Tackle bags and interchangeable lure boxes are the way to go.
By Larry Kinder
My first tackle box wasn’t really a tackle box. My dad’s Schick Super 3-speed razor case served him no purpose so I “borrowed” it. How much room did a kid need for a few hooks, lead sinkers, cork bobbers and a coil of Dacron line?
In time, my fishing horizons expanded, and so did my tackle boxes—to a fault in fact. I’d lug everything I owned to places where I needed only a couple of items. Soft-bag tackle “systems” are in vogue, and though you can still tote a giant bag around if you choose, those clear, plastic lure boxes inside can be super handy when time comes to jump in the truck to drive to the beach, or bank for a quick wade after work. Or, when you just need a basic selection to carry along on someone else’s boat.
In recent years, soft-sided tackle bag systems have taken the tackle box market by storm. A big soft bag can be made smaller simply by removing a few of the clear boxes or accessories, which is great for cramming into a small boat compartment, or a kayak. Most bags are made of a synthetic material that is either water-resistant or waterproof. Zippered or Velcro-fastened compartments are typical. Watch out for corrosion if you buy a bag with metal zippers—they can corrode shut after just a few trips to the salt. More manufacturers are now using nylon zippers on their bags to combat this problem.
A typical tackle bag will have a large interior compartment, smaller storage areas on each end, more storage on the front, carrying handles and a shoulder strap. A few bags are made with a solid bottom, and even non-skid, non-marking bottoms. There are rigid-frame bags, and they are most commonly used to hold clear, plastic tackle boxes. You can find bags with mesh front and side pockets that allow you to quickly locate items that you use frequently during a day on the water.
Tackle bags give you quite a bit of flexibility with regard to the tackle you carry. Utility (lure) boxes of varying sizes can be filled with classes of tackle and placed in the storage areas. It makes sense to dedicate separate boxes to specific lures—one for spoons, one for plugs, soft baits and other choices. Or, if you share time in many fisheries, maybe a surf-fishing box, an inlet box, or perhaps one for the flats. It’s your choice. If you keep your boat in your garage, you may choose to keep your soft bag loaded for bear, but you can also keep it empty, and then load it for the specific needs of a particular trip. If you’re heading out for a half-day of pompano jigging, you won’t need an entire box of topwater plugs, so why not leave them at home? Upon your return or before the next trip, boxes can be swapped out as you desire.
Though a great many soft-bag tackle systems come packed with empty utility boxes perfectly sized for the bag, you can buy soft bags without them, and then simply pick from the wide array of sizes available to suit your needs. Most have divided compartments with removable dividers, allowing you to change the “holes” for any lure you have. The boxes are usually translucent so their contents can be viewed without opening the box.
Though I commonly swap out lure boxes depending on my next trip, one constant in my bag is a utility box holding first-aid items, a small flash-light, a knife, reading glasses, and items for reel repair and maintenance. I seldom go into this box but it is comforting to know it is there.
