For a lot of us out there, it can be hard to leave some gear behind. But when you are using a kayak to fish, it can be near impossible to fit everything you want. Narrowing down your options to suit your storage capacity when you love lures and plastics is a tough task. I get it.

To help give you an idea of what you should perhaps focus on bringing, I am going to walk you through my kayak tackle box essentials. This is what I grab when I don't have a lot of room to spare, and I want to get on the water quickly.

This kit is built around West Coast inshore fishing.

The Kayak Box

I like to rock the simple Plano box for these trips. It allows me to organize my lures in a nice quick way. The box is lightweight, durable, and simply gets the job done without issue.

Lures

I pack it full of lures and bait that I have built the most confidence in over the years. Lures that I know will perform and catch fish when others might not.

• Lil John's
• Mirrodine's
• Gulp
• Zman products
• Goofy jigs, Speck Rig
• Zara topwater lures
• O.A shrimp + Live target shrimp

Leader, Hooks and Miscellaneous Other Tackle

• Fishing Knife
• Pro-Cure Saltwater Formula
• Glow beads
• Various hooks, circle hooks, #1, #1/0, #2, #2/0
• Line
• Split Shot Sinkers

That’s about it. I have other boxes with tons of gear, but this is my tried and true essentials. Mostly proven lures that can recommend with confidence.

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