'Recycling' houshold items into 'Fishing stuff'

[Tog]

Following on from the Broom handle plugs and weed rakes threads.

 

What 'Non fishing' items have you turned into 'Fishing' items? All anglers I know have got some whatsitorother they have converted from a thingamybob - what have you?

 

One 'oddity' I have is a Fish smoker I constructed from an old milk churn, I cut out the bottom of the churn and raised it up 5", cut out a door and found a fire holder (old sterilizer basket) to put charchol in.

I light up the basket and once nice and grey I slot it into the bottom of the churn, this heats up the 'bottom plate' onto which I have dropped some smoke chips, The fish I hang from the top on hooks made from wire coat hangers and I cover the lot with an odd small wok pan thing which if placed at the right angle gives a nice draw to the fire. Lovely fresh hot smoked mackerel or trout in 20 mins and the smell is fantastic!

 

So what's the oddest thing converted to fishing use??

[Leon Roskilly]

My first ever fishing rod was a couple of bamboo canes, straightened and patterned over the gas ring, eyes made from the bottom of saftey pins whipped on with cotton.

 

I've still got a leger bobbin that is the cap from one of the old style washing up liquid bottles (probably worth a fortune now, as a historical angling artefact).

 

Mum's hair rollers were among the first ever swim-feeders!

 

(plastic 35mm film canisters do the job today - they will soon be as rare as old fashioned washing-up liquid bottle caps!)

 

Pipe lagging cut into small sections make excellent lure-guards.

 

(wrapped round a broom handle, they also make handy storage for strings of feathers on a boat)

 

But the one that takes the most 'unusual' prize (that I've heard of - ahem!) is a vibrator from a sex-shop, used to attract pike! (quite effectively I've been told).

Edited July 1, 2006 by Leon Roskilly

[Scopex]

But the one that takes the most 'unusual' prize (that I've heard of - ahem!) is a vibrator from a sex-shop, used to attract pike! (quite effectively I've been told).

 

I'd be careful with that as you may "attract" more than you've bargained for with that particular jerkbait!

 

Used to make all manner of fishing bits from stuff I found round the house when I was younger, now older aI'm too lazy and just buy them off the net!

 

I've still got a priest I knocked together in the shed over 25yrs ago during my game fishing days, from a length of rubber hose, a little knob from a ink stamp, and rather heavy letter punch, all very heath robinson or should that be Blue Peter!

[Bluey]

When I was 16 and in my last year at sachool I made a ledgering bite indicator to fix to the butt section of my rod.

 

It was made from a terry clip (for attaching to pipes) a short length of metal tube, the jewellry clasp of a braclett, a short length of knitting needle, some lead wire (I think I used solder) and some rubber tubing.

 

The metal tubing was soldered to the terry clip, and the jewel clasp soldered to one end of the knitting needle, some lead wire was then wrapped around the needle near the clasp, (this was later trimmed to suit conditions) The needle assembly was then pushed through the metal tube/clip assy and the rubber tubing pushed down onto the needle to hold it in place.

 

To use simply push the clip over the butt section of your rod and thread the line through the jewel clip and after casting set the knitting needle to a set hight, or mark it like I did, and then any movement away from that mark indicated a bite.

 

The beauty of this system was that if required you could remove the indicator without stripping down your set up.

 

I still have the one I made and if I can find it amongst all my "retired" tackle I'll post a piccy of it.

[Clifftop]

in the days when the only fishing gear i could afford was a cord hand line i used a bell (that you usually find hanging over a shop door)

attached to a stick as a bite indicator, the line was looped over the top of the stick just above the bell,very effective it was too.

[gozzer]

When I was 16 and in my last year at sachool I made a ledgering bite indicator to fix to the butt section of my rod.

 

It was made from a terry clip (for attaching to pipes) a short length of metal tube, the jewellry clasp of a braclett, a short length of knitting needle, some lead wire (I think I used solder) and some rubber tubing.

 

The metal tubing was soldered to the terry clip, and the jewel clasp soldered to one end of the knitting needle, some lead wire was then wrapped around the needle near the clasp, (this was later trimmed to suit conditions) The needle assembly was then pushed through the metal tube/clip assy and the rubber tubing pushed down onto the needle to hold it in place.

 

To use simply push the clip over the butt section of your rod and thread the line through the jewel clip and after casting set the knitting needle to a set hight, or mark it like I did, and then any movement away from that mark indicated a bite.

 

The beauty of this system was that if required you could remove the indicator without stripping down your set up.

 

I still have the one I made and if I can find it amongst all my "retired" tackle I'll post a piccy of it.

 

 

[/quote

 

Great minds think alike Bluey, I did exactly the same, except it was a piece of aluminium welding rod for the stem. I later replaced the jewellery clasp, with just a piece of wire that hung over the line. It was effective in windy weather.

[DJMCJERICO]

I said to the mrs about buying a float tube the other day and she said use an empty pringles tub

[Bluey]

As promised here is photo of my bite indicator. I'm afraid it's bot very good quality, it's from my phone (guess it's time for a new phone) Anyway gives you and idea on how it was made.

 

 

Is it anything like yours Gozzer?? I can't remember now how I got the idea, I think it was from an article in the angling press, may have even been a modification of something from Mr Crabtree or even Mr Cherry.

[gozzer]

Is it anything like yours Gozzer?? I can't remember now how I got the idea, I think it was from an article in the angling press, may have even been a modification of something from Mr Crabtree or even Mr Cherry.

 

Almost exactly the same Bluey, we must have read the same article. Mines somewhere in a box in the shed, it's due for a clean out soon, I'll see if I can find it when I can be bothered to dive into the rubbish that's in there.

[John S]

Leon, when I first tried my hand at ledgering at the age of 14, I was shown by one of the older chaps on the lake (he must have been at least 40!) how to use a washing-up liquid top weighted down with plasticine. Cheap, and just as good as any of todays shiny expensive toys. There was also a trick with a penny and a tin can, but can't remember the entire details now

 

Apart from my favourite floats which live in my tackle box, all of mine are in a couple of pringle tubs or three cardboard tubes courtesy of Angling Times.

 

I've used the waste-box from a paper shredder to get the shotting right on pole rigs, far easier than using an empty 3-litre bottle (ex-cider in my case).