Tackle Tactics » Tips-Techniques » Fishing-Adventures-Destinations » Sling Bag Sessions - Land-Based Lure Fishing
Sling Bag Sessions - Land-Based Lure Fishing
By Cameron Cronin
Hard core land-based angler Cameron Cronin has a swag of trophy land-based captures to his name and in this article, he shares some recent adventures where he stayed light and mobile, testing the TT Tackle Sling Bag during a variety of fresh and saltwater sessions. Fish on!
When it comes to tackle, I have always been an over packer. We all have that one mate who seems to fill the entire car or boat with gear, and in my circle, I’ve grown accustomed to sighs of disapproval as I grab yet another backpack full of gear for the trip ahead… just in case. Whist this means that I rarely miss out on whatever fishing opportunities are on offer, it has led to many a difficult day lugging around a heavy pack for no reason… not to mention a rather messy car or boat!
As a result, when I first laid eyes on the new TT Fishing sling bag, I was a little sceptical at first. To be honest, I wasn’t sure if I could carry the gear that was required for my usual fishing missions and, given I had never used a shoulder sling before, I wasn’t sure if it would be as comfortable as a backpack. Regardless, I was searching for a smaller pack for the quick land-based sessions before or after work, that make up the majority of my fishing. Despite my initial reservations, I decided to give it a shot and see if it could fill the niche I had in mind.
Once I received my sling bag, I could see straight away that a lot of thought had been put into the design features of this bag. Aside from the large main pocket and dual small pocket layout, the bag also features 3 external carabiner attachment points to keep your braid scissors or other gadgets on hand, as well as a handy sheath for your pliers. The bag is well padded in all the right areas and can be quickly and easily adjusted to sit higher on your back or accommodate different sized anglers.
When re-rigging or accessing gear, the bag can quickly and easily be spun around without being removed, which I thought was a very cool feature when compared to a traditional backpack. Also included was a built-in rod holder, to keep your rod out of the sand or dirt whilst unhooking fish or rigging up. Overall, this sling bag was seriously well thought out, and for a retail price of less than $50, my initial impressions were very positive.
However, with all this being said, I was eager to put this bag through its paces before I jumped to conclusions. As a keen land-based angler, I had a number of fishing scenarios in mind for this particular pack and I was keen to see how it would perform when faced with these tests. The first of these was a day trip out west, to get a quick trout session in before the season closed in NSW, where I live. The target area was a skinny, overgrown stream, with multiple access points along its length. Our plan was to fish from point to point, make our way back to the car for lunch, then head out again for the afternoon session.
For this mission, heavy bramble scrub lined much of the banks, so a mix of wading and bush bashing was the order of the day. Given the relatively active style of fishing, I was concerned I would not be able to carry enough provisions to last each session, however I was comfortably able to carry a bottle of water, some snacks, and a few tackle trays full of plastics, hardbodies, leader and jigheads.
Throughout the day I felt light on my feet, without the usual weight of a heavy pack on my back. The swivelling design allowed me to easily swing the bag around to my front while wading and accessing gear from the well organised compartments, without the need to wade back to shore and set my pack down on the bank. The rod holder was extremely handy in this situation, allowing both hands to be free and focused on the task at hand, without worrying about dropping the rod in the water. I could see this feature being especially useful for saltwater anglers wading the flats, as I think we all have dunked the odd reel over the years whilst unhooking fish or re-rigging during this application.
Overall, I was very impressed with the ergonomics of the pack and certainly didn’t notice any aspect of the bag that seemed to rub or get in the way. As the sun set over the hills and we made our way back to the car, I had well and truly decided that the sling bag would be getting plenty more use in my day-to-day fishing. Whilst it would not be suitable to replace a large hiking pack for more remote missions, where large amounts of food and gear would be required, I think it would make a great lightweight pack for a number of creek bashing scenarios, and I look forward to using it on bass and Murray cod sessions in the near future as well.
Once back home in the more urban setting of Sydney suburbia, my focus began to switch to my local saltwater targets. At this time of year, the sun has already set before my workday has wound down, so if I want to sneak a session in during the week then a night fishing session is on the cards. For me, this involves hopping from spot to spot fairly quickly, targeting likely looking areas for a variety of species, but most notably mulloway and estuary perch in my part of the world.
By nature, this fishing is mobile and fast paced, and I was particularly keen to test out the sling bag for this application. With the car usually close by, I find myself rarely needing more than a handful of different lures, very quickly finding the sling bag to carry ample gear in most scenarios. To give you an idea of what I packed, I took along with me a small tray of jigheads, a box of TT Switchblades and hardbodies, a selection of ZMan HerculeZ in 4”-6” sizes and a bunch of loose plastics, such as ZMan GrubZ, Slim SwimZ and DieZel MinnowZ in 4, 5 and 7” sizes (as well as the usual leader, pliers, etc.). You could take plenty of other lures if you needed, however I never found myself lacking with these presentations.
One of the key advantages of the sling bag in this situation is that it was light and comfortable enough to be worn the entire time while casting, unlike a backpack which I would usually prefer to set down. If I decided to go for a walk away from the access point, I was never separated from my gear. If the situation required, I could simply spin my pack around and make a quick lure change on the fly, without the need return to my pack and rummage through the contents. In several cases I believe this resulted in more fish caught, where previously I may not have bothered to make the change given it meant walking back to my car or pack, quite some distance away.
Overall, the pack really shined for this hit and run style of fishing, and I think this is where it will really become a mainstay for myself in future. Aside from urban fishing, I can really see this pack becoming a hit for those walking the beach or rocks, wading the flats or any other highly mobile lure casting situations, where packing larger quantities of supplies is not required.
After a couple months of heavy use, my TT Tackle Sling Bag certainly is looking a bit dirtier than before, however it is still rock solid in all the key areas, such as zips, seams and material wear and tear. The bag is well built and I’m confident it will withstand many years of abuse, regardless of what you may throw at it.
The TT Tackle Sling Bag is available now at all good tackle stores. If you are looking for a lightweight and highly organised pack for land-based fishing, that won’t break the bank, this is the pack for you. During the testing period mine has rarely left my shoulder, and I think anyone who loves land-based fishing will appreciate this pack as much as I do.
Thanks for reading,
Cam