The Best Tackle Boxes for Bass Fishing: Organize Like a Pro

Far too often, when the community talks about gear and what’s best to catch the biggest bass, we tend to fixate on rods, reels, and lures. Even random scents and something as simple as hooks get a lot of attention. 

However, all that stuff relies on an often underappreciated and neglected choice. Which tackle box are you going to use to carry all that stuff? 

The tackle box you choose has a major impact on your fishing experience, and today, we’re going to help you find the best one for your needs. 

Let’s get started. 

Why the Right Tackle Box Can Make or Break Your Day on the Water

A tackle box holds your stuff, and you don’t want a piece of junk that breaks and causes you to lose all your expensive gear or causes you headaches with lures and terminal tackle falling into the wrong compartments.

However, it goes much deeper than that. 

Different tackle boxes are going to work better for different situations. 

If you purchase a giant tackle box and load it up with all your tackle after years of collecting, you’re going to have a monstrous beast to carry around with you.

Even those larger tackle boxes on wheels with can holders and other features are a lot less agile than you initially think.

This might not seem like a big deal, but consider that tackle is often stolen at busier spots when the owner leaves it, every time you leave your tackle, you can’t quickly switch your rig to target a fish you’ve spotted, and in general, you end up walking around a lot more than you cast. 

Your tackle box is going to determine how well you can move around without leaving your gear in one spot, the variety of tackle you can carry, and your experience with accessing your tackle on the fly. 

Our Top 3 Tackle Boxes for Different Styles

There are countless tackle boxes on the market, and there are always DIY options that anglers show off. We’re going to cover our 3 favorite tackle boxes that match 3 different styles of bass fishing. 

1: The Fast-Moving Angler

This is a style yours truly has preferred for years. It saves time, energy, and space with the trade-off of having to really dial in what you’re going to use. 

With this method, you aren’t going to be lugging anything around. Instead, you carry a small tackle box capable of fitting in your cargo pocket or even strapping it to your belt, and that’s it.

No backpack, pull-behind tackle box, or hefty luggage-sized case to worry about. 

Our pick for this one is the Buzbe Colony 8 Thin Module Tackle Box. We chose this one because it solves all the issues of older pocket-sized tackle boxes, and it provides a great experience at just $20. 

With the Colony 8, you get 6 organization bins. 4 of them are smaller and best used for terminal tackle or finesse lures, and 2 of them are larger. There’s more than enough space for a few crankbaits, jerkbaits, or a variety of your favorite soft plastics. 

Within the lid system, there are seals designed to block your small terminal tackle items from sliding into other bins.

This is a huge step up, because that’s a massive problem with older and cheaper options. You get the box just how you want it, and after opening it once, you have splitshot and hooks all over the place. Not with the Colony 8. 

The Colony 8 also has metal hinges and a snap system to ensure that it closes fully each time, and the hinges last forever. Again, a lot of old-school options have major problems with that. They get worn down quickly, and old-school anglers end up relying on rubber bands to keep their tackle box shut. 

Another feature you’re going to love is the lock accommodation. You can easily attach a small padlock. This doesn’t stop a bad sportsman from snatching the box if you leave it lying around, but it disincentivizes it, because they see that they’ll have trouble accessing it. 

One issue with this is that it’s over 8 inches long and 5 inches wide. So, you’ll want to wear cargo pants with wider and deeper pockets to at least get most of the box into a pocket. We don’t think that’s a bad trade-off, though. 

With this system, you can easily pick a handful of your favorite lures, some terminal tackle for your most-used rigs, and get on the water. It allows you to keep walking between spots, get to those hard-to-reach areas that casual anglers don’t bother with, and more. You have unmatched agility in the field. 

As an honorable mention, the Plano Magnum is a double-stacked box that’s very similar to this. It lacks the ruggedness of the Colony 8, but it has more bins thanks to the two-sided design, and it’s a little cheaper. However, it’s all plastic. 

2: The Boatman’s Rig

If you’re on a boat, you might think you’re all set with onboard storage. However, there’s a good case to make for having not only one tackle box, but two. 

Onboard storage is susceptible to theft and often lacks the customizability of tackle boxes. Even if you lock it up, your boat is left outside, and particularly stubborn thieves can try to access it. That’s assuming you don’t forget to lock it up. 

We recommend two tackle boxes for when you’re sailing around looking for bass. 

First, the Plano Tackle System Hip 3 Stowaway Box is going to be your “home base”. It’s got tons of bins and foldaway storage options, accompanied by a very large main well.

This is more than enough room for your tools and every lure you can potentially use without bringing your whole collection along.

However, it’s still small and light enough that you can easily transport it out of the house, into the boat, and onto the water without pulling a back muscle. Some larger chest-style boxes might hold the whole collection, but they’re a pain to move around. 

