As a beginning bass fisherman, this is something I’ve been wondering, what do you need in your tackle box? My wife, 1sexymomma, has her tackle boxes nice and orderly, but she is not a basser, she fishes mostly for trout and catfish. I haven’t asked my buddies in “The Bass Brigade” what’s in their arsenal, but maybe I should based on the size of the hawgs they’re reeling in.

Bill Dance Tackle Box

There can be a lot of differences between the professional angler and the fish-for-fun weekender. Yet one of the differences should not be the basic approach to equipping the tackle box.

My tackle box for bassing is a Bill Dance Tackle Box by Plano. According to the Bass Pro Shop:

Legendary angler, Bill Dance designed this durable tackle box with the serious angler in mind. Offering a huge storage capacity, this Bill Dance Tackle Box features up to 46 worm-proof compartments and up to 25 adjustable storage spaces in the top section, the longer compartments and a see-thru lid are two more smart features anglers will love. Size: 16-7/8” x 5” x 12”. Color: Tan/Green.

Now what to fill it with? The novice Basser, like me, is faced with a virtual jungle of lures when he visits any well stocked sporting goods or tackle store. and now with the Internet there is even more to choose from. Almost all tackle websites carry not only the same brads as each other but many also specialize in lures made in Japan and other places overseas. It’s no easy task for the beginner to sort through the many displays and websites to select the lures that will be the most practical for the conditions they fish in. The beginner can accomplish the same versatility of the pro by categorizing.

The tackle box should consist of the following items:

• Hooks
• Sinkers
• Extra Line
• Swivels
• Lures

For practical purposes, the angler may lump the Bass lures into 3 (three) basic categories. Those categories are, along with a description:

Assorted Crankbaits

Crank Baits — or Plugs are a popular type of hard-bodied fishing lure. They are widely known by a number of other names depending on the country and region. Such names include crank bait, wobbler, minnow, shallow-diver and deep-diver. The term minnow is usually used for long, slender, lures that imitate bait-fish, while the term plug is usually used for shorter, deeper-bodied lures which imitate deeper-bodied fish, frogs and other prey. Shallow-diver and deep-diver refer to the diving capabilities of the lure, which depends on the size of the lip and lure buoyancy. All things considered, plugs of this grouping probably get more action than the others. At any time of the year, bass can be picked off with these.

Spinner-baits — any one of a family of fishing lures that get their name from one or more metal blades shaped so as to spin like a propeller when the lure is in motion, creating varying degrees of flash and vibration that mimics small fish. The two most popular types of spinner-baits are the ‘in-line spinner’ and ’safety pin’ spinner-baits, though others such as the ‘tail-spinner’ also exist.

Plastic Worms — a plastic fishing lure, generally made to simulate an earthworm. Plastic worms can carry a variety of shapes, colors and sizes, and are made from a variety of synthetic polymers. Some are even scented to simulate live bait. Plastic worms can be rigged on the line many different ways. Commonly they are used with a small fish hook and a split shot weight to keep the lure deeper in the water. The fishing equipment recommended is a 7 foot fishing rod with 8 to 10lb fishing line.

Your Tackle box is your toolbox to a successful trip. It is up to you to keep it organized and full. I personally do not let anyone take anything out of my box as I have it set up the way I want. In the top portion of the box I have my weedless frog and weedless mouse along with assorted crank baits in individual compartments. One third of the top portion is not separated and it contains my extra hooks, line, slip-shot and bullet sinkers, swivels and cutters along with anything else i think I might need. In the bottom compartment I have Plastic Worms and more crank-baits along with some rubber shad and various other plastic and rubber lures. The spinner-baits will be added as I get them.

That’s all for now, so until the next time keep your lines wet and your bait fresh.

I hope everyone had a great Christmas Holiday. I know I haven’t done much here lately, but during the holidays it gets a little hectic around Casa de Gardner. Before I get to the reason for this post, I want to tell everyone how my holiday went. My wife and I first got news that we were approved for a loan to purchase our own Casa de Gardner. So that was the best Christmas Present of all, no more renting. A place we can call our own. Then I bought her her Christmas present, a Chihuahua Puppy. I decorated the front of the house and she and the children decorated the tree inside. Then Christmas morning we got up to start cooking the Christmas Dinner. I must say I love the turkey fryer I got for Thanksgiving, since it meant I had room in the oven for the Prime Rib and could use the roaster for the Ham. The food was delicious. Then came time to open the presents. I got three very nice gifts and all things I wasn’t expecting. Kelly, my wife, bought me a customized Detroit Lions Jersey with my name and age on it, my sister and brother-in-law bought me a 1/18 scale replica of the Batmobile from the 1966 Batman television series and my mother, bless her heart, got me a Bass Pro Shop Gift Card.

Berkley® Portable Line Spooling Station

That brings me to the purpose of this post, what should I get and should I go to Bass Pro Shop or buy it on line. I have an idea of what I want to get and it is this item: Berkley® Portable Line Spooling Station. I think every fisherman should have one of these, or something like it, in their arsenal. How often do we need to change the line in our reels? If you are like me, you need to do it every so often, since the preloaded reels come with 4 to 8 pound test and as Bass men we need 15+ pound test.

I think for $29.99 this is going to be a good investment. But what else to get. I have 3 Takle boxes, plenty of lures and poles but I find I’m looking for more Under cast type reels. I’ll take any suggestions you guys have.

My next post is going to reprint someting from “The Best of BassMasters” and will be about rigging your hooks.

So until next time, keep your lines wet and your bait fresh.

I had an interesting experience yesterday. I the midst of packing up the house for the move to the new house our doorbell rang. Answering the door, I find a young woman, about the same age as my youngest, asking if she can use the phone. Her story was that she had a fight with her boyfriend and was left here in Tracy. All she had was her purse and a jacket. I let her use the phone and after dialing 4 different numbers and not getting an answer, I asked her if she needed a ride home. She told me she did not live in Tracy but in Valley Springs about an hour away. I asked her to wait while I put on some shoes and got my truck keys and I would take her home. She offered me $10.00 for gas which I refused. I told my wife goodbye and that I would call her after I dropped the young woman off and was on my way home.

The ride went off without a hitch and we got to Valley Springs without an incident. I dropped her off at her apartment and headed home, calling my wife before I left. I got home without incident and that’s where the pondering started.

I have been called too trusting and told I don’t think about my actions. In this day and age, I do realize I should what with all the gang violence and not knowing a person. Maybe I am too trusting, but maybe the rest of the world is too cynical. I did what I did because that is the way I was raised. The rules to live by, “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you,” the Golden Rule. “Do a good deed daily,” the Boy Scout motto. And “Help those when you can,” my own take on both of those rules

They say that chivalry is dead. If that is the case then that is do to the fact that society today has killed it. In the Code of Chivalry it mentions helping those less fortunate than yourself. But what is lee fortunate? I think being stranded an hours drive from home is unfortunate, and I did what I thought a Good Christian Man would do, I offered to take the person home. My decisions were based on these things.

1. What if it had been my daughter?
2. What if it had been my wife?
3. What if it had been me?

We as a society cannot afford to be cautious of every stranger that rings our doorbell. We need to treat each other as brothers and sisters and not think of the bad that can happen but of all the good too.

If you agree with me or even if you don’t your comments would be appreciated.