Surf Bags... What da' ya' got???

[MountainBreeze]

I'd like to get a surf bag next spring.

Looking for opinions.

Thanks,
Rob

[Saltheart]

I have a samsonite small bag that i put my own tubes in and use for my canal jig bag. Works out great.

i also have a couple of the store bought bags for keeping plugs in. One is a green canvas bag that i think is a scotsman? the other is a blue nylon bag i got from Mike T at M+D's. the blue one holds a lot and was only about twenty bucks!

By far the jig bag gets the heavy workout. The other bags are used to store the plugs and get rearranged all the time for specific trips to different locations at different times of year.

I have way too much stuff and at any time only have about 10% of my plugs with me. Since we fish the canal about 75 % of the time now , the canal jig bag is most important to me and I like the one I made myseldf. When I mostly fished the RI beaches , I made myself a beach bag from a camera bag. I think making your own has a lot of advantages , including cost.

[Mr. Sandman]

We talked about this earlier I think but I could not find the thread. I just bought the "ultimate" bag from the surfaster (pre Xmas gift for myself about a month or so ago.

http://www.thesurfcaster.com/htmlpages/ultbag.html

It is BiG and really well made. I really like it but it is actually a little too big for every night for me. I will probably get one of the smaller version they had as well. I will keep this for hauling plugs on longer trips. IMO the surfcaster bags are really nice. (but $)
I have an assortment of bags from over the years. This one looks like it will outlast the others. I really like the inner pockets and the really wide velcro.

I tried a couple other things from them this season and really liked them:

They have a de-hooking tool by berkely that is very clever and works great. You grab onto the hook with the end of the tool and sqeeze the handle, it flips the hook 180 degres and allows for easy extraction. It works great but I wish it was about 3" longer for those bigger fish.
I bought their surf gaff too. they have a great holder that is very ruggged and safe. I now carry a gaff with me. ( I use to fear surf gaffs as I was afraid I would fall and possilby gaff myself) This makes it easier to lug a 40 over your sholder back to the vehicle.

They also have a set of pliers that look great but I can't bring myself to spend 2-3 bills on pliers.

[tlapinski]

i have a surfcaster bag, a canyon bag, a bronco bag, and a custom. i like the canyon the most as far as production bags. it can hold some large plugs and isn't too heavy. the bronco is nice and light, but is on the small side. the surfcaster is good overall, but very heavy. it is an older model with the metal inserts. the custom is a good way to go if you use a variety of plugs since you can make it work exactly as needed for your personal needs.

i would like to get one of the older van staal bags, if any one has an "extra".

[Scotch Bonnet]

I agree with Mr Sandman, The Surfcaster bags are really well made and worth the extra $$. I've had mine 7 years and it looks like new. It does have the plastic inserts.