In preparation for a bass fishing tournament, I will always take what I’ve learned in prefishing, and set up the night before based on how I feel the day will go. Preparing my rods and tackle in such a way that everything I feel I will need is ready to go. While tying my baits the night before the tournament, I will set out baits, plastics, and jigs that I plan to use. These baits will be stored in the front corner of my deck compartment, so I can reach them quickly.
The concept of the day box has been around for a long time. Back in the early 1980’s, my father had a small box that held two or three spinnerbaits, some crank baits, and a few worm hooks and weights. He glued Velcro to the side of the boat and then to the box. This would hold it in place throughout the day, and after the day was over he would store it in a compartment.
Fast forward to the year 2011, many boat manufacturers now build boats with a small compartment somewhere on the front deck. This compartment usually is about the size of a city phone book. This “Day Box” will usually have several slots for tools such as pliers, scissors, and clippers. There may be another small tray to hold a bag or two of soft plastics. No matter the configuration the concept is to hold a few things that you will use throughout the day in a readily available compartment.
The following are a few things I keep in my day box. I will always have two bags of the plastics that I plan to be using, along with a color that might work should my predictions fail. Remember, I have probably pre-fished a day or two before and have a color and style of plastic bait I will rely on but weather and conditions change. So, it’s good to have your number two choice handy. This will allow you to switch to it when your gut says to, and not wait until it’s convenient.
A day box for me will have a spinnerbait and shallow diving crank bait that I can use to cover water. Both will be in high confidence colors and styles. I want these baits available quickly, again so that I don’t hesitate to use them. Many times a gut call can mean the difference, and if you talk yourself out of it because you’ll have to dig for the bait, you could be costing yourself fish.
Worm dye, another great thing to have in your day box. With worm dye, you can quickly change your presentation when clouds move in or if your water color changes. Worm dye can be used to make adjustments to spinnerbaits and jigs just as fast. Digging through your tackle, to find a chartreuse trailer or something that will be have contrast to the skirt, can take time. A bottle of dye can be very useful.
I’m not a big believer in scents but having your favorite flavor in your day box will keep it from rolling around the boat. Pliers, scissors, line clippers the list of small tools we use is endless, a day box can keep them all in one place for you. Sometimes these items get lost in bigger boxes as we move across the lake. Hit a wake just wrong and everything in your compartments shifts. The hardest thing to find is a pair of line clippers when you’re in a hurry. The Day Box keeps everything corralled. Being able to store daily use items in your day box will prevent you from having to open your main compartments as much in adverse weather conditions. Instead of your whole rod locker or storage compartment getting wet, because it was raining, only the day box gets wet. The smaller day box is much easier to clean and dry after a tough day on the water.
Whether you have one built into your boat, or you have to build one for your boat; a day box can be a real time saver.
Get the Net it’s a Hawg
Mike Cork
Ultimate Bass
Ultimate Bass
Legend Boats
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