When fishing from shore or out of the back of another angler’s boat, special considerations need to be made regarding the amount of gear an angler can bring. With limited space or carrying capacity, a lot goes into getting the right tackle bag for the situation. It needs to be the oxymoron of storage, roomy and compact at the same time. Luckily, tackle boxes and bags have come a long way in recent years, making the lives of co-anglers and shore-anglers much easier.
Anglers not only need a place for lures, baits and terminal tackle, but also other gear they need to bring along: sunglasses, licenses, sunscreen, handheld GPS. The GPS is to get back into secluded fishing spots and back home. Then there is a problem of storing scissors, pliers and other tools needed to make the day easier. Lastly, anglers need a way to transport all those things to the lake, or in and out of another angler’s boat. This requires a do it all bag. And tackle bags have come a long way in recent years.
Backpacks are popular with students of all ages. They are made for hiking, biking and a wealth of other sports. So, it would make sense the fishing backpack has evolved from what it was into exactly what anglers in these situations need. For this reason, many anglers have set aside the traditional tackle boxes or bags, opting instead for a backpack style bag. These bags are great for carrying gear to a buddy’s boat, or trekking into a secluded spot to fish. Backpacks not only distribute the weight of the gear better than an over-the-shoulder type bag, they allow the angler to have both hands free to carry rods, snacks, or anything else needed on the trip.
It is no secret anglers are hard on their equipment. Whether they are fishing from shore or boat, hundreds of things could happen to gear every trip out. For this reason, durability should be at the forefront of any backpack or tackle organization purchase. It will not matter much if the bag is perfect in every respect but falls apart after a day of fishing in the rain. Durability is a big concern for anglers of all skill levels when choosing equipment. Luckily, most of today’s backpacks are strong, durable, flexible and able to handle anything an angler can throw at them. Without tackle storage issues, anglers can concentrate on putting together their perfect fishing arsenal.
Setting up for a day in the back of the boat or along the river bank can be more difficult than setting up to fish out of an angler’s own boat. The reason is space limitation. Anglers want to have all of the necessary gear, but there is not much room for the “what ifs.” It is likely a shore angler or co-angler will also have a limited number of rods, so the baits they bring along will have to work well with their rod selections. This adds another element to the fishing puzzle.
When setting up a tackle bag with limited space, keeping options simple is the best choice. Several styles of baits in the main colors, black and blue, green, and possibly brown and orange, makes for the best starting point. From there, a pack of garlic markers will allow an angler to create custom-colored baits with minimal effort.
When selecting styles of baits, anglers should stick to baits they are comfortable with; their confidence baits. It is no secret an angler will catch more fish on a lure they have confidence in. If another angler has a “hot tip,” or rumor is fish are biting on something particular, it can be a good idea to add it. However, anglers should not get too caught up in “dock talk,” either.
Once an angler decides what to take, there is a matter of how to pack it all. There are some innovative fishing backpacks on the market today that make a perfect choice for anglers. Piscifun has one of those backpacks. The bag is very durable, with heavy-duty zippers and reinforced fabric. There are several outside pockets to carry a variety of things. One thing most bags miss is a place to keep polarized sunglasses from getting crushed. Anglers will be happy to see the hard, zippered case right on top of this backpack. There are also two elastic-strap-covered slots on each side of the front of the bag to keep tools such as scissors and needle nose pliers readily available.
Inside the main section of the bag anglers will find there are ways to modify this compartment. The 4 double-sided boxes included with the bag can easily be strapped into the bottom section, which has its own zippered front. The top section facilitates bags of baits, smaller boxes of lures, more tools, lunch, or anything else an angler decides to carry. Alternatively, the whole main compartment can be made into one by dropping down the Velcro-attached false bottom of the upper portion of the bag. This modification can help an angler carry just about anything they need for a successful day on the water.
Even the double-sided bait boxes are innovative. They are approximately the size of a 3600 series box, but have openings on each of the flat sides. However, they are unlike normal double-sided boxes. They are barely wider than a single-sided box with each lure compartment in the shape of a V. This feature allows almost twice as many baits to be in the same smaller space. This is a great feature for co-anglers or shore anglers who want to have more variety in their lure selection.
Fishing back packs, such as the Piscifun brand, offer great solutions related to the specific challenges’ co-anglers and shore anglers face. Packing light no longer means leaving important gear or baits at home.
See you on the water
Beckie Gaskill
