What is a must for every tackle box?

[00 mod]

I cant believe nobody mentioned to bring a very small hook, a bobber, pinch weight and some Fisher's choice crickets!  Almost a guarantee never to get skunked!!

Jeff

[maineman]

Z-rust tabs to protect what you own! They work! 

[grimlin]

Grand Rapids is a little away from where i am.If you ever come this way to Canton(wayne county) MI. give me a PM and I'll gladly give you some tips if you decide to meet up somewhere. If i get myself a better car that can take the distant I'll do the same.

If you are shore bound with no boat,some of the stuff these guys mentioned are gonna be a hassle to carry.LOL

Hats,sunglasses and sun tan lotion are the first 3 things you need.Gotta stay safe right?

[Vinny Chase]

1/8 oz and 1/4 oz bitsy bug jigs in green pumpkin and black& blue color.

I'm glad to hear someone else is fan of Bitsy Bugs!

[Pierre]

Grand Rapids is a little away from where i am.If you ever come this way to Canton(wayne county) MI. give me a PM and I'll gladly give you some tips if you decide to meet up somewhere. If i get myself a better car that can take the distant I'll do the same.

If you are shore bound with no boat,some of the stuff these guys mentioned are gonna be a hassle to carry.LOL

Hats,sunglasses and sun tan lotion are the first 3 things you need.Gotta stay safe right?

I will defiantly pm you if I get down there, but i too dont have a trusty car so if I make it that far I will let you know. Thanks!!

--Jordan

[tholmes]

I'm surprised no one has mentioned a Bic lighter and a bottle opener.

Tom

[Catt]

Music roll

Toilet paper 

[farmpond1]

Soft plastics:  Superflukes, brush hawgs, Senko's

Hard baits:  Mann's 1 minus, Rattletrap, Floating Rapala

Spinners:  Buzzbait, Spinnerbait, Panther Martin Spinner

[piscicidal]

Terminal gear:

T-rig sinkers (1/8, 1/4, 3/8, 1/2 oz)

EWG hooks (2/0, 3/0, 4/0, 5/0)

wacky hooks (#1, 1/0)

shakey heads (spot remover 1/8, 3/16 oz)

frog hooks (5/0)

snaps (duo lock)

swivels

Plastics (basic colors: green pumpkin, watermelon red, junebug, ghost shad and black)

yamamoto senkos

8" worms

plastic swimbaits (skinny dipper/big ez/etc)

flippin/pitchin baits (sweet beavers, paca craws, ugly otters, etc...)

flukes

finesse worms

frogs (spro bronzeeye- slow, zoom horney toad- fast)

Hardbaits:

Spinnerbaits (white, chartruese, silver, black)

Traps (i.e. ratl trap, red eye shad, aruku shad, etc...)

Zara Spook

Jerkbait (i.e. rapala, excalibur)

Square billed medium depth crank

Deep crank

Accessories:

Polarized glasses

Bug spray

Needlenose pliers

Nail clippers/small scissors (for cutting braid)

I can do 90% of the fishing I need to with the above items and a good MH, fast action rod with a good quality BC reel (and a spool of 50lb braid, 17lb mono and 12lb flouro)

[SoFlaBassAddict]

The only thing I would add to Piscicidal's list is some straight shank hooks in various sizes.

[Lund Explorer]

Do a search on the "Bait Monkey", make a list of most of the stuff these guys have suggested, and then run up to the village of Borculo to visit the baitshop there.  They got everything in that store!

My advice?

Power Worms, Pop-R's, maybe some Power Worms, Dbl Willowleaf Spinnerbaits, Don't forget to look for some Power Worms, Husky Jerks, and have I mentioned Power Worms?

BTW, welcome to the forum.  It's nice to see another West Michigander here.

[5bass]

What is a must for every tackle box?

A good latch....so all this stuff you're going to buy dont fall out. 

[Avalonjohn44]

This is what I started my daughter on, and she pulls in the fish: Mepps Fury #3, Rebel Crawdad Crank, Black/Silver Floating Rapala, Power Bail Grubs in Pumpkinseed, Johnson Spoon (Nickle),  Bandit 100 Chartreuse White, Terminator Spinnerbait dual willow blades and Green/White skirt.

