Tackle Box Essentials

Already started planning your summer fishing trips? If you’re new to fishing or it’s been a while, you may not be sure what all you should pack when you head out to the lake or onto the Gulf of Mexico for some prime coastal fishing. Fortunately, we’re here to help you get prepared.

H&W Marine Powersports, with locations in Marshall, Texas, and Shreveport, Louisiana, is your Gulf Coast fishing boat dealer. Here are some of the best items to pack in your tackle box so that you and your fishing boat are ready for anything!

Bobbers, Lures & Sinkers

These items are pretty standard-issue for any fisher. You’ll want to ensure you have a solid assortment of each one when you go out fishing.

Bobbers

Also called floats, you’ll generally spy these round, white-and-red orbs floating around the surface of the water anywhere people are fishing. The purpose of a bobber is to let you know when you’ve got a fish on the hook. They can also come in other varieties, like slip bobbers or even a cork with a stick in it.

Lures

Opt for a selection of lures, from spinners to spoons to minnow imitations, as each type of lure is made to draw a different type of fish. Even if you have a personal preference, you'll still want to have some other types handy.

Spinners

A hook with a worm or lure on it will often be too lightweight to sink as deep into the water as it needs to go, so a small weight called a sinker is attached to help with this. Sinkers used to be made of lead, but doe to this metal’s toxicity, other metals have been substituted in recent years. Sinkers these days are made from bismuth, tungsten, brass or steel.

A Well-Stocked First-Aid Kit

No one should ever go out on the water without the supplies they need to address minor illnesses or injuries. That’s why you should take the time to pack yourself a first-aid kit. Some items you may wish to include are bandages, gauze, medical tape, tweezers, antibiotic cream, ointments, aloe vera, sunscreen, calamine lotion, antacids, bug spray, nail clippers, petroleum jelly and painkillers.

Needle-Nosed Pliers

Pliers are one of those tools that come in handy in many applications, including fishing. If you need to remove a splinter from your boat, pull a hook from your fish or bend a wire, then needle-nosed pliers will help you get the job done.

Extra Line & Cutting Tool

You never know when your line might snap or become tangled in an underwater obstacle. That’s why keeping extra line in your tackle box is such a good idea. You can even get it in different weights; heavy line is good for open-ocean fishing, while thinner lines are best for calm lakes. And to trim your line, you’ll want to have a small tool like a pair of nail clippers handy, or a multi-tool with a knife.

Spare Hooks

Different types of fish are best caught with certain styles of hook. That’s why every fisher should keep a selection of hooks available in their tackle box, from french hooks to J-hooks in multiple sizes. This will help you to be prepared for any type of fish you may encounter.

Visit us at one of our locations in Texas or Louisiana today to check out our vast inventory of new and used fishing boats for sale. You can even stop in at our finance department to talk about getting the funds you need for your boat. H&W Marine Powersports proudly serves the cities of Longview, TX, and Bossier City, LA.