Early Season Tackle Bag Essentials

Early Season Tackle Bag Essentials

Now Trout season is upon us, now it’s time to start looking through your tackle bag and seeing what you need to get out there and fish.

So, let’s get started with those essential early season checks and getting your gear organised.

Ask yourself, are you missing anything? Is any of your tackle damaged?

Get your gear cleaned, inspected and properly organised into fishing bags or boxes. Doing this will ensure you have everything you need and will make it easier to find when you need it most or spot something that’s missing before you head out on the water, no worse feeling than when your clippers or your floatant isn’t pinned to your waistcoat like it always is and you are knee deep in the water miles from a tackle shop.

Check for everything, check your flies aren’t rusty, check your fly line is not cracked or damaged, check your net for damage etc.

The likelihood is that your gear hasn’t been out for a while, some might say neglected, so doing this before even thinking about casting is vital and could save you a few headaches further down the line.

You should be stocking up on flies and/or materials for making flies at the start of the Trout season anyway, but if you do, for example, find your net is torn this can be easily solved by visiting us here at the Glasgow Angling centre or online at Fishingmegastore.com.

If you have any worries or queries about your rod, reel or any gear for that matter, simply bring them in store and one of our expert staff can help you with checks. For more details on the services, we provide get in touch at sales@fishingmegastore.com.

So, first, what should you have in your tackle box? It’s important to get this right so you are not wasting anytime when you get to the water. Below is a list of some essentials you should take with you. Some you shouldn't leave home without and others would depend on how you are fishing.

Rod

Reel/Spools

Fly Line

Loops

Tapered Leaders

Tippet Materials

Fly Boxes & Flies

Waistcoat

Rucksack or Tackle Bag

Floatants Sinkants

Bass Bag

Waders & Boots

Wading Jacket

Life Jacket

Net

Nipper/Scissors

Priest

Forceps/Unhooking Tools

Flasks

Drogue for the boat

Boat Seat

Bib n Brace

¾ Jacket

Wellies

Sunglasses for eye protection

Cap

Lucky Socks

Have we missed anything you wouldn't leave home without? Feel free to add to our list in the comments section below.

If you are looking at the above list and don't know where to start due to a lack of practice, or it might even be your first season, well we can help highlight some excellent products available right now.

If your old rod isn't performing the way it used to and it's time to trade in you should give the Greys GR70 Streamflex Fly Rod some serious consideration.

Greys GR70 Streamflex Fly Rod

This award-winning series from Greys is immensely popular and the rods from this range have performed time and time again. As well as being aesthetically pleasing, the rod is incredibly durable, as well as reliable, and produces a long lasting life for the rod.

The fast recovering style of action is ideal for many anglers, especially if you want a slightly slower action rod but with all the incredible performance advantages of a fast action rod.

This rod will suit all styles of fishing from dry fly to heavy nymphing.

Another rod to consider is the Hardy Demon Sintrix Single Handed Rod. This every popular rod is fully redesigned to offer lighter weight and faster recovery. Hardy Demon is manufactured in Sintrix 330 for increased strength to weight ratio and improved in hand balance.

A full range of rods is available, covering every use from a small stream through technical nymph fishing, Salt, Switch and Two-handed salmon use.

Hardy Demon Sintrix Single Handled Rod

If you are taking the plunge and looking for a brand new set up, an excellent reel to consider is the Greys QRS Cassette Fly Reel.

Greys QRS Cassette Fly Reel

It is the perfect system for fly anglers who like to swap fly lines to suit the conditions at hand. It's simple to use and features a brilliant spool release system which enables you to fish a floating line one minute; an intermediate the next, or a sink tip for keeping your flies under control in that all-important sub-surface taking zone. With just the flick of a switch, you can fish using four completely different lines sizes.

As with all Greys fly reels, a huge amount of effort has gone into the research, design and manufacture process to ensure the end product aligns with the fly fisherman's needs. That's why in the QRS, you can expect a fly reel that offers outstanding power-to-weight ratio. Other benefits include the ability to easy strip line off the reel for casting, decreased line coiling, and the ability to put more backing on the spool for those long, hard fighting runs.

Other things to consider are, first of all, your net. Your net may have been the victim of some mouse damage in the off-season and is beyond repair. The McLean Short Handle Weigh Net would be an ideal replacement.

McLean Short Handle Weigh Net

This is a premium quality, trout fishing net from McLean and is now supplied with a rubberised mesh net and features an innovative weighing scale that is built into the handle. The standard net has now been replaced with a safe, new rubberised mesh which is much more fish-friendly and essential for catch and release fishing. It also means your hook is much less likely to be caught in the net.

Wychwood Competition Bass Bag

If you are taking a catch home look no further than the Wychwood Competition Bass Bag for your transportation. Being waterproof, easy to clean and compact for easy storage Wychwood really have excelled with this odour

and rot resistant bag is ideal for taking a fish home for the pot.

It's also important to remember that getting those early season patterns right in your tackle box could lead to a lot of success and that is what we are all after.

Starting with the dries. A strong favourite with early season fishing is the Deer Hair Emerger. This fly is designed to stimulate and trigger the fish with its visible wing and sunken abdomen. Trout notice the sunken abdomen from a greater distance than they would with regular hackled dry.

Deer Hair Emerger

Another great early season dry, is the Split Wing Dun. From early season right through to the end this is an incredibly important hatch for the fly fisher. It’s very effective barbless pattern will fool even the most careful of fish.

Split Wing Dun

On the wet fly March Brown, is a good place to get started. Fished throughout the UK, it is an excellent early season lough pattern and is best fished just below the surface. Pulsating and kicking in the current they attract Trout by their very movements.

March Brown

Greenwell’s Glory will also give you more than a fighting chance when fishing on the wet fly. One of the most famous British Trout flies it attracts the fish out of curiosity. Like the March Brown its movement in the water makes it look energetic and edible. Two key attributes for any fly to be successful.

Greenwell's Glory

When fishing early season with Nymphs a great early pattern is the Hot Spot. The jig pattern makes the fly relevant throughout the whole season and is a perfect fly when fish are hard at the bottom.

Hot Spot

The French Nymph may be the best weapon in your arsenal when fishing Nymphs. It is a deadly pattern for Trout the world over and the red butt triggers Trout in the murkiest of waters. Again, this fly is excellent throughout the season and is great when the Trout are on the bottom.

French Nymph

Remember it’s important you change patterns regularly until you know what the fish are after.

Fishing for Trout adheres to the old saying 'fail to prepare then prepare to fail,' using a little bit of foresight and this post, as intended, as a checklist before each trip then you will be prepared for every eventuality. Of course, it may take a bit of extra time, but it will be worth it in the end.