Bank Tacklebox Set Up ?

[ChrisD46]

If limited to bank fishing (assorted lake conditions) - what do you pack in your tacklebox to handle a wide variety of situations ? ... So far , I have :

1. Ned Rig
2. Senko (T-Rig , Wacky)
3. Trick Worm (T-Rig , Wacky)
4. Spinnerbait
5. Vibrating Jig
6. Arky Jig
7. Football Jig
8. Top Water Popper
9. Walking Bait
10. Lipless Crank Bait / Shallow Running Crank Bait

[LrgmouthShad]

really depends. I try to guess the conditions and bring as little as possible. 
 

For my trip with @thediscochef, bank fishing a lake that I’ve never been on before, I looked at the weather, saw it was going to be pretty mild winds and figured that we were going to be fishing in some rocks and that we also might be fishing some crowded areas, so I packed the following with a bit of a finesse approach:

 

- 2 rods: jig and t-rig

- One sandwich bag with some light wire hooks and light bullet weights

- One sandwich bag with some heavy bullet weights and heavier wire hooks

- One sandwich bag with small jigs

- 3 bags of worms

- 4 bags of craw baits

- 2 bags jig trailers

- Spare line and other tools

 

I don’t really wish I had brought anything else in spite of what I may have said about spinnerbaits out there ?. Maybe some topwater, but that’s it

[Mobasser]

I bank fish one or two times per week. I carry worms, hooks, weights, one spinnerbait, one popper, one Buzzbait. It all fits in a small box that hooks to my belt loop. I like to be mobile, and travel light.

[leinad]

80% of the time for wade/bank fishing rivers near me i take 

 

1. ned rig ( trd, rabid bait fox , missle baits ned bomb - 1/32 to 1/10 ned head )

 

2 keitech 2.8 + 3.8 fat impact paddle tails 1/12 +1/8 jig head 

 

3. duo realis 4" wriggle stick with a 3/0 ewg hook

 

this is all i need. if i can't catch with these then they just aren't biting !

 

 

[Pat Brown]

As folks are pointing out, mobility is paramount.  I want to cover water and be stealthy and accurate so my tackle reflects that.

 

I typically have some different profile and action and color soft plastics, some hooks and weights.  A few jigs.  A few Buzzbaits.  A few spinnerbaits. A few lipless crankbaits.  Maybe a frog, a Jerkbait and a squarebill depending on the season.

 

I like it when I have a pattern dialed in and I can leave my car with one rod, but I'm more likely to have a topwater rod (buzzbait), bottom contact rod (jig/t rig) and a moving bait rod (spinnerbait).  If I'm going to skip one on small bodies of what it would be the moving bait rod.

 

Keep it simple and focus primarily on covering water and being stealthy and making accurate casts and you should do well with these tried and true presentations!

[casts_by_fly]

for me it depends a little on how far I'm walking in and what my plans are for the day.  If its a hike to get into and I'm staying a while then I'll take a little more and maybe a second rod.  If its a pond or lake and I'm near enough to the truck and/or spot hopping that day then I'll take less to the shore and leave it in the truck.

 

What I specifically take depends on the pond/lake.  Some places/times that means grab a frog and be done with it.  More realistically a chatterbait or three, a couple jigs with trailers on them, a handful of plastics (which could be used as trailers too) and terminal tackle, some lipless cranks if the weeds aren't too bad (which means early season here), a spinnerbait or two, and that's about it.  Pliars and nail clippers round out the set.  Everything goes loose in a fanny pack I have except for the treble hooks.  They will go in either a small plastic case or an old rattle trap box.

[Bankc]

I'd focus more on the lake than the bank. 

 

For example, if there's a lot of vegetation in the lake, then you'll probably want lures you can get through or around that vegetation.  Maybe a topwater to come over them, or a Texas rigged soft plastic to get through them.  Or maybe it's all sunken timber and you want a squarebill or spinnerbait to bounce off of them.  And, depending on how steep and deep the water is near the banks, you might want to consider heavier lures that you can cast further out, especially if there's much wind to deal with.  Or, if you'll be fishing near to the bank, you might want lighter lures to remain more stealthy so you don't make a big splash.  

 

Of course, water clarity matters as well.  And consider fishing pressure.  

In other words, I wouldn't approach it with a one size fits all mindset.  I'd tailor my approach to the actual conditions I would be fishing in, which means I'd probably pack on a couple of lures.  When fishing from a boat, it makes more sense to pack a bunch of options, as you'll often be fishing in a multitude of conditions and locations.  From the bank, you rarely need so many options, as you're typically fishing the same conditions, just in different locations.  

[Alex from GA]

I carry all my tackle in a fly vest.  Saves me from carrying a box.

[greentrout]

this time of year ...

 

1. Trick Worm T Rigged, weightless and with some bright colors for floating worm presentations.

2. 3/8 oz. Rattlin' Rapala

3. 1/4 oz Tiny Torpedo

4. 1/4 oz. It's a Humdinger Spinnerbait

5. Floating Rattlin Rouge 4 1/8"

 

(1) BC rig MH 7 ft Fast casting 3/16 - 3/4 oz. Reel: BPS Pro Qualifier 30 IPT ... (1) 6'9' ft. med fast 3/16 - 5/8 oz. Reel: Daiwa Crossfire LT 2500 30 IPT spinning setup ... carry Flambeau Kwikdraw with needed tackle and pliers.

 

Sometimes I'm on the move. Other times I'm slow and methodical. Depends....  familiar with the places I fish.

 

Good Fishing

 

[JediAmoeba]

For beating the bank I have a tackle backpack that holds 3 or 4 3600 size boxes. I usually take 2 deeps and 1 shallow 3600 size.

 

I look at the conditions for the day, figure out how I want to fish and load the tackle boxes, from all my tackle, with whatever I will be using that day. When I get home I put it all back in its correct boxes/containers. I usually carry 2 or 3 rods...more often than not 3 because I throw large swimbaits much of the time.  But keep it simple and make sure you have extra line and all the tools you will need.

[Mobasser]

When I started bass fishing, I carried way too much tackle. Multiple rods, huge box, with lots of things I rarely used. If your fishing a new lake, you might want to carry more things.                                                Now, I've got the bite dialed in on my lake, so I carry far less. I'll probably change a couple of things going into fall. 95 percent of the time a plastic worm gets it done, and I only take one rod.

[fin]

Having a list is contrary to the way I fish. My pack changes a little bit every day. I will add something new and then after a few days realize how heavy my backpack is getting, so I go through and remove everything that I’m not really using. That's in addition to the seasonal changes I make, based on my history of what they've bit in the past.

 

Sometimes I pack for mobility and carry very little, but sometimes when I know I’m going to be fishing only one spot and haven’t had much luck lately, I will pack a lot of different things to try.

 

If I’m not going to throw something, I don’t want to carry it around. That’s the goal.

 

But I fish the same lake every day. It sounds like you are going to a lake you've never been to before and know nothing about. Finding the fish is hard enough. I'd concentrate on that with the bait you have the most confidence in, rather than carrying a bunch of stuff you'll never use. All that stuff will just make you lose focus.

[Bankbeater]

Most of the time I carry 5 3600 boxes in the tackle bag, and cram plastic worms in one of the side pockets.  The boxes will contain terminal tackle, jigs, craws and creatures for pitching, stick baits, and hard baits.  The jigs and hard baits get changed out depending on where I will be fishing, but the other boxes stay the same.  I try not to get too specialized when walking the bank.  I want 2 or 3 rods with me that can cover multiple presentations.

[TnRiver46]

Just follow @Team9nine’s example and use your pockets. He slays em 

[ATA]

Thats what I have in 3700 size, for last few years and I am very happy with it:

https://www.tacklewarehouse.com/Plano_KVD_Signature_Series_Tackle_Bags/descpage-KVB.html

[gimruis]

Just now, TnRiver46 said:

Just follow @Team9nine’s example and use your pockets. He slays em 

He hangs them from the holes and rips in his jeans. Until his wife refused to continue washing them. Then that was the end of that.

[king fisher]

This load is for the soft plastics.  Hard baits requires a horse.

[thediscochef]

Just depends on where I'm at and what I'm doing. I have a "short-walk box" and a couple options for a "long-walk box". The short walk box is a flambeau T4 orange/white, I use the two big trays up front and a smaller one next to them, the space above for scale and tools, and the space behind for a wide array of plastics. Allows me to carry a lot without a huge box, but it gets heavy on a long long walk. I generally bring it if I'm gonna be parked somewhere for a while picking an area apart. The long-walk box is a plano weekender 3500 softsider. Allows me to bring a handful of confidence lures and 3-4 bags of plastic plus a scale. Light weight and I can carry it for a longer way without being so worn out. 

 

In the winter I have a plano 3500 stowaway that I use to ferry more hardbaits but downsizing the amount of plastic I carry. The nice thing is that the same 3500 trays fit across all of the boxes so I can sort of just have one terminal tackle box for both the flambeau and the stowaway. 

As far as baits that's just dependent on where I'm going but generally with the short walk box i like to have 2-4 different types of topwaters, some lipless, a jerkbait or two, some chatterbaits, and stuff to rig plastics 3-5 different ways (texas, ned, shakey, carolina, free). Generally lets me cover all depths and speeds until I get dialed in on something.

[PaulVE64]

1 rod and a hip pack that holds all my terminal tackle, spare line, pliers and some lures.

Oh and a whiskey flask.

[Bazoo]

I normally use a plano 1120 satchel style box for the bank, or a small box I can slip in my back pocket if I intend to travel light. 

 

For the back pocket box, I carry a spinnerbait, a popper or spit'n image, hooks and bullet weights, usually a crankbait, sometimes a jig, sometimes a chatterbait, then I put in my pocket a bag of worms, usually senkos.

 

In my satchel box, I carry all of that plus extra's of it all as well as a few things I know works but I don't use as much, such as a jitterbug. I've caught lots of bass on a jitterbug in the past, but I rarely throw it anymore for some reason.

 

I also rig my satchel box with a shoulder strap, so I can either fish while walking if I only carry 1 rod, or have both hands for 2 rods. I most often use 2 rods, and generally, they are rigged with spinnerbait and worm.

 

I'm always changing what I carry, and trying something new, leaving stuff I never use. I generally keep all the stuff I don't use in the car as well as spares of things I do use.

[ChrisD46]

Great replies and new suggestions !

[RRocket]

On 9/18/2023 at 8:08 AM, ChrisD46 said:

If limited to bank fishing (assorted lake conditions) - what do you pack in your tacklebox to handle a wide variety of situations ? ... So far , I have :

1. Ned Rig
2. Senko (T-Rig , Wacky)
3. Trick Worm (T-Rig , Wacky)
4. Spinnerbait
5. Vibrating Jig
6. Arky Jig
7. Football Jig
8. Top Water Popper
9. Walking Bait
10. Lipless Crank Bait / Shallow Running Crank Bait

I wrote about my minimalist set up. Many of my items are dual use. For example, my wacky and drop shot hook are the same. The weights I use work for my free rig, drop shot, etc

 
I'll get the link for you.

 
 
 
 

[RRocket]

https://www.bassresource.com/bass-fishing-forums/topic/255752-minimalist-fishing/?do=findComment&comment=2999001

[FishTax]

I use a sling backpack fishing bag thing that holds 2 3600 boxes + a big pocket for plastics and 2 rods for bank fishing. For banks, I'm usually not fishing trebles because there is a lot of wood and dead grass mats pretty much everywhere I bank fish (ponds). I'm carrying a good assortment of plastics, a couple of frogs, and a variety of terminal tackle. I'm thinking of only fishing soft plastics for a month to reduce my tackle load and refine my fishing with those approaches. So many things you do with just plastics. TR, Wacky, Swimming worms, toads, craws, keitec, neds, etc. and many of those can be done weedless which is certainly my preference. 

[Skunkmaster-k]

Gotta have a Jitterbug In my bag. And some Kastmaster spoons. Purple worms , of course. Some hooks, some weights , carry one MF 7’ spinning outfit with 12# mono and batta bing batta boom you got yourself a good time.