Clever/Cheap fishing related ideas

[kmcrosby78]

Hey all,

After fishing with Mick Fillet on the weekend and seeing and hearing all the things he has made for/on his boat, and hearing how he drilled holes in some river rocks to use as deep water sinkers (because lead ones are worth an arm and a leg) I have been thinking all week about other ideas I could use to save some money.

I saw Bri the Poms burley pot on the weekend and am going to make one with the spare downpipe I have (that WAS going to go to the dump) after I hooked up a rainwater tank.

Haven't thought of much yet, except that the house bricks with the holes in it could be cracked into smaller pieces (still with a hole in the middle) and used as paternoster rig sinkers.

I would imagine there would be heaps of people out there that use/make clever things that serve the purpose well but without the big price tag. So ..... if everyone could share some ideas that would be great.

Kelvin.

[chaujern]

here's a rather unoriginal idea ... spark plugs for sinkers

[kmcrosby78]

Actually I meant to mention that when I fish with Dad and my brothers (who work in the mines in Central Qld) we use large bolts (from draglines or trucks or something) with a nut welded to the top. So yeah, I guess anything heavy with a hole in it can be used as a sinker.

[fishing_teen]

this is a bad one but still, u can use a bike as a rod holder when land based

[Young_fella]

Decky's for bait :evil:

Micks full of ideas, it's like he sees something and in his mind he says "i can make that using....."

That mans the bush mechanic of the fishing world.

[mick fillet]

best live bait tank is still just a 20ltr bucket with holes in the lid.keeps livies longer then a proper live well.

[rosstralia46]

if fishing off the rocks i know alot of people use kiddy pools to keep there live bait u can also cut the pvc pipe on and angle and u have a rod holder and on the sinker fact was on daydream island and was running out of sinkers and coral worked perfectly hahahahahaha

[kmcrosby78]

best live bait tank is still just a 20ltr bucket with holes in the lid.keeps livies longer then a proper live well.

Yeah I must say I was surprised to see Tugger using one on the weekend but when he gave us his livies they were all in great nick. I bought one of those small wheelie bins (60 Litres I think??) and an aerator but think I'll take the aerator back for a refund and just use a 20L bucket.

Your idea with the tennis racquet grip on the end of the gaff is a good one too Mick as was the section of pool noodle to hold the wire rigs (let me know if I'm giving too many 'secrets' away .....).

RossAustralia - yeah going to make up some PVC pipe rod holders to take to Inskip at Easter.

Anyone made a bag for using when surf fishing? If so what material?

Someone at Wavebreak last weekend said something about putting table salt in a water bottle before freezing it to use for ice - who was it and can you elaborate (amount of salt, etc)? When I worked at Ballymore the head groundsman there did (prob still does) alot of camping/fishing and used to use the bags that the post-mix syrup (Coke, etc) comes in. He said it would last quite a few days in a decent esky.

Keep the ideas flowing!!!!!

Kelvin.

[Phoenixx]

I use an old canvas belt from my days working at maccas when beach fishing. On one side is an old milk carton with the top cut off to keep my bait in and the other side i've tied on one of the green reusable enviro bags you get from supermarkets. Does great for keeping the fish in and the material is thick enough that I don't get spiked whilst fishing.

[poppers81]

Re Surf bags.

Best one I have owned is one I got last year made out of shade cloth. The really coarse type. It is so easy to clean, doesn't fill up with water and dries quickly. So simple to make as well, really only need to fold desired size piece in half and sew strap and side togeather... I will post a pick over the weekend.

Cheers

Andy

[bootyinblue]

Get the 2.4 litre juice bottles and put 2 cups of salt in and fill with water to just where the neck starts to narrow. Freeze upright with the lids off if possible as the water expands, but you dont want to crack the bottle. They will freeze as hard as a rock and leave in esky for 2 or 3 days.

Even bringing servo ice home and putting it in your chest freezer over night will get it down to minus 18 or so, instead of the minus 3 or 4 degrees that servos run their chillers at to save money.

[straddiebrad]

Get the 2.4 litre juice bottles and put 2 cups of salt in and fill with water to just where the neck starts to narrow. Freeze upright with the lids off if possible as the water expands, but you dont want to crack the bottle. They will freeze as hard as a rock and leave in esky for 2 or 3 days.

