A Tackle Box Discussion

[Lord of the Fly , Rods]

 I was with some fishing buddies the other night and the discussion led to tackle boxes. as buddies we sometime borrow each others trailers, guns, rods and reels but the one thing that is off limits is our tackle boxes. Sure we might reach in and share an extra spinnerbait or particular color that seem to be the color of the day, thats what buddies do, but to just let them free range  of your tackle box that is unheard of , to us our tackle boxes are as personal and private as our tooth brushes. I remember even my Dad and I would respect each others box, with some reminders, Keep your paws out of my box, and that would go both ways . So I was just wondering how the rest of yall feel about your tackle boxes , is it your private stash with all your secret fishing baits or is it a minor version  of your local tackle store.      LOFR

[John Sheehan]

Mine is hooked up to 10,000 volts .I alone have the code to turn off the juice.

[Keith Owen]

Hmmm... Never really thought about it. Lisa (my wife) and I share tackle all the time. A lot of the time we simply combine into one pack or bag so only one of us has to carry it. I carry the tackle, she carries lunch, or something of that nature. If we are walking into an area or will be seperate from each other we carry what we will need with us in case we are too far apart to share.

I suppose among the few guys I fish with it's an unspoken rule... your stuff is yours, my stuff is mine; but if you need something all ya need to do is ask. I don't think anything I have is all that "secret". I have a few flies that are my "go-to" patterns when things get tough or whatever.

All my friends are polite folks. I simply will not abide rude behavior (thank-you Captain Woodrow F. Call, for that line). Just digging into someone's stuff without even a "by your leave" wont fly. Ask, and you can have the run of it.

Guess what it took all that stream of conciousness typing to come to is... common courtesy goes a long way.

Best Fishes,

Keith

[Allen Morgan]

My supply (with me, in the van, or at home) is more like a miniature tackle store.  I actually refer to my van as "a rolling tackle shop".  Whenever family is fishing with me, we always work out of my supply; nobody else has tackle, although I have poles for everyone.

If any of my fishing buddies need something, they have but to ask.  However, should someone start rifling through my stash, they might get beaned upside the head with a 2 oz bank sinker.

[Mark Stine]

Nothing sacred in there.  I might feel a little funny if someone just decided to help themselves, but if you fish with me I feel like a failure if you don't catch fish.  If I had the only lure that seemed to be producing I would probably offer it, there is always tomorrow, and I can usually find some fish in the freezer anyway. I enjoy company, but mostly I fish alone, being retired its hard to find people that will actually go fish (I like to go early morning). I get a lot of request but when I try to set it up, I get a lot  excuses and usually end up saying call when you get some free time.

[David, aka, "McScruff"]

The same.

I get really piffled when my son wants to help himself to my fishing stuff. Here he is, a grown @ss man, and he wants to tear up my stuff, or lose my lures?

Actually I have several tackle stores. One is in my kayak, a large semi-rigid bag with just about everything needed to take bass or brim.

Another is my snatch and run set up, a single large segmented Plano box with panfish lures, grubs and floats. This stays with a telescoping pole in my truck.

My last is several tackle boxes, and a few drawers, that act as my repositories.... these are my warehouses. This is where I keep my vast horde or replacements.

None of these are open to plundering, or even to inspection. Can you get something from my tackle box? As we say here , in the South, "Awwwww helllllllll no!"

[Steve McCaig]

Your right! I might take a few baits out and giv to a friend to use, but I would never just hand over the whole thing!!! Too much love in there

[Jeffrey D. Abney]

If I actually tried to take all the different boxes and bags I have I would surely exceed the weight restrictions of my boat.....I have never parted with any of my gear but hit the flea markets and garage sales searching for a deal......I have entire boxes set up for terminal tackle, fly fishing, artificial presentations, soft plastics.....you name it......I was passed down my grandfather's collection and my father has given me almost every box he has ever owned......My tackle is sacred, including the one that never leaves the comfort of my F-150......These are items I receive often for gifts but employ every one of them.....I normally have about 7 to 10 with me at any one time on my boat......I'm bank fishing right now so I have tightened up and carry two........

[David, aka, "McScruff"]

I'm heading towards your example, Jeff. I now have a compartment box for swivels, alone.

Thank you, Barnyard flea market!

[Leo Nguyen]

Agree with the tackle box as being sacred to each man. I have no problem in helping my family members to start up their own. Homemade flies, tackles, baits that I can make readily, I have no problem in sharing, but they must keep them in their own tackle box. However, what I bought as specialized lures, or my lucky charm in/on the water, stay far far away from them. Same with my rods and reels. But, my so called personalized "Hand-off!" gears..well, I have none of those any more. They all self destructed when they heard, "Hey, he's getting married..and having kids.."

[dick tabbert]

You know most of the time I go I may have someone who hasn't fished much so they would have no idea of what baits to buy or use. I do share and maybe along with the sharing they may get a lesson on how to use the bait they may want to use. My intention is for everybody to catch fish and everybody to have fun. Now that doesn't work 100 percent of the time regardless sometimes no matter what they do they may not catch fish, so I may have to make some suggestions on what they may want to try maybe something a little more fool proof, but the bottom line is if I have something they wish to try they are more than welcome to try it. Bottom line usually if they do catch fish they are having fun and then there interest is there to fish again then I know I've done my job. 

[David, aka, "McScruff"]

I don't mind sharing. Its when someone might help themselves, saying, "Oh, hey he has that... I'll just get it out of his box."

Funny, it's never just a hook or sinker, either. It's the expensive line that seems to be the draw. Or the high end crank baits and my favorite soft plastics.

[Leo Nguyen]

You said it. Last time out with in-laws, I nearly lost all of egg and tear drop sinkers in less than 8 hours. I have yet to use that many in 4 years. I don't mind sharing my tools, but good grief, I buy good sinkers and hooks for capturing fish, not lose them to weeds and structures because they were too eagered in pulling the line in without using the snag-snap-release method, or better yet, avoid the snag point by casting elsewhere all together.

 

They also use my spinners, which I got really terrified of losing. I let them tried, but they got tired of cast-and-reel after a good 15 minutes. They went back to the bait-and-wait and vertical jiggign methods instead.