[WidowMaker]

The worse mistake a beginer can make is to go out and buy a couple of the largest tackle boxes he can find and start walking the tackle section and filling them with baits. Thats the best way to end up with tons of baits and colors you will never use. And you dont want to walk two miles up and down hills to a farm pond with a ten pound tackle box in your hand.

I would advise you to buy a handfull of baits that can be used under various conditions and to buy just a few basic colors that should allow you to cover the entire spectrum.

Type "Beetle Spin" "Tube Bait" "Curl Tail Grub" and "Texas Rig" into one of the search engines.

You will quickly figure out a beetle spin type bait can be rigged with tube Jigs and tube bodies and round head jigs with curl tail grub bodies.

And the tube bodies and curl tail grub bodies can be rigged with a bullet worm weight and worm hook for a texas rig bait. There you have a small handfull of baits and combinations that will perform head to head with brush hoggs, beavers and toad baits.

Keep in mind the fish arent down on the bottom reading The latest issue of Wide World of Baits and having discussions about what baits they should and should not be caught on.

[piscicidal]

Agree 100% about the colors. You don't need 20 different colors of each bait. Regarding plastics...if I had green pumpkin, watermelon red, white and black (and two bottles of JJ's: chartrueuse, blue), I could pretty much cover 90% of the colors I want to fish.

[Nick]

So many variables! So much of what's on the end of your line should be matched to your rod, reel, and line. Before spending a dime, I would check to see if there is a local bass club in your area.  Often some of the guys will offer to take you out for a day if possible and get you started learning the seasonal patterns around Grand Rapids. Your lures are simply tools to fit the season and conditions that you find on the water at the time you fish.  You can save lots of time, frustration, and dollars by finding willing veteran bass angler(s) in your area to help speed you through the learning curve of lure selection.

I would advise you to describe your equipment and when you like to fish before getting into specific lure recommendations. I know some guys with a box full of mismatched, shiny baits that have no more idea what to do with them than most of us would have in stocking a lab for an astrophysicist.

[Bankbeater]

Not really for a tackle box, but you should keep a paddle or oar on board just in case the motor would quit.

[brushhoggin]

bottom:perfect plastics game hog

middle: shad rap

top: ribbits

[A-Rob]

1. 8-10" ribbon tail worm catches largemouth just about anywhere

2. Spinnerbait in white/chartreuse with willowleaf blade (silver or gold) will get some smallmouth action. (And Largemouth to)

3. Senko

4. Some hooks and sinkers. 4/0 EWG is usually pretty universal. Lead bullet sinkers.

Hope that helps!

[Waterford]

Have you thought about talking to any locals in the area about where your going to be fishing to get some kind of idea of what works? It might save you time, money and confusion.

[Fishes in trees]

Never did say whether you were bank fishing, boat fishing or riding in another guys boat.  3 different situations and three different prep modes.

I carry quite a few tools in my boat and I hope I never need to use them.  I want to be able to loosen or tighten any screw or nut on my boat or trailer.  I want to be able to take the prop off my big motor and trolling motor quickly and easily ( and put it back on )  I find it is easiest to have 2 tool kits.  1 stays in the boat and 1 stays in the fishing truck.

Besides that stuff I always have needle nose vice grips and regular needle nose pliers, scissors and clippers for cutting line and braid.

I keep an upgraded first aid kit in a bracket up underneath the console.  After you use it a couple of times you will want to upgrade to the waterproof band aids, etc.

Wet Wipes and extra zip lock bags for obvious reasons.  Even if you don't have to do #2, should you come down with a case of monkey butt, say perhaps from too many barley pops the evening before, you won't be able to concentrate on your fishing.  Wet wipes can solve that problem.

I generally carry a couple of extra changes of  clothes (seasonally appropriate) in the fishing truck.  If on the way home I plan on stopping somewhere to eat, I really don't want to be dirty and stinky.  I've had waitresses suggest dinner on the patio several times when I was still in fishing gear.

