MOST anglers like to take an assortmentof tackle when heading out to wet a line. There’s nothing worsethan missing out on a hot bite because you didn’t carry the rightgear. It’s easy to take pretty much everything you need whenfishing from a well-designed boat with plenty of storage. But it’sa different story if you’re fishing from land, especially if youwant to cover a bit of ground along a river or around a lake system.
Traditional tackle boxes or bags are no good if you’re activelymoving around – they’re heavy, cumbersome and make walking,particularly over rough or rocky ground, difficult. This is where abackpack comes in handy. A decent backpack leaves your hands free andallows you to comfortably carry a stack of gear.
I’ve recently beenusing a Corbin pack from Ridgeline. This company is better known forits outdoors clothing but has come up with a winner with this pack,which is specifically designed for fishing. I tested out a camoversion but a blue coloured model has just been released.
Both packsfeature construction from tough but light material, padded andadjustable straps and plenty of compartments for tackle and gear.Importantly, the zips on the various compartments are large anddesigned to withstand corrosion. If you use the pack in saltwaterenvironments, I’d advise a light spray with Inox or a similarproduct to reduce the chances of the zips seizing up due to saltcorrosion. A large main compartment on top of the pack is ideal forstoring reels, cameras, a jacket and other bulky items. A smallercompartment lower down is designed to carry four medium sized plastictackle boxes (which come supplied) for lures. Another smaller box ina separate compartment is useful for terminal tackle.
On the outsideof the pack are Velcro-equipped holders for scissors and pliers whiletwin holders on the side of the pack are ideal for carrying a sparerod. This function proved really handy during a recent trip down awestern NSW river. Two rods allowed you to fish hard-bodies orspinnerbaits without having to change lures all the time. Having theunused rod securely out of the way on the pack made walking andfishing along the rocky banks much easier.
I rate Ridgeline’sCorbin pack highly – it’s very well made, cleverly designed andvery functional. If you like exploring and fishing rivers, creeks,beaches or lakes on foot, then you need one of these packs. RRP is$99.95.
See HEREfor more details or take a look at the packs at your local Ridgelinestockist.
