Tackle box

[HTHM]

I am in the market for a new tackle box and would like to benefit from some of the more experienced people on this board.

I fish from a squareback canoe (hope to get a boat..........) and from the shore, what would suit me best.

I do not have a lot of lures, however I do want to be able to store them properly, and as well snelled hooks are a PITA when they get tangled up.

Thanks in advance.

[OhioFisherman]

I went from tackle boxes to tackle bags years ago. Just easier to have the basics in plano boxes in the tackle bags and plug in various other boxes to fit a need.

[fishindevil]

Bags are the way to go,as they all have individual boxes that you can pull out instead of taking your whole tackle bag!!!! i have several for walleye,bass,panfish,muskies,trout and so on...that way you only need to take a few with you depending on what you are fishing for,and that alone will save you lots of space & weight too !!! cheers,i hope it helps

[bassmaster4]

http://www.basspro.com/webapp/wcs/stores/s...t=SearchResults

 

I bought this one last month at bass pro shop and i love it! Has lots of room for lures and lots of room in the bottom for hooks, pliers etc. It is also very light i paid 19.99 for it.

[addict]

ive had many of tray type boxes 2 tray 3tray suitcase style.2yrs ago made the switch to soft bags and wish i had changed years ago so much better.and if u fish from shore most have shoulder straps for easier carrying.

[irishfield]

I just use the 12 foot tinny and tow it behind....

[Casey123]

I just use the 12 foot tinny and tow it behind....

 

I bet that is just for your trout gear!

[irishfield]

Seriously... like many here I've headed towards plastic trays. Makes it easy to grab two or three for the species you're after. Have a BOQ bag that holds 4 and my ice fishing bag holds 3. I use them to rotate a few trays into for different adventures. Got one holder in the boat that holds only two which was pretty lame on Lund's part. Thinking of custom making one somewhere in the boat that holds at least 10 trays.

[maybe]

2006: Plano 6101

 

2007: Plano 737, plus 6101 for Powerbait etc (remove the folding tray, packs stand upright nicely)

 

2008: irishfield's trailer is starting to sound good

 

 

Question for the bag folks...do you ever drop them in the mud? How easy are they to get clean?

[forrest]

Canadian Tire has some Plano Bags for $15 on sale, it comes with 4 trays. It'll hold everything a box would do.

Walmart has a grey Plano two tier tray for less than 10$ that fit in those Plano bags when you want to go extra portable.

 

For extra flexibility the boxes will fit in a knapsack.

 

forrest

Edited April 23, 2008 by forrest

[Garry2Rs]

I switched to soft bags and tackle trays in 2001.

In my Bass boat, mid-size Plano boxes are lined up in one of the under deck compartments.

The contents of each tray are written on the narrow edge...Senko, Top-water, Rattle Trap etc.

When I fish from a friends boat I can take several boxes and stuff them in a soft bag, or for an afternoon, just make a grab-bag tray to suit the water or species we will be fishing for.

I still have an old two sided plastic box that I keep panfish tackle in...bobbers, tiny jigs, matching tubes etc.

This weekend I will dig it out...grin.

[OhioFisherman]

Just a word on the Plano boxes, get the ones with the pro style snaps, the molded ons have a habit of snapping off in cold weather.

[JFR]

It seems that I'm not the only one who switched to Plano soft side bag and insert boxes. These boxes also fit inside some large soft side coolers. The nice thing is you do not have to take all your tackle and trip over the large boxes in the boat.

 

When heading out, just grabe a couple of the boxes (species specific usually) and your good for the day.

 

Smaller boxes also work for terminal tackle, leaders and other necessary items you need for the day.

 

John

[Maverick]

I am currently in the process of switching to bags. It is a lot easier to grab a specific box and go rather than grabbing a massive box with everything.

[Bly]

I also prefer the soft sided bags with removable trays. Started with this Flambeau , although it is a nice bag, I found it a bit cumbersome in the canoe. Picked up one of these instead Plano , the side pockets are great, the top section is reinforced and the bottom is nice non-slip rubber. Also have 2 of these Plano .

 

As others have stated, nice to have the trays organized by species or lure type and just load up the bag(s) with what you need for the trip.

[Fishnfiend]

Another vote for tackle bags.

[setomonkey]

I'm slow on the uptake, had a small tackle box for a few years, then bought a bigger one as I accumulated more tackle, then bought what my wife affectionately (I think) refers to as my tackle suitcase, which was huge but contained four trays, a good-sized rack for spinnerbaits, and a general storage space too.

 

But I found the suitcase too big and unwieldy, esp. on a smaller boat, and pretty much useless in a canoe.

 

So I switched to a tackle bag this winter, bought on sale at BPS. Can't wait to use it this season!

 

Mike

[johnnyb]

Definitely love the bags...a comfortable shoulder strap is great so you can carry it and your canoe at the same time...cuts down on trips from the car I got the "Rapala" (made by someone else with Rapala badges all over it) bag that is insulated as well -- great for keeping beverages AND worms a little cooler. Look for something with accessory pockets that will hold pliers, multi-tools, etc. on the outside.

[Reef Runner]

I second the takle bags. I switched a couple year's back. It made it easier with portages and the like. make sure it comes with a shoulder strap.

 

Only down side, this being said for the smaller plano tackle bags however, the trays are not big enough to hold larger musky baits. I know there are larger tackle boxes avaialble which may remedy this point.

 

reefrunner

 

(for the gentleman tha dropped his bag in mud, I assure you the bags are easy to clean)

[bigbuck]

Just make sure you get something bigger than you currently need, that way you can fill it up as you visit local tackle shops and buy more baits and the like.

[Golfisher]

Just a word on the Plano boxes, get the ones with the pro style snaps, the molded ons have a habit of snapping off in cold weather.

 

Ditto.

[HTHM]

Thank you all for your advice! I will be going with the Plano bag system.

[MCTFisher9120]

http://www.basspro.com/webapp/wcs/stores/s...t=SearchResults

 

I bought this one a little over a month ago. When it's full its heave it just depends if u want to bring everything or only a few things. I bring it all and get a arm workout due to it's weight.

[Dabluz]

I went to soft tackle bags quite a few years ago. Actually, they were not available....I just stuffed plastic trays in a pack sack since I did and still do a lot of portaging.

 

Now, I have 3 sizes of soft tackle bags. On some long fishing trips where I will be fishing for many species of fish, I haul all 3 tackle bags and even that is not enough because I do a lot of fly fishing too and I also store my reels in another bag.

 

However, a lot of my outings are just quick trips.....shore fishing for brook trout on the Saguenay river. I only need my smallest soft bag and a couple of small trays in the bag for this kind of fishing.

 

I still see guys hauling their hard plastic tackle box and then spending the day just bottom fishing with hook and sinker.