WHAT’S IN MY TACKLE BOX?

Filling and organizing my tackle box is almost as fun as using the lures themselves!

I’m a girl as well as a fisherman so making my tackle box neat and organized is a very relaxing and satisfying thing to do! I’ll sit for hours at a time color coordinating all of my tackle so that it looks cool when I open it up. Okay, okay, maybe I take it a little far but I have fun doing it! It’s the small things in life that make me happy. Who ever said that tackle boxes have to be ugly???? I catch just as many fish (probably more) when I can find everything in a hurry!

CRANK BAITS, SPINNERS & BUZZ BAITS: As far as what type of crank baits, buzz baits and spinners I love, I’ll have to say the ones that my father Sam has made by hand. Not only does he customize them for me, but they catch monster bass! He pours the molds for the spinners, buzz baits and jigs and hand carves the cranks for me.
My favorite crank bait is one that he painted with red flames down the side like a Harley! I don’t know what it is about this crank’s design but the bass eat it up every time! I also love my “demon lure” as nicknamed by my brother John. The eyes are red and have red drops that extend below the eyes that look like blood. When you reel this bait up to the boat, the eyes will really freak you out!

WHAT I WOULD BUY IN THE STORE:
  1. Rapala “DT-4 in Silver”
  2. Rapala “DT-10 in Firetiger”
  3. Booyah “3/8 oz. Spinner”
  4. Strike King’s “Elite Buzz Bait Bleeding Bait” or the “Buzz King Jr.”

JIGS: My father also pours the molds for all of my jigs. I keep jigs with skirts in pumpkin/chartreuse, black/blue/red, white/blue and white/chartreuse. My father ties beads to the head so that the noise will drive bass nuts!

WHAT I WOULD BUY IN THE STORE:
FLW ¾ oz jig in “green pumpkin” These are my favorite store brand jigs. If I buy jigs in any size, these are the ones I love!

WORMS: I’m in love with Gary Yamamoto’s 5 inch Yamasenko worms. The watermelon/lemon laminate is my favorite for my home lake on Lake Lewisville. I’m also never without two packages of Berkley’s 5 inch red shad neon curly tail worms. No matter what lake I’m on, I catch bass with them. I have this same worm in Tequila Sunrise. For more different action I’ll switch to infamous 4 inch Bungee Hawg Power Bait in Green Pumpkin from Berkley. I’ve used this lure on tanks, clear lakes, stained water, and deep reservoirs and it hasn’t failed me yet in any weather condition!

FINESSE WORMS: For finesse fishing on a downsized Carolina Rig, you can’t beat the Wave Worm’s 4 inch baby tiki sticks. My favorite all around colors to keep on hand would have to be Green Pumpkin/Chartreuse, Watermelon/Chartreuse and Watermelon/Red Flake. I’m partial to this worm just because I’ve caught so many bass on them.

TUBES: My favorite tube is the Rattle Snake 3.5 inch salty tube in Pumpkin Glitter /Chartreuse. These babies always generate strikes for me. I also found a really cool lure that is a cross between a lizard and a tube. The ones I am using now are from Strike King called the Tub-Lizard in chartreuse (salt added) .

HOOKS: I only use Gamakatsue offset shank worm set hooks in red. I keep sizes 0.4, 0.2 and 0.1 on hand.

FISHINING LINE:
I JUST TRIED Berkley’s new “Vanish Transition”. I LOVE IT! It really is transparent under water.

SCENT FOR PLASTICS: You HAVE TO TRY LUNKER SAUCE! This product is incredible. It stays on my plastics far longer than any other scent and the applicator tip is awesome. I can apply it directly to the bait without the stinky overspray. Lunker also makes a gel that you can squeeze into a zip lock bag for re-scenting. I store my plastics this way or I’ll add it directly to the bag the plastics came in. www.lunkersauce.com

MY OTHER TACKLE BOX ESSENTIALS:

• My cool SMITH OPTICS POLARIZED SUNGLASSES in pink! The glasses are incredible! I can interchange the lenses quickly for whatever lighting condition I’m in. The case is awesome too. There are storage places for all of your additional lenses so that you can keep them scratch free while still having easy access. The frame design I have is so light that I barely know I have them on! If you don’t wear polarized glasses while you fish, you need to start! You’ll be amazed at how much better you can see into the water especially for site fishing.

• Extra fishing line. I learned from Neely Henry that an extra reel of line would have been awesome to have! The night before the tournament, I told myself “don’t forget to pack the line!” What did I do??? Forget the line! I’ll never make that mistake again…ever!

• I keep fingernail clippers and hemostats (or needle nose pliers) on a karabiner (pink of course). When I get out on the water, I can clip the karabiner to my belt loop so when I need to retrieve a treble hook or change my lure, the necessary tools are never hard to find!

• Small sun block. I love the spray version from Neutrogena called “Fresh Cooling Body Mist” in SPF 30. It smells great and can be applied quickly without getting all over your hands. Guys…I suggest Aveeno’s “Continuous Protection Sun block Spray”. This doesn’t smell as girly and dries really fast!

• Lip Gloss! Yes I said lip gloss! I catch just as many fish whether I look good or not so why not fish fashionably? Cover Girl makes my favorite ~“Wet Slicks Crystals” in “Icicle”. Its not sticky, it hydrates my lips when I’m out in the elements and gives my lips a sparkly tint to boot! If you’re a guy, I suggest a tube of “Chap Grip” SPF 15 in “Tropicool”. It won’t make your lips shine and has an SPF of 15. I know, you’re a guy and don’t want lip balm but trust me, when your lips are sun and wind burnt, you’ll be glad you had it!

• Snack~Wasabi Peas! If you haven’t tried these, they’re incredible. You can pop a few in your pocket and munch on them when you want. They are low in calories and fat but high in vitamins! I don’t eat a lot but I eat often. Having something healthy to munch will keep your metabolism high so that you burn fat while you fish! I also like to bring a jug of Crystal Lite Lemonade. It is low calorie and delicious! Drinking it still makes me feel like I’m getting my daily water only with added flavor!

• Last but not least a mirror. You may think this is silly, but you’d be surprised at how handy it has been for me. I’ve attached mine to the underside of my tackle box lid. One time something hit my eye while I was moving across the water. If I hadn’t had my mirror, it would have been a miserable trip using only one eye to fish! Also, there’s nothing on the underside of your tackle lid so why not make it useful!