Then, grab either the Buzbe Colony 8 that we mentioned previously, or try the Gamakatsu G-Box Pocket, or the Buzbe Fast Flatz Bait Bag. These are all the same concept. They’re ultra-light tackle boxes you can slip into a cargo pocket, onto a chest rig, or even around your waist with a bit of creativity. 

The reason behind this setup is that you can have your main tackle box with all your favorite goodies stowed safely away near the captain’s seat or somewhere else that you prefer, but you can keep your most-used lures right there on your person safely. 

You don’t have to lay them on the casting deck, hook them to your hat, or risk dropping your whole tackle box into the water by keeping the bigger box next to you. 

Instead, if you need to cycle to a different color or try a jerkbait instead of a crankbait, you just pop open your box, tie it on, and get your lure back in the water. There’s no walking around, messing with a big box, or any of that. 

This will save you a tremendous amount of time, keep your lures safe from falling overboard, and when you’re done for the day, all of it can go right back into your truck without any effort. 

The bigger stowaway box is a little more expensive at nearly $100, but keep in mind that it’s still small enough to take on those days when you don’t use the boat and just want a lazy day, lawn chair fishing.

3: The All-Day Bank Fisherman

We covered our favorite box for bank fishing already. That’s our preferred style, too. 

However, what if you don’t have your needs dialed in to a handful of lures? What if you’re going to be fishing a new spot and have no idea what you need? You simply can’t rely on a couple of go-to options. 

That’s where the backpack angler approach comes in, and we have the perfect bag for that. 

Pick up the Buzbe Empty Swarm Tackle Bag. This is an over-the-shoulder backpack tackle box that combines the benefits of having a traditional stowaway box with the benefits of a more mobile setup. 

On its own, it’s a very deep main compartment with a couple of zip-up side bags, and waterproof. It can also hold up to 15 of Buzbe’s modular tackle boxes, and we’re sure other brands will fit just fine, but there aren’t any official measurements for that. 

You can load this thing up with a huge collection of lures and terminal tackle, a spare reel or a few tools, slap it over your shoulder, and get moving.

It’s not quite as mobile as the pocket setup, but you get a ton more space. Also, if you do drop it in the water or you get caught in the rain, all your gear is safe. It’s even a great idea to keep your phone in it to ensure it doesn’t go into the water while you fish. 

There are only two drawbacks to this. The Buzbe Empty Swarm is $160. It’s pricy, but you get your money’s worth in terms of quality, and it’s going to last you a very long time. Not only that, but if it’s protecting hundreds of dollars of lures and an $800 smartphone, it’s worth every penny. 

The other drawback is that it might give you too much space. The point of these setups in our mind is to remain mobile. That’s the issue with traditional stowaway boxes.

They’re a pain to carry around, and they incentivize you to stay still. Well, if you load this thing up with 30 lbs of gear, you’re not going to be very comfortable lugging it around all day. 

That’s something that you have to self-regulate. Know what you can handle and fill it up accordingly. Going overboard because you have the space isn’t always the best idea.  

If $160 is a bit steep for you, you can also go with a Mustad Blueline bag. There are multiple options, and most of them come in around the $35 range. They aren’t quite as rugged, and they don’t all have waterproof zippers, but they get the job done well at a cheaper price. 

Even cheaper, you can modify a normal backpack. This is for the very budget-oriented anglers, because there are a lot of drawbacks, but you’re not stuck just because you’re on a budget.

Maybe we’ll cover some options like that in the future. 

Bonus Tackle Box Suggestion: The Sit-Down Angler’s All-in-One

Maybe you’ve gotten a bit older, or you have something going on that keeps you from being as mobile as you’d like to be on the water.

Maybe you go on a lot of family outings, and you can’t afford to just leave the kids while you walk around to different spots? 

We’ve got you covered. 

The Plano Guide Series Two-Tier Stowaway 4600 is the best bet for this type of fishing. It’s a two-tier tray-style box with plenty of room for a large selection of lures and terminal tackle, it’s built tough, and it’s only $15.

If one of the kids stomp on it, you’re not going to out of a lot of money, and it doesn’t weigh much at all. So, you can easily carry it along with your rods, lawn chair, cooler, etc. 

You can also opt for one of the bigger stowaway Hip 3s, but you’ll have more weight and more stuff to lug around. 

There’s a Tackle Box for Everyone: Get Out and Fish

No matter how you like to fish, there’s a top-tier tackle box out there to hold all your stuff and make your life easier.

If you’ve found yourself feeling weighed down by your storage solution, or you’re just not having a good experience, try comparing your fishing style to our list, and pick one of our top tackle boxes for bass fishing.

While you’re at it, check out the BassForecast blog for more ways to improve your bass fishing experience.

Also, if you want to further improve your chances of catching trophy bass, take a look and download our fishing app.

It tracks real-time weather, leveraging bass industry research and proven seasonal patterns to deliver tailored forecasts, ratings, and tips.