Inside The Musky Tackle Box
By Craig Sandell © 2009

A few months ago, I did a comparison between the Plano, Flambeau and Special Mate tackle boxes. After doing the comparison, I decided that it was time for a new tackle box for me and I decided to take my own advice…so I bought a Special Mate 1345c.

The first time I opened the Special Mate, I was struck at the way the tackle box was configured to allow for lure visibility. The 9 separators are hinged which allows for easy flipping of the separators to find the lure of choice.

I was also impressed by the simple, yet effective, way in which the lures are separated. Each of the separators has a barrier that has each lure isolated from adjacent lures; thereby helping to prevent lure entanglement. This is a far cry from the 5 gallon bucket storage used by many anglers which results in a malaise of tangled hooks.

Nothing is perfect and this tackle box is no exception. I found two problem areas.

The first problem was with a couple of jerk baits. The Manta and the Suick have tails that protrude too far above the separators to allow the box to close if the lure is stored nose down. To overcome this problem, I had to store them nose up. The lure still protrudes above the separator slightly but there is enough room above the separator and the tackle box lid to allow the lid to be closed.

The second problem was a lure configuration problem. I do use lures that employ spreaders. Spreader hooks span the barriers that keep the hook separate and also somewhat lessen the space between the separators.

I did discover a side benefit to the separator.

As do many Musky anglers, I use a variety of lures, among them spinners. You can store a few spinners on the back of the last separator without fear of entanglement as long as the spinner does not use a treble hook.

The bottom line here is that the tackle box has lived up to my expectation. It accommodates the lures that I use and it is easy to see what lures I have and I do not find myself wasting time untangling hooks in the midst of a Musky hunt.

If you are interested in getting one of the Special Mate tackle boxes, you will find them on the Jackson Lures Website.

Good Fishing