Tackle Box Essentials For Bass Fishing

Before your next bass fishing excursion, be sure that your tackle box is equipped with everything you need. The following list covers the must-haves for a successful fishing adventure.

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Lures, Bobbers & Sinkers

All of these items are pretty standard issues for fishers, and you may already have several in your tackle box. But if you’re new to fishing, it’s helpful to have a selection of each of these items handy. They take up minimal space and can be great items to keep stored on your bass fishing boat in-between trips.

Lures

Some common lures for bass fishing include jigs, crankbaits, plastic worms, spinnerbaits, and swimbaits. You may have a personal preference, but it’s always good to experiment to see which lures work best in which circumstances.

Bobbers

Also called floaters, these little lightweight gizmos alert you to a bass on your line. Once the bobber sinks, you know that a fish has bitten. Round red-and-white plastic bobbers are the most common design, but they limit how deeply you can cast your line. Slip bobbers can slide up and down the line and allow you to get your hook deeper into the water. A piece of cork with a stick in it will also do in a pinch!

Sinkers

Your hook and worm or lure are generally going to be too light to sink deep into the water, so a weight or sinker is needed to compensate. Keep extras on hand, because these heavy little devices are easy to lose. Sinkers were traditionally made from lead due to their heft, but their toxicity has resulted in lead being outlawed in many places because it’s bad for people and the environment. Sinkers may also be made from steel, bismuth, tungsten, and brass.

Needle-Nose Pliers

This is a small tool that can be extremely useful to have in your tackle box. Use your pliers to remove hooks from the bass once you’ve caught them. You can also use them to bend wires or remove other items that might be causing you issues. A pair of pliers is pretty universally handy for a lot of reasons, so make sure you have some available.

Extra Line

No fishing enthusiasts worth their salt want to be caught without some extra fishing line on hand. Your line can get tangled up or break pretty easily when you’re fishing, whether it catches on something in the water or some big fish snaps it. For fishing in rougher waters, you’ll want to have some spare heavy-duty line on hand, but thin and clear lines are better for calm inland waters.

First-Aid Kit

Anyone going out into nature needs to be ready to deal with minor illnesses or injuries on the fly. You should stock a first-aid kit with all the essentials and keep it in your tackle box. Items that we recommend include bandages of many sizes, gauze, waterproof medical tape, tweezers, ointment, antiseptic cream, sunscreen, bug spray, nail clippers, petroleum jelly, painkillers, antacids, and anything else you think you might need.

Line Cutter

If you end up with a line that is so hopelessly snagged and tangled that you can’t deal with it, then you’ll need to cut it. Have some kind of blade to cut your line in a pinch. A pair of nail clippers like the set in your first-aid kit is excellent for this purpose because they’re compact, sharp, and quick to use. But you should also have a small pocket knife or multi-tool with you.

We hope this guide proves useful in helping you to gear up for your next bass fishing trip. Still need a bass fishing boat? Thayer’s Marine carries a range of options. We are based in Norwich, Connecticut, and also serve those in Springfield, Massachusetts.