the river-banks for the odd brownie.
On moving back to coarse fishing on rivers - it started-out the same - roving tactics - with just a waistcoat and sometimes a shoulder bag - a handful of short floats - avons and peacock quills that would tuck in a pocket - growing in number as they got damaged to need a float box - first of many items of tackle needing to be in the shoulder bag!
Moving onto Commercial still-waters - so many species and sizes of fish - all needing different gear, lines, hooks, tactics, etc. - soon run out of space in the shoulder 'gas-mask' bag - then the spare reel/spools, hooklengths, rod-rest heads, bite alarms, buzz-bars, etc., before we get to mats, cumfy all-day chairs, brolly, fittings, etc.
Time goes by - and you get more kit! - and a bigger bag!
Would you really go fishing an unknown commercial and NOT take .....?
Before you know it you are looking at barrows!
As I said - I blame commercial fisheries - the clue is in the name!
mg: