DIY Tips

Over the years we all make odd items of tackle that come in useful but which are never going to take the trade by storm. From time to time I will be describing some of the ones I find handy on this page.

SPINNERBAIT WALLET

Spinnerbait WalletSpinnerbaits are the Devil's own job to carry around in any sensible way without them becoming a tangled mess. Rig wallets with zip-lock pockets are one answer. Even so, I found it easier with them to store the spinnerbaits between the pockets rather than in them! Then one day I was browsing the local Office World for some document wallets and the penny dropped. Translucent multi-pocket wallets might be the answer for spinnerbait storage.

I bought the one I needed for its intended purpose, but before I filled it with sheets of paper I tried some large spinnerbaits in it. It worked better than I had envisaged. By hanging the lures over the dividers they are kept apart, and certainly tangle up less than in a rig wallet. Two or three spinnerbaits can be kept in each pocket (two is best) so a six pocket wallet can hold up to eighteen lures. Carried away by this success I bought a wallet with more pockets, but found that the flap wouldn't close when I filled it up. Doh! Still it is useful for home storage.Wallet close-up

I have been using one of these wallets for over twelve months now and it has proved resiliant and unaffected by trailer grubs. The lures don't slip around too much - in fact the wallet I use has label tags at the top of each pocket which prevent the spinnerbaits sliding around.

One word of warning. Like rig wallets these do retain moisture, so make sure you dry your lures out between trips. I left my wallet closed for a couple of months and found some rather rusty and mouldy spinnerbaits when I opened it! Opening the flap and propping the wallet up near a radiator seems to do the trick.

(This tip first appeared on this website - February 23rd 2002)


LURE CROOK

Lure crookCrook and lure boxAnyone who uses a hanging type lure box to store or carry their big plugs will know that they are not without their drawbacks. Every now and then a lure will drop down to the bottom of the box just out of reach of your longest pair of pliers! If you are anything like me you will always try and cram more lures than you should into each section, and they inevitably get tangled up. Often the hooks (if sharp) get stuck in the dividers too. Sometimes you get all three problems at once - which makes getting at your lures a real pain!

I can't claim to have invented this tool especially for the job - but it works a treat. Take a length of heavy stainless steel wire or welding rod, bend one end into an 'S' shaped crook, cut to a length that allows the crook to reach the bottom of your lure box and fit a handle to the other end (I simply pushed the straight end into a piece of 1" diameter balsa dowel for floatability, and glued it in place). Job done.

The 'S' shape allows you to push down on stuck hooks and to lift lures that have fallen down back up by their hooks. Easy and cheap to make, it saves a lot of cursing and increases your fishing time too!

(This tip first appeared on this website - August 31st 2001)