Large Tackle Items
Bait Boxes
You are going to need a few of these for the various baits that you will inevitably end up taking with you. The most important of these will be maggots. Good bait boxes will have a tight-fitting lid with plenty of air holes to allow your bait to breathe. Some boxes will have lids without holes made for containing hard pellets. Obviously, these do not need to breathe, but they do need to stay dry. Bait boxes are usually available in 1 pint, 2 pint, and 3 pint sizes. All will have their uses at some point. The 1 pint for a small amount of bait. 2 pint for general use, and the 3 pint for larger amounts of bait as well as straining pellets. You can never have too many bait boxes. Keep your bait boxes clean. No one likes smelly bait boxes, particularly shop owners. Clean boxes will not taint your bait either and make for better bait.
Bait Strainer
Bait Strainers are used to wet small 2mm pellets or Micro pellets for use with a method feeder. The Strainer pictured is designed to fit snuggly inside a 3 pint bait box and can take a good number of pellets. 1 pint versions are available, but the 3 pint version is by far the most useful. See the bait section on how to prepare micro pellets.
Maggot Riddle
Designed to separate the dead maggots from your bait as they crawl through, leaving the dead ones behind. A Riddle can be used to turn lumpy ground bait into a light and fluffy mixture, ready for attracting those hungry fish. It is vital to get the lumps out of your ground bait mix, particularly in the colder months when these lumps can lead to overfeeding.
Ground Bait Bowl
The larger of the two bowls in the picture will be the version that you want to look for. Bowls of this size are made to fit the Maggot Riddle perfectly. Most companies make bowls like this and most come with a hoop that fits to the leg of a seat box. The most useful bowls will be made from hard plastic and round in shape. A round bowl makes it easier to get your ground bait mixed evenly, without corners to bother out. There are waterproof fabric versions, or a plastic material called EVA. The softer bowls may be easier to pack away, but these hard plastic bowls last much longer and will not split over time.A Plummet is used to feel for bumps and dips, soft and hard spots, as well as helping to find the depth. The picture shows 10g version, but a 20g Plummet is better for general purpose fishing.
Rod Acessories
Rod accessories help you to fish more efficiently and make your life a little easier. At least that's the theory. Feeder fishing in particular needs a few extra items to function correctly.
Feeder Arm
You can't really sit and hold a feeder rod comfortably for long periods, so you need to put your rod down on something. A good place to start is with a Feeder Arm. This fully adjustable arm extends out in front of you and is attached to a leg on your seat box. Of the examples pictured above, the middle one is probably more likely to be useful for most fishing situations. The short version will be fine.
Front Feeder Rest
There are many different types of Rod Rest Head, most of which are adjustable. You can get rod rests with multiple slots upon which you can position and re-position your rod without turning the reel handle. This will fit to your Feeder Arm.
Gripper Butt Rest
This little gadget can save you a lot of money in replacing lost rods. You only need be distracted for a split second to allow a feisty fish to pull your rod into the water. A Butt Rest grips the handle of your rod and prevents it from being dragged in. Worth its weight in gold.
Cross Arm
A little support arm to fix your Butt rest to. Fixes to the leg of your seat box.
Keep Nets
ALL NETS, MATS, AND SLINGS MUST BE THOROUGHLY DRIED BEFORE YOUR NEXT FISHING TRIP TO PREVENT THE SPREAD OF KHV (Kio Herpes Virus). Keep nets are obviously vital for fishing matches because how do you measure your catch otherwise? However, for pleasure fishing on some waters they are banned. Make sure you are aware of fishery rules before you start fishing. If you do choose to retain your catch for pleasure or competition, then you will need at least two keepnets, one for Carp and the other for everything else (Silverfish). This is so that the larger Carp do not batter the smaller species when lifted out of the water. Some commercial venues have net limits (The number of fish in pounds is limited per net to prevent overcrowding. There are penalties for overfilling a keep net!). Keepnets of 3 metres in length are recommended.
Landing Nets
You are going to need a landing net at some point. Like all things fishing, there are so many to choose from. An oval shaped net called a 'Spoon Landing Net' of around 50 to 55cms (20 to 22 inches) is a good place to start. It doesn't look that big, but you can fit some quite large fish into one. Some fisheries have strict rules on the sizes of landing nets. Always check the rules of a fishery that you are not familiar with before fishing.
Landing Net Handles
A decent length landing net is important to reduce the chances of under-reaching when landing a fish. Try to get a handle of a minimum of 3 metres in length. Available in telescopic or 'put-in' versions. Either will do, but the put in handles are usually stiffer. A rigid landing net handle will make landing fish easier.
Bank Sticks
When you start fishing, a couple of banksticks of 30 to 40cm in length will be needed to position your keep nets in the ground. These will be fine until you get round to purchasing Keep Net Arms or a Tool or Accessory Bar.
Keep Net Arm
The next step up from Banksticks. When/if you get a seat box, you can use Keep Net Arm to attach your keep nets to the seat box legs. Some come with inserts so they will fit a multitude of different seat boxes.
Tool/Accessory Bar
The next step up from Keep Net Arms. These bars are essential if you regularly use multiple keepnets.