Fishing Vacations in the Florida Keys: Tackle Box Basics

What do you really need in your Florida Keys fishing tackle box?

For most anglers visiting the Keys for their first fishing vacation the key is, less is more. The water in the keys is pretty clear most of the time so heavy leaders, big hooks and big anything else is normally not the ticket. So let us start to pack a Florida Keys basic tackle box.

Hooks: A good range of sizes is size 8 (bait hooks) to size 5/0. These are in J-hook sizes, for circle hooks you have to add to the size. You really don't need each size in the series skip two or three sizes. A good basic box would have sizes: 8, 4, 2, 2/0, 5/0. Having a few more is fine these are basic sizes that will be useful. I prefer silver or gold colored hooks but it does not make that much difference.

Jigs: Have a fair variety starting with 1/8 ounce and ranging to ¾ ounce. The buck tail jigs will last much longer with the variety of fish we have down here. Plain jigs tipped with shrimp, crab or cut bait work just fine though. Color wise, the chartreuse, yellow and white are solid performers. The red/white in the larger sizes with buck tail or Mylar skirts work great for the school dolphin. If you want to bring grubs heads and soft bait bring them on, but they are not required.

Swivels: You do not have to get too crazy here. Size 7 and size 5 swivels are fine for most applications. Make sure they are black! Toothy fish hit flashy stuff, so save the flash for the hook. Barrel swivels are all your really need but a few locking snap swivels are not a bad thing to have. Make sure they are locking snap swivels. There are other swivel styles that will work. Remember this is a basic box. Just avoid fresh water style swivels. As before you can add more sizes, these are just the most common you will use.

Leader, Monofilament: Ten or 12-pound fluorocarbon and fifty pound mono or fluoro are the biggies. Eighty or one hundred pound is great for deep dropping or if you are shark fishing. If you plan on using one of those fancy lines that is not clear, add twenty and thirty pound to that list.