Tackle Box Essentials
Five Important Things Every Tackle Box Should Have
What you carry in your tackle box depends a great deal on where you’re fishing and what you’re fishing for. As such, every angler has likely developed his or her own “system” for keeping their most trusted tools within arm’s reach. Given how essential our tackle boxes are to us, here are five obvious and not-so-obvious items to never leave behind on a fishing trip.
- Fishermen’s Pliers. Probably the most utilitarian tool in the box, seasoned anglers understand that all pliers are not created equally. The cutting blades on pliers often separate the cheap models from expensive ones (if you do a lot of wire and heavy leader cutting, the price is usually worth it). You want to be sure the nose on your pliers is long enough, especially when you’re fishing for toothy critters.
- Hook Sharpener. This is one of the most overlooked and under-appreciated tools, but they cost very little (a few bucks) and they can make such a huge difference on your hook-to-land ratio. Make a habit to check the points of your hooks and lures. Getting rid of any rust or burrs is doing a favor not only to yourself, but also the fish.
- Super Glue. You never know when something might break, and when it does, super glue might be the only thing that can bail you out, especially if you’re out in the middle of the water. This side of duct tape, there is no better on-the-fly cure to most gear problems. You can use super glue for everything from reattaching guides that have fallen off your rod to fixing eyes on lures.
- Black Permanent Marker. How many times have you found yourself out on the lake and that lure you’re using isn’t quite right? You need a dash of darker color to imitate natural bait, maybe add some stripes to make a shad bait turn into a perch? A permanent marker can bail you out of more situations like that than anything else in the tackle box. (And if you learn how to use it, you can save money on baits and lures).
- A Whistle. You never know when you’re going to need help, and nothing asks for help faster, and more clearly (radios included) than a blast from an old-fashioned coach’s whistle. If you keep one in your tackle box, you’ll never have to look for it when you need it.
Of course, spare line, a good knife, extra hooks, a little can of lubricate, and plenty of lures, bobbers, and the like are always good to have in the box. But if you add the five above items to your tackle box, you’ll have just about everything you need – tackle-wise, at least – for a successful day on the water.