Even bringing servo ice home and putting it in your chest freezer over night will get it down to minus 18 or so, instead of the minus 3 or 4 degrees that servos run their chillers at to save money.

i use this,on the weekend and bring them home and refreeze for the next trip they were still half frozen great idear.

[billythakid]

cook some hotdogs and whack them in a thermos with some boiling water ,take some bread rolls and sauce . a hot meal in the middle of a winter nights fishing is a god send

also any left over bait , servo or whateva mince them up and freeze in plastic party cups for awesome burley bombs remember to take the cup off before using . a hand mincer is cheap as chips at aldi at the moment $ 15 bucks 2nd page of catalouge bottom left

/>http://www.lasoo.com.au/catalogue/aldi-catalogue-special-buys-wk-9/4lmtwtmyl.html

[straddiebrad]

i have a mincer there great and the themos idear is great mmmm hotdogs iam hungry

[Eug]

i reckon... hotdogs on the go!

[Manni79]

cook some hotdogs and whack them in a thermos with some boiling water ,take some bread rolls and sauce . a hot meal in the middle of a winter nights fishing is a god send

also any left over bait , servo or whateva mince them up and freeze in plastic party cups for awesome burley bombs remember to take the cup off before using . a hand mincer is cheap as chips at aldi at the moment $ 15 bucks 2nd page of catalouge bottom left

/>http://www.lasoo.com.au/catalogue/aldi-catalogue-special-buys-wk-9/4lmtwtmyl.html

Good thinking 99 lol i like those 2 ideas

[aussie123]

I used to wrap pies,cooked chooks or pre cooked meals ect in foil and sit them on top of the diesel engine in the trawler to get hot for a feed later in the night.

Nothing better than a slow heated pie and not a soggy one out of the microwave.

[tomca]

jam bits of pool noodlw up the handle of your gaff and landing net so they float when you drop them overboard.

Cut a piece of hollow pool noodle and over the stove heat the ends and roll into desored shape for floats for keys/bogas/scissors.

wrap whipper snipper chord around some dowell nice and neat then pour boiling water over it then dip in cold water then make a loop on each end with a crimp. Use this for keys or rod leashes.

I use an old alvey reel with the butt end of a broken rod as a downrigger that sits in a rodholder horizontally over the side.

[mick fillet]

i like the down rigger idea, thats a sweet as idea and would be very effective

great tips there for making neat floats aswell

[noname]

dick smith do a great lil oven to do 2 pies at a time, i use it for pies dim simms saussage rolls and chicken nuggets, life's a struggle on the boats huh ???:whistle: cost is around the $35 mark.just thought i'd share that.

[bootyinblue]

Love the moulded whipper snipper line lanyards...

[mick fillet]

got this idea off ray.works a treat ay- got a torn cast net?-throw it over the cloths line to get the spread and use pegs to hold the rip together while you stitch it back up. onya ray it was so easy to repair my net this time thanks to you

mick

[kmcrosby78]

Awesome ideas guys - keep em coming. Looks like the humble old pool noodle has a few handy uses - was going to buy a couple today then realised that the pool I teach my kids at (I'm a primary PE teacher) usually has heaps of damaged/half ones so will hit them up.

Cheers,

Kelvin.

[bennyl]

Bit of PVC pipe bolted on back of boat, with a heap of holes in it for a burley bucket, PVC pipe used for rod holders in boat. My old man is my best friend because he is a plumber, and my boat is full of pipe.

[fishguru5]

4 packets of every sized zip ties and you can do/make/repair/restore pretty much anything if you were desperate.

i lost the key from my outboard once while throwing the cast net and a broken zip tie in the bottom of the boat was more than effective as a key.

pat

[tomca]

cheap all round white light. long piece of 20mm pipe with a divers marker lantern jammed in the end. LED runs for about 60 hours from 2 AA batteries. Waterproof and bright enough to keep the water po-po out of your wallet and can be stuck into rod holders easy

[jeff f]

for a bit of shade in an open boat

stick a beach umbrella in a rod holder

[ellicat]

On the boat keep your toilet paper in a 520g Maltesers Party bucket (or an M&Ms one) to keep it dry.

