Limiting my tackle choices actually brings on anxiety for me! I’m not kidding! I head out on my regular outings with what most anglers would consider a ridiculous amount of tackle: 6 to 8 rigged rods, and tubs of additional tackle. I try to cover every angling scenario I might encounter, so narrowing down some travel tackle hasn’t been easy. Last year, I helped a few anglers with minimal traveling tackle, and their results really helped anchor ideas on how to achieve success with a bare amount of necessary tackle, no matter where you might travel.

Packing a small amount of tackle for familiar waters or waters where the available species is well known, and then taking the appropriate tackle, is not much of an issue. For example, if bass are the main species in your travel locations, then pack a small amount of your favorite bass baits to appeal to your intended species; that thinking applies to any species that you know are in your destination waters. The decision process for bait selection becomes a bigger issue when you’re traveling blind with no target species in mind. But I have come up with what I consider a successful solution for traveling to waters unknown: a soft swimbait or some type of swimming tail presentation.

The market is loaded with multitudes of soft-plastic, swimming-tail-type baits, from paddle or boot-tail-style baits along with time-tested, twister-tail-grub swimming tails. All are effective; your choice often comes down to personal preference and confidence level in that style of bait.

The uniqueness of a swimming-style bait is that you can simply adjust your bait size to whatever species you might find in the waters you visit. Few bait styles can cover species from bluegills to muskies, and even saltwater applications, like soft swimbaits. I have swimbaits from 1-inch on up to 8-inch hunks of plastic covering every type of species I might encounter. I base my swimbait opinions on words spoken by the original designer of the famous Rapala Minnow, Lauri Rapala, “Big fish eat little fish!” That pretty much sums it up! And truer words I have never found spoken concerning predator/prey circumstances. Since my interest piqued for swimbaits years ago, I’ve not encountered a species that refused them as a meal option.

So, let’s pack a box for some travel destination outings. Once again, if you’re certain of the species of fish you will encounter, then simply pack the appropriately sized baits for those species of fish; that’s pretty straightforward. Now, let’s put together some baits for unknown fishing outings. Personally, I like to sample the local inhabitants in the waters I find, so I choose a simple selection to cover most normal species.

First in the box are baits for panfish—always a good plan when you have limited time on the water. Swimbaits or twister grubs in the 1- to 2.5-inch range will appeal to most bluegills, crappies, small trout, perch and smaller bass. As food for thought, my largest muskie caught at Heidecke Lake, a 49.5-inch fat beast, came on a 2-inch swimbait, so the potential of these tiny swimming baits is pretty impressive.

Next in the box are the baits ranging from 2.5- to 3.25-inch tails. These swimming baits cover smaller bass, white bass, big crappies, and smaller walleyes. But just a reminder, smaller baits account for good-sized species as well; I’m just using these fish selections as a general idea.

My last size, and most popular with larger gamefish, are swimming baits in the 3.5- to 4.25-inch range that bring out larger bass, walleyes, stripers and pike; believe it or not, they’re my most successful bait size for larger catfish!

Now, larger tails exist, but unless I’m certain the waters I’ll be near have larger predators, I’ll stick with my above choices.

Style of swimming tails is a personal choice. Larger paddle tails or boot tails offer more vibration and sound output, perfect for stained waters. Tighter movements in a swimming tail are more productive in clear-water conditions. If you’re not sure about water clarity, take a few different styles, but simple paddle tails will normally get the job done.

After you’ve picked a few soft baits, some type of jig head is next on your packing list. First, fit the jig head size and weight to the appropriate swim body size. I tend to use swimbait-style jig heads, but it really doesn’t matter; a standard ball head style will catch them, too. It never hurts to put in a couple of weedless model jig heads, and for larger baits, weighted swimbait hooks. These can be rigged weedless as well.

So, we’ve established the baits. Now let’s look at rods and reels to minimize the room needed for packing.

Rods are really the big issue when trying to fit tackle in a minimal space. You certainly could go with travel rods; they pack away nicely in travel tubes and remain safe from damage by the rest of a vehicle’s content/travelers. If you’re not into travel-style rods, then two-piece rods are your next best option. If you can pack a protective rod tube, that’s ideal; if not, wrap your rods in towels to protect your investments.

As far as reels, my rod and reel preference for travel is always spinning gear. You can take your casting rods, but to cover variations in bait sizes, I just prefer spinning gear. If you can get by with carrying two rods, great; but one medium- to medium-light-action rod covers most fishing applications. I carry a couple of spinning reels: one light, and one more medium in size, such as a 2500 for the light size lures, and a 3000 for heavier applications. I try to carry a couple of reels in cases if space is permitted.

Line-wise, braids are my go-to choices; you could probably cover and handle all the fish you might encounter during these trips with 10-pound-test braid, but you must pick line diameters within your comfort range. Also bring along a small spool of leader line if line visibility is an issue with you.

Pack all your tackle in a small bag, and don’t forget pliers and line cutters—small items, but essential to your fishing outings.

If you’re like me, you’ll find minimizing your tackle to this extreme a little challenging, as you’ll want to take just one more thing. Keep in mind that you’re just taking enough gear to cover short moments of testing out the local waters, all while trying to maintain peace within your family times together.

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