Things You Didn't Know You Needed In Your Tackle Bag

Walking down the aisles of any good tackle store can be daunting for a newcomer. There are so many different items and reading the product packaging isn’t particularly helpful when loaded with fishing jargon instead of helpful how-to-use instructions.

However, before you go down that rabbit hole, it pays to assess items you’ll need for just about any type of angling. It doesn’t matter whether it’s a small stream or the vast open ocean, summer or winter, hot or cold, fly fishing or slinging bait; the following should precede picking out the lures and hooks you’ll need.

Safety First 

It starts by ensuring you remain safe, healthy, and comfortable on and off the water. While fishing isn’t a traditional “contact sport,” various aspects lend themselves to getting injured or otherwise harmed. Start with a basic first aid kit, perhaps light bandages and Neosporin. Whether you get stung by a hook or the sharp fin of a fish, these items will come in handy sooner or later. Also, think about preventative care. Bring plenty of sunblock and insect repellent, especially if you’re fishing at night. Polarized sunglasses, a good hat, neck gaiter, and some sort of fishing gloves – sun gloves when it’s warm, insulated when it’s cold – will protect you from the elements, too.

Of course, you won’t want to forget a fishing license. Not only do the collected funds go to preserve our precious resources, but if you’re caught without one, you could be fined, or even lose the right to fish in the future.

Tackle Considerations

Before fishing for the first time, help and input from fishing experts goes a long way. A local tackle shop or marina is a great place to get some of these questions answered:

• Will you be fishing in freshwater or saltwater?
• What species live in those waters?
• What are the restrictions on how you can fish, what you can catch, and what you can keep?

By taking this approach, you can narrow down the type of tackle to yield the best results on the water. For example, if local waters are fly fishing only, there’s no use getting hooks and bobbers. You’ll want to prioritize gear for species you can legally target.

Next, determine whether you’ll be fishing from shore or boat. If the latter, how big is it? That will help you decide whether you want a tackle backpack, a tackle bag filled with smaller tackle trays, or a large tackle bag with everything but the kitchen sink. Figure out the bare minimum of what you need, and then get a carrying case that will hold slightly more than that because you’ll always end up with a few extras.

Bait and Lure Basics

For anglers just starting, there's no need to reinvent the wheel. If you're fishing with bait, get the right-size hooks, swivels, and other terminal tackle necessary for different depths, baits, and varying underwater structures and currents. If it's not already provided, you'll also need something to hold the bait.

Fishing lures run the gamut and range from simple and inexpensive to complicated and costly. Every angler tries to keep things simple yet constantly adds to their stash, repeatedly looking for the “magic lure” to unlock fishing excellence. No such lure exists, so stick with broad categories and proven winners.

In freshwater, those include soft stick baits, which can be Texas Rigged or Wacky Rigged and work almost everywhere in the country. Soft jerk baits and shallow-running crankbaits are also staples. You may want to employ 3/8 or ½ ounce spinnerbaits or the fun-to-fish hollow-bodied frog in heavier cover. The explosion on those frogs can be exciting and maddening, as giant fish break the surface to attack them. In saltwater, some standard choices include bucktail jigs, which can be tipped with bait, soft swimbaits, spoons, and minnow-shaped plugs.

No matter where you’re fishing, the goal is to replicate the forage that the fish feed upon. Not all effective lures resemble baitfish in the package. A spinner bait is a good example, but when appropriately manipulated, they elicit reactions from the fish, who feed out of anger, hunger, territoriality, or curiosity. Remember to adjust your color choices depending on water clarity. For example, a natural-colored crankbait might work best in clear water, while a chartreuse model does better in dingy water. Similarly, in windy conditions, you’ll often want something noisier to help the fish find the lure.

Other Must-Have Fishing Tools

• Extra fishing line in case of tangles
• Needle-nosed pliers are helpful when you need to dig a hook out of a fish’s mouth
• Scissors, nail clippers, or cutters to trim your line
• Tape measure or fish scale to check if your catch is legal
• Basic tool set, including a small screwdriver, to fix parts on rods and reels
• Super glue makes for an easy lure repair
• Duct tape or electrical tape to hold things in place
• Reel lubricants to help you cast further and retrieve your lures to fish more smoothly

You’ll also want a basic set of tools, including small screwdrivers, to fix parts on rods and reels. You’ll be surprised at how often super-glue or even duct tape and electrical tape come in handy to hold things in place.

Fish Care

The goal of fishing isn't to come home empty-handed. Whether you do catch-and-release, take your fish home for dinner and need the fillets to stay fresh, or fish in a tournament, your catch has to remain alive until weigh-in. Fish care is essential to ensure healthy populations for future generations regardless of how you plan to use your catch.

Even if you’re going to release the fish, sometimes they need a little bit of help. Fish caught from deep water and brought up quickly may suffer from “the bends” and must be fizzed. A syringe or a veterinary needle makes this a quick and straightforward process.

When adding fish into a livewell, especially in warm weather, you may need some calming additives to keep them in good shape. If you’re taking your catch home for dinner, have a quality fillet knife, bags for the prepped fillets, and a cooler with ice to keep them fresh.

Picking the Right Tackle Bag

With the tackle basics covered, all that’s left is to pick the right bag to store it all. Your needs will likely change over time as you expand your tackle collection, but keeping your tackle bag organized can make the most of your time on the water.

For anglers who like to bank fish or want a light tackle bag ready at a moment's notice, the Urban Angler is lightweight with five storage sleeves for baits/hooks and a pliers holder and rod holder. For a more robust option, the AFTCO tackle bag is designed for all types of anglers and comes in three sizes depending on how much storage space you need. It's good to stay flexible and modular and tailor your bag's contents to the conditions and goals of your day on the water.

From deciding on the fish species you want to target to picking a tackle bag, having the right tools makes all the difference on the water. Before hitting the water, check out our freshwater fishing tips or saltwater fishing tips to ensure you’re ready to make the most of your day.

Author's Profile: Pete Robbins

Pete Robbins is a one of the most trusted and heavily published scribes in the world of bass fishing. He is a Senior Writer for Bassmaster and has blogged for Yamamoto’s Inside Line for well over a decade. He has also been published in outlets as varied as Texas Monthly and Goat Rancher Magazine. He and his wife run a website called Half Past First Cast that’s dedicated to promoting and simplifying fishing travel. Robbins received a bachelor’s degree from Columbia College in 1992, and a JD from Columbia Law School in 1995. In his “day job” he specializes in Federal administrative law.