How to Choose a Tackle Box

When heading out with all your equipment to go fishing, organizing all your lures, baits, and terminal tackle in one easy-to-find location makes switching your fishing gear around easier and more efficient. A tackle box is a useful way to neatly store and organize all your fishing essentials. However, with so many options for tackle boxes, you may be unsure of what you need. The best fishing tackle box for you depends on a lot of factors, such as freshwater or saltwater fishing, as well as your preferred fishing lures, storage space requirements, and more. This guide will assist you in selecting a tackle box that will fit all your needs while still allowing room for growth.

Hard Tackle Box

Hard-sided tackle boxes are typically made from hard plastics and provide a sturdy, rugged storage container for your fishing gear. Most of these fishing tackle boxes have hard latches to keep them closed and use foldout tackle trays on the inside, providing plenty of compartments to store baits and lures. Check to see if the manufacturer labels these trays as "Worm Proof," which means they will prevent your soft plastic baits from melting and fusing together. This can happen quickly when you’re out on the lake or fishing from the store, especially during the summer as the tackle box traps the sun’s heat inside.

Other hard tackle boxes don’t use compartments, but use smaller utility boxes that allow you to customize your lures into different groups. This allows you to create various sections and compartments for different types of fishing, such as catfish, walleye, and bass fishing. Top loading compartments are also a feature found on many hard tackle boxes that allow to user to store larger items like pliers, spare fishing reels, extra fishing line, and more. Hard tackle boxes are heavier than soft tackle boxes and can also be a bit more cumbersome. However, this is offset by the amount of protection they provide for your fishing tackle and gear and is usually negligible if you’re fishing from a boat since you won’t be carrying the tackle box all day.

Soft Tackle Bag

A soft fishing tackle bag is a lightweight, waterproof shell bag that holds a variety of plastic boxes that house your bait rigs, bobbers, sinkers, and other fishing gear. They may also have a soft divider in the middle to help you keep certain objects or boxes separate. This is a great option for anglers who may be going on a fishing trip for a specific type of fish and only need to take the necessary equipment for that type of fish. This alleviates unnecessary weight and equipment that you would normally have to carry around with a larger tackle box.

Soft tackle bags for fishing usually feature exterior storage compartments for further functionality, letting you put any other gear you have in them. Carrying straps are another benefit soft tackle bags can provide, making it easier to carry your gear wherever you need to go.

Fishing Tackle Binders & Bait Binders

A fishing tackle binder is a small zippered or Velcro tackle bag that is designed to store various lures in individual bags within the binder. Some of these binders will also use binder rings, allowing to customize your binder by adding or removing specific bags. Fishing binders are the smallest option available, but they are perfect for quick trips to your favorite fishing hole. They also lend themselves to easy tackle organization as you can add, remove, and label bags individually.

Summary

When selecting the right tackle box for you, consider the type of fishing you will be doing, how often you'll be fishing, and how much gear you will need to store/accommodate. Purchasing a fishing box that offers more capacity than your current collection of lures is an excellent idea if you plan on expanding your fishing accessories. If you are strictly fishing for one type of fish, a large tackle box may not be necessary as you may not need the extra storage they provide. Alternatively, if you love to travel and fish for different species across various lakes, rivers, and more, getting a big tackle box to keep tons of lures, swivels, jigs, and more will serve you well. The purchase should come down to personal preference and your specific needs and requirements for storage.