In an emergency you can use your cast net bucket to poo in. (Rinse any remaining maltesers out in saltwater afterwards)

[WayneD]

^^^^^

I keep baby wipes for emergencies like that. Easier to store on kayak, plus you don't have to worry about them getting wet.

[Bluevien]

(Rinse any remaining maltesers out in saltwater afterwards)

.. unless its from the brissie river but good idea :sick:

:silly: :silly: :silly:

[rosstralia46]

okay for a cheap and good float get your corks u get in wine bottles etc drill a hole through the middle feed your line through and poke a stick the same size in to keep it still the cork also adds weight when casting as well

[kmcrosby78]

okay for a cheap and good float get your corks u get in wine bottles etc drill a hole through the middle feed your line through and poke a stick the same size in to keep it still the cork also adds weight when casting as well

Sounds like a good way to get the girls/wives 'involved' in fishing .......... (no offense intended).

[Bri The Pom]

When you buy large furniture items they come with little sachets of silica gel, this absorbs moisture,put them in your hook/lure boxes.

When you buy a bearing or a machined component they come wrapped in a brown wax paper, line the bottom of your hook/lure boxes stop the hooks rusting.Pop in to a bearing place or machine shop and beg for some.

[kmcrosby78]

Bit of PVC pipe bolted on back of boat, with a heap of holes in it for a burley bucket, PVC pipe used for rod holders in boat. My old man is my best friend because he is a plumber, and my boat is full of pipe.

Another 'pipe contraption' I saw yesterday in a boat was a burley pot made of pipe that is attached to a rope so you can lower it down as deep/shallow as you like. Cap at each end, rope attached to the top - I guess if the water was quite deep you could put something heavy (big sinkers, rocks, parts of bricks) in it to get it to sink better. I would imagine if you were snapper fishing, then using one on the bottom (or midwater) AND the one attached to the back of the boat (surface of the water) would be a good burley double hit.

My brother made a burley pot with wire a few years back. Has a lead base/flap that has a latch to close it. Is designed so that once it is on the bottom, if you give it a short, sharp, strong yank the flap/base swings open dropping the ball of burley on the bottom below your boat. Should get him to make ME one I guess ......

[Old Scaley]

PVC pipe is so versatile. I keep a piece about a metre long in the boat for when I get caught short. Preserves your modesty and stops you getting your own back in the wind. Conveniently comes in a variety of diameters to suit all sizes. Just one tip, though, remember to smooth off the ends or it might get a bit painful.:ohmy:

[kmcrosby78]

Re Surf bags.

Best one I have owned is one I got last year made out of shade cloth. The really coarse type. It is so easy to clean, doesn't fill up with water and dries quickly. So simple to make as well, really only need to fold desired size piece in half and sew strap and side togeather... I will post a pick over the weekend.

Cheers

Andy

Hey Andy - would love to see the pic of your surf bag if you get the chance. Going to Inskip Point for Easter and would like to make a couple before then.

Cheers,

Kelvin.

[billythakid]

another cheap and useful idea , thick wall pvc or stailess pipe around 25-30 mm by 50cm long

with two notches cut into one end .

Awesome for doing up the wingnuts on swivel seats as the threaded rod goes into the pipe .

No more missing skin from the knuckles

See cheap ass diagram for idea

[bootyinblue]

Bit of PVC pipe bolted on back of boat, with a heap of holes in it for a burley bucket, PVC pipe used for rod holders in boat. My old man is my best friend because he is a plumber, and my boat is full of pipe.

Surely someone has a picture of Henry's yak laden with PVC pipes!

[Zim man]

i keep a small plastic container on the boat and put all the lures i have used that day into them for cleaning when i get home. beats putting them back in their proper place and forgetting about them and discovering that rust has found a new home. When you have a lot of lures in the container you know you had a bad day out

[tangles]

I have a jam jar that I put all opened packets of gulp. I've been doing it for quite a while now and as soon as I open a new one it goes straight in the jar. The juice has built up to a good level and keeps them all in good condition.

Looks like a gulp fruit salad, with something for almost any occasion. No more dried out packs.