Henry Gilbey - The World of Fishing

All Fishing Tackle

• Fishing Tackle companies
• Fishing Rods
• Fishing Reels
• Fishing Clothing
• Fishing Lures
• Fishing Accessories
• All other Bits and Pieces

• Bits and pieces box

  

  I simply can not remember who made by little bits and pieces box that I use for my mullet fishing gear – I have had it that long. It works great for storing the small hooks, swivels, beads and float stops etc. that we use for our mulleting. I believe that this kind of organised little box is available from the carp market. I also use one for my bass fishing, where I put different links, beads and small swivels in there and then leave it at the bottom of my rucksack/camera bag.

• Boga grip

  

  There is no getting away from the fact that the best fish-grip tool out there is the universally loved BogaGrip. I did not want to pay the money for one, but in the end I just gave in, accepted what I already knew (that the Boga is the best) and got my wallet out. So many guides and fishermen that I work with all over the place carry at least one of the Boga-Grips, either the 15lb, 30lb or 60lb model - I want to be able to say that all the fish I catch are so monstrous that I have to have the 60lb version, but in fact I carry and use the little 15lb version that does me just fine for my own bass fishing. They are incredibly well built and they are known for lasting and lasting and lasting. As is normal in fishing, the best tends to cost a bit, but I reckon a good fish-grip is hugely important for lots of fishing. I see more and more bass anglers over here carrying some kind of fish-grip, and you simply can't go wrong with a Boga.

• Costa del Mar polarised sunglasses

  

  You won't get far in many kinds of fishing without a decent pair of polarised sunglasses, and these days I am proud to be able to say that I am using the outstanding Costa del Mar ones. It's their 580 lenses which really got me, and I reckon the 580 Silver lenses that Costa do are just about perfect for most situations - they actually have a slight warm-up to them and seem to me to be perfectly suited to both bright and duller conditions where you need to see into the water and also protect your eyes. I also really like the 580 Copper and the 580 Green Mirror polarised lenses - the Copper ones are also very good for all round use, and the Green Mirror are about as good as it gets for consistently bright conditions like you find on tropical flats. The also work really well when the sun comes out here in the UK !! I don't know what it is about these Costa del Mar sunglasses, but they just make the world look better to me. The best do not come cheap, but I take looking for fish, sight fishing, and protecting my eyes very seriously. There has to be a reason why I come across so many fishing guides and anglers all around the world who choose to wear Costas.

• Daiwa Tournament 8 braid

  

  I love this stuff, and especially in the high-viz green colour. There is so much misinformation surrounding mainlines, but the simple fact is that this Daiwa Tournament 8 braid is awesome – but only if you know how to tie decent knots with these kinds of lines. I tend to use the 20lb high-viz green one for a lot of my bass fishing these days and it inspires complete confidence in me.

• Delalande Agrafe Rapide INOX lure clips

  

  Such a seemingly insignificant part of going lure fishing, but then you stumble upon a clip like the Delalande Agrafe Rapide INOX and it seems that all your problems are solved at once. Once you get used to almost twisting your lures onto this clip (you do not open it out) then after a while you start to wonder why on earth more clips are not made like this. I tend to use the smallest 29lb version for my lure fishing for bass especially and I just can’t find one thing I don’t like about these clips.

• IMA RBB Floatation (lure) vest

  

  First off, and this is very important – this lure vest is categorically not a lifejacket, and it will not keep you afloat if you fall in. Fly fishermen know all about all manner of fishing vests that allow them swift and easy access to their gear via an array of front pockets. Rucksacks are great for carting gear around, but they are hardly that easy to get stuff in and out of if you are moving around the rocks or are wading continuously. And this is how I started to really fall for this IMA vest, when I was forced to look around for a way to keep lures and other bits (leader, clips etc.) to hand when we fished locations that required us to be up to our waist or higher in water. Getting to your rucksack then is a real struggle to say the least. The fact that I can move around and fish so easily without even thinking about all the vital bits and pieces not being behind me and hard to get at is what has sold me on how useful a Japanese style lure fishing vest like this can be. This item strikes me as having been designed for fishing from the ground up, and the fact that the zip and other fastenings are saltwaterproof for example makes a big difference. Properly adjust the straps and you will hardly even know you are wearing it after the initial “get used to it” period, indeed it seems to just become a part of you as you move around and fish. There is a small zip pocket on the back of the vest that can fit a few things in, but the main factor is what you can fit in the front pockets and say hang off the D-rings. The fact that the front pockets are a size that perfectly fit my favourite Sakura SK-9145 washable lure boxes in them just about makes my day (lure box dimensions 20.6cm x 17cm x 4.2cm), and there are even drainage holes in the bottom of the pockets for when you wade out deep. Even if you don’t want to wear it as a vest all the time, then to me this item is also a very effective and comfortable way to carry your lure fishing gear around. Take it off or put in on as you see fit.

