The Ten Things You Must Have In Your Tackle Box

What are the ten things you have to have in your tackle box? To be truthful, it's hard to narrow it down to ten. Have you seen the size of some of today’s tackle boxes? My God, a person could keep enough stuff in some of the tackle boxes I've seen to survive on Mount Everest for three days! In any case, I'm going to go ahead and give you my top 10 must haves, that will at least get you started and have you pointing in the right direction.

1) A pair of needle nosed pliers. Have you ever tried to get a #18 Rapala out of a big walleyes mouth without a decent pair of pliers? There are treble hooks everywhere! And I wouldn't suggest trying to remove them with your bare hands. Can you say "A trip to the emergency room?"

2) A can of bug spray. If you're ever fishing in Northern Ontario on a hot day, at around dusk it's either a can of bug spray or getting eaten alive. It's your choice. I've experienced both and I have to tell you, go with the bug spray!

3) A couple of extra spools of fishing line. Whatever type of line you use, have extra spools in your tackle box. You just never know when you may need to re-spool you fishing reel.

4) A cell phone. Normally I would think of having a cellular telephone with you would be the definition of vanity. I mean, you're supposed to be out fishing to escape all that a cellular telephone represents, right? But it is a wonderful thing to have with you in case of an emergency.

5) An assortment of lures. And back-ups of your favorites. There are few things worse than catching fish on a certain lure, and then getting snagged and losing that lure. Only to find out that the fish won't bite on any other lure that you have with you. As perplexing as this seems, I've had it happen and it's a very bad situation to get mixed up in. Have an extra or three of your favorite lures in your tackle box, ready to go.

6) An assortment of sinkers. You'll want to have various sizes of the following: Egg sinkers, split shot sinkers, bullet weights, and a few barrel weights.

7) An assortment of hooks. You're going to want four or five different sized hooks at least. You never know exactly what you'll need or be fishing for, for that matter. There have been times when I went walleye fishing, and ended up fishing for Bass because the walleye just weren't cooperating. Many times different species of fish require different size hooks. So have an assortment with you.

8) Jig heads and twister tails. This old standby is always good to have with you when you're fishing. A package of both 1/4 and 3/8 ounce jig heads in the colors of your choice will work. And then a couple of packages of twister tails in matching colors will be a good bet. You never know when you may want a jig.

9) A lighter or matches in a baggie. If you ever got stuck somewhere, you'll be very glad you have a way to start a fire. Just take my word for it.

10) Spare spools for your reels. This is where to keep those spare spools. If you're extra motivated, have them filled with line so they're completely ready to go. If a spool happens to break when you're out fishing and you don't have an extra spool with you, shame on you. You're tackle box is where the extra's should be.

There is my top ten. Of course, there are many more things that will more than likely be in your tackle box, but these will at least get you started. Have fun and good fishing!

Trevor Kugler - Co-founder of JRWfishing.com
Trevor has more than 20 years of fishing experience, and now specializes in ultralight trout fishing. http://www.jrwfishing.com - products and information to save you time and help you catch more fish. email - tkugler@jrwfishing.com Trevors Ebook - http://www.lulu.com/content/470849 Check It Out!

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