Preferred Tackle Box/Bag

[ducker]

The latch on the tackle box broke this weekend. In the market for a new one. Would like to hear some recommendations. Thinking about the Magnum size Advanced Anglers Pro Series from the Big C but am open to suggestions.

[mrpike1973]

i prefer a tackle box if it rains or the boat gets wet the bags soak it up fast also i bought a tackle bag a couple of years ago. my wife was in the boat waiting for me i came down with the tackle bag over my shoulder she said nice man bag. i returned it that very same day and never will carry a man bag.

[OnAFly]

Tackle bags are much nice for transporting. Extra pockets hold stuff better. Things don't get jostled as badly. They are all around better IMO.

The one you are looking at is similar to the one I own which was made by Plano. Yes, it will soak up some water if it rains, but that's not really a big deal for me. Many of them are rubberized so they will take on less water. But it's still not perfect.

PS - I think you can get away with a man-bag if it's full of fishing stuff. At that point it's not longer a man-bag, but a tactical lure retaining system.

[Aaron Carrell]

Well, I own 2 different tackle bags, 1 of which is the Advanced Angler Pro "Large Bag" and I absolutely love it. That thing is nearly waterproof other than along the zipper, extremely well built (seems aren't tearing like alot of others), and the pocket arrangement is just the best design I've used. I've gone through 2 other bags and torn them up thoroughly within 2-3 years, but this one looks brand new after 2 years of use. I highly recommend those bags. The other bag I use is also a Cabelas tackle bag, but a model they don't make anymore. I believe these current green ones (and 50th anniversary orangish red one) replaced the model I'm still using as my crankbait bag. Either that, or my spare bag is a very old version of the Cabela's Pro Guide Bag. I like having 2 different bags however with the ability of using both sizes of trays. I haven't used the Magnum size of the one you mentioned, but I can't imagine anything is significantly different.

Good luck and enjoy organizing your stuff when you do buy one!

[Chode2235]

Think about how much stuff you are going to want to carry with you at one time.

I have all of my tackle in various Plano 3700 tackle boxes, and then have a soft sided bag from cabelas that will hold 6 of them (the red one).

I have about 15 total 3700s filled with tackle and it can be a bit difficult narrowing it down to the 6 I am going to use that day.

The soft sides are great as you can mix and match, and have a couple small compartments for the odds and ends.

There are a lot of options for bags that fit 3700 boxes, I would get all of my stuff organized in those boxes and then see how big of a bag you need to carry what you need for an outing.

But I would never buy a 'hard tackle box' again as they are not nearly as versatile as a good soft sided bag where you can mix and match.

[magnum mike]

But I would never buy a 'hard tackle box' again as they are not nearly as versatile as a good soft sided bag where you can mix and match.

[BronzeBrother]

I have about ten hardsided tackle boxes and two soft sided ones. The soft sided ones get used way more then the others... Much more versatile...

[mww24]

go soft sided. They really are way more versatile, and can generally hold more plano boxes than the hard sided one in a smaller space. I have a red and black one from c store that holds 5 or 6 3700's that has held up well.

[CJH]

go soft sided. They really are way more versatile, and can generally hold more plano boxes than the hard sided one in a smaller space.

Couldn't agree more!! Made the switch last year and couldn't be happier!!

[Esox_Magnum]

Been using my "man bag" now for 15 or so years, for fishing for dinner theres nothing better. I do have a designated crankbait box for all my walleye cranks though.

[LMITOUT]

The latch on the tackle box broke this weekend. In the market for a new one. Would like to hear some recommendations. Thinking about the Magnum size Advanced Anglers Pro Series from the Big C but am open to suggestions.

That's the one I have and I really like it. So far it's holding up well with no signs of abnormal wearing or weak spots and mine is loaded up pretty good.

A bag gives you much more flexibility and organization options with the individual Plano boxes. I won't be going back to a box any time soon.

[ameyers41]

I have Cabelas largest advanced tackle bag and it's been bulletproof for two years now. It's fantastic.

[Slabasaurus]

Agreed on the cabs bags.

Another nice thing about the soft bags is the ability to mix/match your planos or whichever smaller box you use for certain situations.

For instance, I have one lager plastic box I fill with all of the "river" tackle I use, So i can toss that into a backpack, rather than bring a larger box with EVERYTHING when I'm trudging through the woods to get to that perfect spot.

[titelines]

The latch on the tackle box broke this weekend. In the market for a new one. Would like to hear some recommendations. Thinking about the Magnum size Advanced Anglers Pro Series from the Big C but am open to suggestions.