• Princeton Tec headlamp

  

  Headlamps for our shore fishing have changed so much over the last few years, from mining-type lamps that required fairly big and heavy batteries, to the more modern and really lightweight LED headlamps you see all over the place now. I have started to use the outstanding Princeton Tec – Apex 3 watt LED headlamp and so far I just can’t find one single fault with it. To think that for so many years we were carrying around those massive headlamps and batteries, and now we can get our hands on something as lightweight and as (adjustably) powerful as this little Princeton Tec model. I am not using headlamps as much as I used to, so one important feature for me is the fact that I can use regular AA batteries in this headlamp, instead of a rechargeable battery that can end up ruined with irregular use and recharging. AA batteries are dirt cheap if you look around. For a “get me back to the car in case something happens” or even a specialist headlamp for lure fishing at night, you won’t go far wrong with one of the tiny Petzl LED models.

• Ross Pescador pliers

  

  The problem with a good pair of pliers is that you become so reliant on them that you are lost if you forget to take them with you. A fly fishing friend of mine started using a pair of the 6’’ Ross Pescador pliers some years ago now, and I finally gave in, bit the bullet, and got myself a pair after various cheaper ones had rusted up on me. Simply outstanding for crushing barbs, unhooking fish, and also for cutting mono, fluoro and braids – the cutters are very sharp and accurate. These Ross Pescador pliers are made from aircraft grade aluminium and the cutters are tungsten carbide. Just a very, very good pair of pliers that go on every single fishing jaunt with me now.

• Sakura lure boxes

  

  Specialist lure boxes that hold each lure in an individual compartment – so you don’t spend your life untangling all those treble hooks. These lure boxes make huge sense to me, and I really like the fact that you can simply dunk the whole box in freshwater after your fishing trip, allow it to fill up with (clean, non-sea) water, and then leave it to drain off via the inbuilt drainage holes. Just about the best lure boxes I have come across so far. The exact codes if you want to find them are SK9145 (smaller one) and SK9165 (larger one).

• Sufix monofilament lines

  

  All us fisherman know that choosing our actual lines to use is one of the most important decisions we take in fishing, and these days I find myself using virtually nothing else than the quite frankly awesome and staggeringly comprehensive range of Sufix line. A brand name that I am sure needs no introduction to fishermen the world over, but for some reason I don't see enough UK sea anglers out there switching onto this line : guys, you are missing out big time. The legendary Sufix Tritanium is going to land any fish we are likely to hook; consistent diameters, frightening strength and abrasion resistance, my personal favourites are the red and solid yellow colours for mainline use. I tend to now use the clear Sufix Zippy for shockleaders, rig bodies and traces and I really like the size and ease of use of these spools. I have used Sufix Synergy a fair bit overseas as a mainline and it is horribly tough stuff that seems to "drag" less in a powerful surf than other comparative lines. The top of the range Sufix Xcelon mono is about as good as you could hope to get from a mainline, but in all honesty the Tritanium is in my mind more than sufficient. I see now that Shimano owns Sufix, so I will be really interested to see what lines they start bringing into the UK.

   

• Tripod

  

  OK, so I don’s use a tripod these days half as much as I used to, but this is only because I tend to do a lot more lure and light tackle fishing these days. When it comes to a tripod though, I have only ever liked it when they come with proper U-shaped cups to put the rod in. I simply can not see the point in using anything other than a good U-cup – then it’s really hard for the rod to either get blown out by the wind or pulled out by tide or even a monster fish !! Still the best tripods I have ever used is the reassuringly simple and well made Veals 6’ Match Tripod. Get them from Veals Mail Order. I don’t do any match fishing, but if my rod goes in a tripod, it goes in one of these.

• Varivas Big Mouth Extra hooks

  

  I still can’t find a better all round style of hook for much of my fishing than the Varivas Big Mouth Extra model. A hook has to look right to me for starters, and this one does. They are razor sharp, very strong, and suit all kinds of baits and also soft plastic lures like a jellyworm. Hooks are such simple things, but when you find a good one, stick with it. The Big Mouth Extra ticks all the boxes for me.

• Varivas braids

  

  I reckon the absolute best top of the line braid out there is made by the Japanese company Varivas. I came across their various braids not that long ago, and virtually every single time I use a braided line, I now use one of the Varivas ones. Expensive but worth every single penny, they last for ages if you look after them. You can not go wrong with either the Varivas Avani Sea Bass Braid or the Varivas Max Power PE braid for any of our bass fishing for starters. Read more of my thoughts on these awesome lines here. I also really like the more “regular” Power Pro braid that keeps on working just fine. Sufix also do some very good braids, and you will not go far wrong with either of these if you do not want to spend the money on the Varivas ones. Make sure to underfill your spinning reels when using braid and you should avoid any of those dreaded wind-knots.

• Varivas SeaBass Shock Leader

  

  What can I say ? It works, plain and simple. I just really like this fluorocarbon and I tend to use short lengths of it at the end of my braid. There are a number of good fluorocarbons out there, but I have tended to stick with this one over the last few years and it’s never let me down in any way, shape or form.