Packing a Florida Fishing Box
This page shares my approach to packing a Florida fishing box, for spin, fly, and panfish fishing.
Fish in Florida, fish everywhere, eat smaller fish and shrimp. In freshwater, insects, crayfish, and worms of various types supplement the fish and shrimp main course. In saltwater, crabs and worms of various types supplement the fish and shrimp main course.
As a result, you don’t have to get too fancy with your lure or fly choices.
This writer prefers lures with only a single hook. Safer for me, better for the fish. If you must use gang hooks, at least press down the barbs. When you hook yourself or a buddy miles from anywhere, you’ll be glad that the hook comes right out!
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My spin box contains ten DOA Shrimp, two shallow-running DOA Bait Busters, two deep-running DOA Bait Busters, a few floating plugs, assorted jerk baits, assorted jig heads, three or four Johnson Minnows, and extra hooks for soft plastic baits. I carry a bag of 3″ shad, and if going freshwater some plastic worms.
Suggested Saltwater Spin Tackle Box
Assorted jig heads, 1/8 to 1/2 ounce
Johnson Minnow, gold/silver, 1/8 and 1/4 ounce
DOA Shrimp, 3″
DOA Bait Buster, shallow runner
DOA Bait Buster, deep runner
5″ soft plastic jerk baits with appropriate 5/0 hooks
3″ soft plastic shads with 3/0 Owner 5132W-013 hooks.
The soft plastic shad and jerk baits are also used on the jig heads.
A surface plug (zara spook, chug bug, etc) can be included if you must. Replace gang hooks with singles, or press down the barbs.
You might want to carry a Cajun Thunder or similar popping cork.
All this stuff (with the exception of the soft plastic shad and jerk baits) will easily fit in a small Plano box. The soft plastics can be conveniently carried in a ziplock bag.
You’ll also need leader material and a tool to remove hooks, either a de-hooker, long nosed pliers, or surgical-style clamps. I carry all three.
My friend Mike Conneen loves using the Vudu shrimp. I’ve never tied one on. So I may not have your favorite lure here, but I catch fish all over the southeast with this kit.
The Johnson Minnow. Gold spoons gets all the press. Silver is just as good.
The DOA Shrimp works on a wide variety of fish, including largemouth bass. DOA- Deadly On Anything.
The DOA Bait Buster works on a wide variety of fish, including largemouth bass. DOA- Deadly On Anything.
Jerk baits are also exceptionally versatile lures, working on a wide range of gamefish.
The three-inch shad is my own go-to bait. LOTS of fish eat three-inch long minnows!
Carrying a couple surface lures is a good idea. A Chug Bug fooled this big ‘cuda.
The popping cork combo is very effective, regardless of who makes it.
When freshwater fishing I also bring Culprit plastic worms, and add a panfish box (see below).
My fly bag contains a Plano box jammed with flies, two ziplocks bags with synthetic minnows, unhooking tools, a file, and leader material.
Suggested Saltwater Fly Bag
Everything listed here fits (snugly) in a Simms Dry Creek Hip Bag. I wade a lot.
You want to imitate small fish, shrimp, and crabs (loosely), and be able to cover the entire water column from the surface to maybe 5 feet.
Small Plano box, inside of which are at least 100 flies.
-Sliders, #4, various weights and colors (shrimp imitations)
-Clouser Minnows, #4, various weights and colors (small fish imitations)
-wool crabs, #4 and #2, brown, green
-bunny strip flies, #2 and #4, various weights and colors
-Seaducers, #2 and #4, unweighted and lightly weighted (shrimp imitation). I prefer grizzly hackles, but use whatever colors you like.
-Rattle Rousers, #2. I don’t often use these, but always carry a few. (attractor)
-assorted unweighted flies, including bouncers, bendbacks, and fry flies (minnow imitations)
-poppers and gurglers, #4 and #2 (attractors)
Quart-size Ziplock bag with a color variety of synthetic minnow and Electric Sushi, #4 and #2.
Quart-size Ziplock bag with a color variety of synthetic minnow and Electric Sushi, #1 and #1/0.
My version of the Slider.
Most gamefish will take a slider!
What won’t a Clouser Minnow catch? The flounder and the mackerel were caught about 100 yards apart.
Another Clouser Minnow victim!
Crab flies need not be super realistic. These are deadly on both black and red drum.
Bunny leeches and strip flies work GREAT on a variety of fish.
Black bunny leech, black drum.
Black bunny leech, red drum.
Seaducers can be traditional hackle, or…
…incorporate a bunny strip collar. Weight or not, depending on the circumstance.
Fry minnows getting ready to fish.
All fish eat fry minnows!
A freshly-tied Bouncer-style minnow.
Got Bouncer?
Poppers and Gurglers- gotta have ’em.
Bass, on the Gurgler.
Baby tarpon love small gurglers! As do seatrout, snook, even reds sometimes.
Electric Sushi
Synthetic Minnow. These two flies are nearly interchangeable, the Sushi being flashier.
Bass, synthetic minnow.
Seatrout, synthetic minnow.
Another beast trout, synthetic minnow.
Any fish that eats smaller fish will take these flies!
Fluorocarbon leader wheels in 12, 15, 20, and 30 pound test.
With the textured lines now, you need some finger guards.
You’ll also need a tool to remove hooks, either a de-hooker, long nosed pliers, or surgical-style clamps. I carry all three. Again, consider pressing down the barbs on your hooks.
The panfish box has tiny plugs (mostly for show!), small spoons, Beetle Spins, Spoiler Shad, Road Runners, assorted jig heads, and twisty-tails.
Suggested Freshwater Panfish Box
Small Plano box. Inside are:
-a few micro-plugs. I seldom use these (gang hooks again), but love the way they look!
–small spoons. Al’s goldfish, Eppinger Dardevle, Johnson Minnow, etc. Can’t miss with the classics!
-small Beetle Spins
-small Road Runners
-1.5″ Creme Spoiler Shad
-assorted jig heads, 1/16th to 3/16th ounce.
Some 1″ to 2″ soft plastic twisty tails. I actually have another small box filled with these. When fishing is good, you go through them fast!
Hopefully, you already have the hook-remover tools!
Surprise catch this day. A fat hybrid striper from the St. Johns River, taken on an Al’s Goldfish while fishing for shad.
A giant redbelly, taken on a Road Runner.
Black bull bluegill, Road Runner again.
Crappie get in on the Road Runner act, too.
An ancient bluegill, Creme Spoiler Shad. The American shad and black crappie like these lures, too.
American shad on a twisty-tail crappie jig.
And that, dear reader, finishes my page on Packing a Florida Fishing Box. As you can see, you don’t need a suitcase to carry your tackle! Hope you found it helpful!
John Kumiski
Copyright © John A. Kumiski 2022. It is illegal to reproduce or distribute this work in any manner or medium without written permission from the author, John A. Kumiski, 284 Clearview Road, Chuluota, FL 32766 (407) 977-5207.