Fishing Tip # 4 – Make Sure Your Tackle Box Has Everything
Remember that old motto from boy scouts…”Be Prepared”? That saying should teach you a lot. It couldn’t apply to anything any better than fishing, thats for sure! Your tackle box is like a doctors house call bag. Everything he needs is in it, and he knows its there if he needs it!
Why do we get lazy about our tackle boxes? These contraptions hold the very means of our passion for fishing. Whether they be jig boxes, fly boxes, tackle boxes that hold everything but the kitchen sink…..we should always make sure they are well stacked for our fishing adventures. Its a good idea also to open, clean thoroughly and dry off tackle after an outting, and this is also a great time to take an inventory of what we have and what we need. Flies should be taken out and allowed to dry somewhere so they don’t rust and corrode, or worse….cause other flies in your box to do the same! Big spoons and plugs should be allowed to dry out after extensive use as well. Some lures will take on water while being used, and its a good idea to get as much of that out as possible.
One department that often gets overlooked is the area of simple hooks, swivels, split shot……in other words, your terminal tackle. The remedy for that is compiling all of these items in one small, easy to store tackle box. This tiny box allows you to have everything you need in one place, and makes it very easy to see what you have and what you don’t.
BE PREPARED!
I have to say that I have a lot of stuff in my tackle bag. I keep it in my vehicle where ever I go fishing and in the canoe or boat but I also have a float tube and do walk a lot of places fly fishing.
Having my tackle bag in the vehicle allows me to check out the water and weather of course before I head out on the water. It’s great to have it all in the vehicle so that if I need to I can always come back there and get what I need.
I do use my fly fishing vest to carry a lot of stuff as well, but won’t leave home without my tackle bag of goodies.
You might laugh but I keep my tackle bag in my office here at home so that I can check it any time I read something that makes me think about the contents.
I even carry survival gear, just in case.
Something I just added last year was a first aid kit, as I landed a chain pickerel and while holding it up my fingers slipped into the gill plate and cut me up. I was very lucky it didn’t end my day of fishing but now I have that first aid kit.