Anglers' Legacy
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What do I buy for my tackle box?
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- Maria says:
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Posted on: December 29th, 2008
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- Gus Koerner says:
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Posted on: January 2nd, 2009
Hey Maria, Gus here. Santa visited us this Christmas with a new tackle box and some gear to replace all of the things my boys lost, broke and pilfered from it over the years. Now my wife and I want to get back out on the water with our grandsons so we're starting over basically. This is what we got for about $50, just to get us started. Then we spent another $50 getting our licenses back up to date.
The best bet however, is to stay away from your mega-mart and go to a Mom & Pop bait shop. They can wisely advise you on the best bang for your buck. We ended up getting, but your box will be very area specific, that a local fisherman needs to advise you on:
- 1 new bait bucket for live shrimp and minnows
- 1 old 5 gal bucket for holding the fish or a stringer
- 3 packs of circle hooks, smaller to medium
- 2 packs of bobbers, smaller to medium
- 5 packs of assorted artifical worms
- 1 pack of assorted 1/8 oz. jig heads w/hooks for the fake worms.
- new line for our reels, it deteriates over time.
- needle nose pliers with cutter for pulling hooks and crimping split shot.
- small sunscreen, micro size first aid kit, small mosquito repellant. Our grand sons are 2 and 5 years old, so we gotta have stuff to keep their day fun.
- The Best - one of those new LED clip on lights for a ball cap. One of the best new tools ever.
- a camera
- we keep gloves in our box for catfish
- note pad and pencil to write down stuff you need, but don't have yet.
Perhaps that will get you started.
Have fun! gus
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- Maria says:
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Posted on: January 5th, 2009
Thanks Gus, this is a GREAT list! I'll be sure to find a local bait shop for some great advice too.
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- Novice Fisherman says:
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Posted on: January 5th, 2009
Wow, this will really help me out too!
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- Holey Mackerel says:
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Posted on: January 7th, 2009
The most important thing to put in the tackle box is what the fish want, not what the store or salesman is trying to sell. Get to know some people who CATCH fish in your area and ask them what works and what doesn't. Know that it's called "fishing" and not "catching fish" for a reason. There are lots of fishermen/women, but far fewer who catch fish. I think I fall into the former category, sadly.
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- PA-Smallies says:
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Posted on: January 7th, 2009
Two questions:
Are you targeting a specific species?
Will you be fishing lakes..rivers...a specific body of water?
Sorry for the additional questions. I've been asked a lot about gear in the past. I just want to get a point of reference.
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- Maria says:
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Posted on: January 13th, 2009
Well, I really only fish in lakes or ponds. I've caught sunnies, catfish and every now & then a bass or two.
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- camokid HOWLETT says:
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Posted on: January 14th, 2009
maria I would have to say the best all around lure to have is the spinner bait.It is easy to use so skill level dont matter and it catchs alot of fish.
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- PA-Smallies says:
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Posted on: January 17th, 2009
Just a few quick ideas for a basic start:
Sunfish
- floats
- baits hooks (for live bait)
- 1" or 2" twister tails (standard colors white, yellow, chartreuse)
- assorted split shot and some jig heads for the twisters
Bass
My suggestions here are based on covering different parts of the water column along with baits that can catch # of bass of all sizes.
- tiny torpedo, by Headon (will cover surface)
- Manns Baby 1 minus crankbait (these are great in shallow ponds and lakes)
- 4" power worms, by Berkley (black, pumpkin, pumkin/chart.)
- 4" Yum Dingers or Senkos (pumkin, green pumkin, pumpkin/chart.)
- 3/0 offeset worm hooks to rig Dingers or Senkos
- you can use the jig head to rig the power worm or even the 3/0 offset worm hooks with a split shot a few inches up the line.
This is just a basic list of baits that I think are great beginner baits. Yes, you can throw tubes, deep diving cranks, spinner baits etc. etc. but the baits I mentioned will get the job done for the beginner and they don't take too much time to learn to work properly. I just threw in a few suggestions of colors off the top of my head that will cover a wide range of water conditions from muddy to clear. Pumpkin colored baits are a strong favorite on many many bodies of water. It's kind of one of those all around colors.
This list will probably bring you in around the $50 with a little to spare. You can probably get the fellows at Dick's to help with some pointers on how to fish the baits etc., If not just post and I can try to explain.
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- PA-Smallies says:
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Posted on: January 17th, 2009
in my above post, anywhere you see the " that really was supposed to be the symbol for inches. the message board processes the characters wrong.
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1 - 10 of 16 comments
My husband got me a new rod for Christmas along with a tackle box and a $50 gift card to Dick's. How do I figure out what to fill up my tackle box with? I know that Dick's will have a big selection--but I really wouldn't know what I'm doing! Any ideas of "must haves" for every tackle box?