This is the bag I have too. I keep it in the garage and use it as a "home base" for all my stuff. If I'm going on Superior, I just grab the boxes I need and toss them in the boat. If I'm going down to the river, I toss what I need on the ATV and away I go. If I'm going for multi-species inland, I toss the whole thing in the boat and go. For ice fishing, I have a little soft-sided pack with a handle. I just load it up at the end of open water and I'm ready to go for the ice season.

I love being organized, and this bag really helps.

[itchmesir]

I'm thinkin about getting the XPG® Pro Series™ Angler Pack.. looks really nice.. and seems nothing short of convenient to have all your gear on your back..

[herefish101]

If your worried about your softsided bag getting wet just treat it with camp dry, it'll shed water like raingear......

[TooTallTom]

I don't know your situation, but I saw a good tackle tip on the T.V. once. Just put regular old school backpacks on the seat backs in your boat, and put the plastic trays in them. Keeps things out of the way, and you can throw it on your back without fear of being mistaken for someone carrying one of those man-bags. (There's another man-bag joke in there somewhere, but I'll just leave it be.)

[LMITOUT]

This past winter I started using a backpack for ice fishing. Works great. I still have a separate tackle box, but all the rest of the misc goes into the pack like light sources, fire starting, lunch/snacks/water/pop, spare batteries, towel, another set of gloves, knife/tools, and various other things that are always floating around that you have to keep track of to and from the lake.

[gdog]

I have a Cabelas Advanced Anglers Super Magnum bag that I got with some Cabelas rain gear that I bought. For $20 it is yours.

[hanson]

I have a Cabelas Advanced Anglers Super Magnum bag that I got with some Cabelas rain gear that I bought. For $20 it is yours.

There's a heck of a deal. I'll jump on that if the original poster doesn't.

I switched my entire tackle system over to Plano trays and soft side bags a long time ago, both open water and ice fishing. All my tackle bags are the Cabelas bags, either the green Advanced Angler bags or the grey Advanced Angler Stormproof bags. I like the grey bags because they are as waterproof as you'll get.

The bags are basically organized by fishing style so I grab the bag or bags that I think I'll be using that day. Stickbait cranks in one for fall trolling, shad cranks in another for summer and leadcore, jig & plastic bag for the river, another bag for harnesses/bouncers/components, etc... and then I have my catfish bag.

[bucketmouth64]

I switched to soft side too. I can pack way more stuff than a hard box. I think I'll try using some camp dry spray on my bag to see if it helps repel water. That's only issue I have with a softside is that they soak up rain water. But they dry pretty quickly.

[south_metro_fish]

What do people think of though's almost binder type tackle containers with the clear plastic pages that zip shut. I have seen them a few times and they seem like they would be good for organizing hooks and leaders and other small tackle.

[itchmesir]

What do people think of though's almost binder type tackle containers with the clear plastic pages that zip shut. I have seen them a few times and they seem like they would be good for organizing hooks and leaders and other small tackle.

they seem like nothing but a mess imho.. unless you use them strictly for plastics.. can you imagine putting a couple spinners in there and then trying to pull one of them out without pulling out 2-3 others...

[Ed Carlson]

I have been using the $29.00 to $39.99 Soft Side Gander Guide Z-Rust inhibitor Series bags. The Blue and the Red versions mostly, and a couple Greens mixed in.

I set up my soft side bags as systems. I also keep a master index of like sized insert box's in a closet. Consisting of lure box's that I swap out as I rig for a trip. Cranks (Deep and Shallow), Lip-less cranks, jigs, float kits, rigging kits,...ect.

I found I Schlep along far less unneeded junk by doing things this way. I do not need a tackle box that needs wheels on it just to move it. Then use only a small fraction of it's contents on any given trip.

One exception is a Egg Crate box with a full exterior wrap that I customized to hold large baits for various species. I adapted it with PVE tube separators and removable cross dividers. This baby is for the big stuff. This works very well. I have a pair of 6 gal pails rigged this way too, for large baits.

I also use Marine Dry Box's for heavy use Tackle Systems like Catfish tackle and bulk weights. They hold up to the weight and the abuse, and the mud and slop associated with river fishing. They also stow nicely in boats.

All my old hard side front access box's are now tool box's, and loose component tackle storage box's. I found them better suited for that than my present tackle and fishing needs.

[ducker]

Thanks for all the replies guys! Very good information I did go with the Magnum Advanced Angler Bag from the big C. It looks like it should handle the amount of gear I normally take with and then some.