Luggage & Storage

How to pack your fishing tackle sensibly

Good packing starts with the rods. A feeder or match holdall takes several made-up rods with reels attached, so you can start fishing quickly once you reach the bank. A pole holdall is a long, rigid case that protects valuable pole sections and top kits from knocks in transit.

It pays to pack nets separately. A keepnet is wet and slimy after a day's fishing, and a dedicated bag keeps the water and smell away from the rest of your kit and out of the car boot. A net bag also has room for spare landing net heads, which you can swap to suit the venue.

The carryall is the workhorse of coarse fishing, with room for bait tubs, groundbait, clothing and other loose items. Accessory bags, tackle boxes and hooklength and rig cases keep floats, hooks and pre-tied hooklengths organised, so the right item is quick to find, even when the fish are feeding hard.

Bait deserves its own attention. In a cool bag, maggots and worms stay cool and lively even on a hot day, and a bait bag keeps groundbait and bait tubs tidy on the way to the peg.

Choose your luggage based on how far you walk to the water and how much kit you carry. When every item has a fixed place, packing is quick and nothing gets left at home. Matching bags and cases also make it easy to see at a glance that everything is packed before you set off.