I signed up for Mystery Tackle Box roughly 4 months ago, where I was persuaded by their advertisements on both Facebook and YouTube. I paid less than $10 for my first box, and figured I’d see what it was all about.
My first box came, and I was impressed. The products were quality and I absolutely got my money’s worth in tackle. If you’re considering signing up for this monthly service, I’d recommend at least giving a shot.
Each month’s box is focused on fishing techniques (I get the bass box) for the given month – summer months will provide with summer baits for example. I’m going to go through each bait’s details, along with my first impressions in this post. I will provide another post at a later date for a review of each bait after I have used them. This pattern will occur on a monthly basis.
BOOYAH Prank in Chartreuse Bone Color
First is the BOOYAH Prank in chartreuse bone, and cost $9.99. This Mystery Tackle Box exclusive is a lipped popper is what the name infers, a prankster, because you can use this as a topwater popper that throws water with added action from the lip, or as a shallow running crankbait. It features a white-feathered rear treble hook, of which I can’t tell as to whether is hand-tied or not, but also contains a few strands of flashabou. The shape of this bait is nothing like I’ve ever seen, with straight edges on top of the bait that probably increase its crankbait-like action. The bait seems to be quality made, and has a split ring to tie on to (always a good thing). Overall, I can see this bait being thrown in the early morning on a hot day and catching some good fish with its variable action.
Big O's Eeliminator in Green Pumpkin Color
Next, we have Big O’s Eeliminator in green pumpkin color, and costs $3.66. This large, 4.5” long soft plastic bait features a 2.5” rage tail – this bait is also almost an inch wide. I’m not going to lie, I’ve never been a fan of soft plastics with this style of tail, as they seem to lack action (in my opinion). With that said, I’ve also never fished a bait with this style of tail that is almost an inch wide. The baits came in a pack of 4, and lie within a plastic clamshell to keep their shape. I’m planning on throwing this Texas or Carolina rigged, though I’m sure it could be thrown weightless.
Castaic Atlas Buzzbait in Chartreuse and White Color
Following is the Castaic Atlas Buzzbait in chartreuse and white color, and costs $6.49. This ½ oz buzzbait is huge, and it seems pretty high quality. The hook is sticky sharp, the color is quality painted, and both the blade and wire are of thick gauge. Admittedly, the fishing I often do will not provide with a place to throw this bait, as it’s just too big, and the fish I go after seemingly don’t like buzzbaits/chatterbaits.
The Lucky John Wacky Hama Stick in Wakasagi Color.
Next is the Lucky John Wacky Hama Stick in Wakasagi color (I have no idea what this means), and costs $2.99. This Mystery Tackle Box exclusive is 3.5” in length, has a strong mackerel scent, and contains 5 pieces per container. This is one of my favorite styles of bait to throw on a Carolina rig around my parts of town. I’ve been a fan of Lucky John’s hard baits, but this package of soft bait does seem cheaply made. In fact, there is a spelling error on the front of the package (yeah, I’m a stickler). Otherwise, though, I’m betting that I could catch some decent fish on this bait. Did I mention that it has a strong mackerel scent?
Karl's Stash 1/8 oz bullet weights
Last, and perhaps least, is the package of Karl’s Stash 1/8 oz bullet weights, and costs $0.50 for a package of 3. In all reality, terminal tackle is important, and I always enjoy stocking my terminal tackle box. These don’t seem any more or less superior to any other lead bullet weights, but I can assure that they will see some water (and hopefully some ripped lips).
The monthly box always contains a fashionable sticker, and also a “Dibble” that contains a few details of the baits in the box. It also contains some articles regarding fishing, some comical and some serious. This month’s box also contained a catalog showing some advertisements.
Overall, I give this box a 3.5 out of 5. I don’t see myself using the Eeliminator or the buzzbait much for my current common fishing, but all baits seemed of at least decent quality. As mentioned, keep a lookout for part II of this same box after I’ve tried to catch some fish. Until next time…