Especially in the summertime, after 10 or so hours of heat & humidity, a clean polo and clean shorts will improve your attitude on the drive home.

Cell phone and a waterproof floating box to keep it in and it doesn't work unless you remember to put the phone in the box.

A large float attached to boat keys and truck keys and don't have your boat keys and truck keys on the same key ring.

At this point it is pretty obvious that I fish by myself alot, and I choose places and times where there aren't many other people around, so any issue I get myself into, I need to be able to get myself out of.

And I haven't even started talking fishing gear yet.  -  maybe next post.  This post has gotten too long.

[Pierre]

I'm sorry, I shore fish and occasionally get the chance to get out on a boat and fish, thanks for all of the boating tops though, they will come in handy someday when I have the opportunity to own my own boat. This thread has been helping me a an amazing amount.

I'm going to find a bait and tackle shop around here and write myself a list of all the thing you have suggested, and I'm going to make sure that I have the essentials for catching some fish.

Thanks

--Jordan

[Fishes in trees]

When you are bank fishing, almost everything is a compromise.  You want to carry enough gear so you are prepared for most situations, but you don't want to be bogged down with so much stuff that mobility is an issue.  Everything that you tote down to the bank, when you're fresh and ready to fish must be toted back to the car when you're tired and done fishing for the day.

I assume you're going to be bass fishing and want to be somewhat mobile.  First, you'll need something to keep all your stuff in.  Different fishing bags and back packs are available.  Take your pick.  Back in the day when I was your age, fishing on the cheap, I went to Salvation Army and got the biggest sturdiest womens purse I could find.  I found a big canvas one and as an added plus, it was butt ugly - neon green & black zebra stripes.

In bank fishing, casting distance is important.  It helps you cover more water so you don't have to move so much, and it may help you throw into areas other bank guys can't hit.  I'd go with a medium or medium light rod action - help get more distance.  A longer rod will, for the most part give you more distance.  A longer rod is also more likely to get tangled on shore obstacles, tall weeds, bushes, etc.

Pick your poison.  Back in the day, I got by with a 6' rod and that was considered kind of long.  6 1/2 footers were available and 7 foot rods were rare.

Take your pick on reels - there are lots of good ones out there.  Make sure you get one with a spare spool or two, because there will come a time when you screw up a spool of line and you don't want that to put you out of action.  I'd stick with 8 or 10 lb fluorocarbon.   If you start fishing around heavier weeds or wood or stuff, you can go to a spool of 20 lb braid and the same reel will cast it fine.

The #1 tool to get you off the bank and into position to cast into productive water will be a set of hip boots.  The advantage you get standing knee or thigh deep in the water compared to standing on the bank is huge.

One good thing about bank fishing is that it restricts the number of lures you can use.   For the most part, deep diving cranks are out, as are jigging spoons, heavy jigs and all the other boat oriented lures.

All you really need to throw are weightless Senkos or if you want to cover the bottom a little quicker, some shakey jig heads and worms.   Pointy heads come through weeds better than round heads.  Rounder heads come through rocks better than pointy heads. Pick your poison.  You might want a stick bait or two - Rapala - Rogue - Lucky Craft - something like that.  Early in the spring, throwing a stickbait parallel to the shore can be a monster pattern.

Some guys might tell you to get a few spinnerbaits, I'm not a big fan of throwing spinnerbaits on spinning gear.

Don't forget weather appropriate clothes and you're set.

[BASSclary]

Some thing often over-looked,

A roll of toilet paper.

You may be thinking, "Why would I ever need a darn roll of bowl tickets while im fishing?"

Well the answer is quite simple. Imagine being on the water or on the shore fishing. All of a sudden that Chili you had last night is begging to splash out. Your not gonna go in the woods, relieve some pressure, and wipe with your hand are ya? And its probably cold there alot so your gonna be hard pressed for leaves.

Yeah its important. I always carry a roll in my box, because once I was in a bad situation, and all I can say was thank god my mom left her People Magazine in the car  :

[soopd]

1:  Baby wipes instead of TP.  Easier to store in tackle box than TP.

2:  Small calibur pistol.