What to Keep in an Emergency Tackle Box: Fishing Gear for Your Car, Camp, or Survival

Whether you're stuck in traffic, hiking to a remote lake, or facing a survival scenario, this guide shows you the essential fishing gear to pack and why it matters.

A small tackle box with basic fishing tackle is great for impromptu fishing trips or backcountry camping. | Joe Shead

Why You Need an Emergency Fishing Tackle Kit

You might keep an emergency tackle box in your car or truck so you can fish during your kid's soccer practice. Or you might want a simple kit to bring on a camping trip for or even for use in a survival situation. Here's what you should bring.

The Car Tackle Box: Essentials Ready to Fish Anytime, Anywhere

This small tackle box fits in a truck's glove compartment for quick fishing opportunities. | Joe Shead

If you're packing a tackle box to keep in your car or truck, it should be small enough that it doesn't take up a lot of space, but you can certainly get away with a bigger box and more tackle than you'd bring on a camping trip.

To a large extent, your tackle box should contain lures and gear suited to your area. If you live in the mountains, for example, your kit might be trout oriented, whereas if you live in the deep south, your box might contain lures for bass and bream.

Gear for live bait is always a good bet. Hooks, split shot and bobbers can be used to fish store-bought minnows and nightcrawlers, or simply worms, grasshoppers and crickets you catch on your own. Jigs with plastic tails in assorted sizes will catch nearly everything, including panfish, bass, walleyes, trout and pike. Various-sized spinners will catch the same assortment. A lot of it is up to personal preference. If you love panfish, load up on light jigs, small spinners and plain hooks. If gamefish are your forte, spinners, jigs, spoons and crankbaits are better choices.

Additionally, you might carry a tape measure, a pliers or hemostat for removing hooks, an extra spool of line, sinkers, bobbers and the like. Your car kit can just be a scaled-down version of your regular tackle box.

The Camping Kit: Lightweight Fishing Gear for Remote Adventures

A telescopic fishing rod, a tiny reel, some basic tackle, a Swiss army knife and a hemostat are everything you need for fishing on a camping trip. | Joe Shead

If you have to pack your gear into a remote lake or river -- perhaps with a tent, sleeping bag, food and other supplies -- you want to go light. Pack just the minimum. Again, plain hooks, bobbers and split shot are golden because they are small, lightweight and you can probably find natural bait by rolling over logs or rocks.

A hemostat is useful for hook removal if you have room. I always bring a Swiss army knife camping. It's great for cutting fishing line of course, but I've used it to poke out deeply swallowed hooks and clean fish. It could even be useful for emergency reel repair.

Tailor your camping kit specifically to the water you'll be fishing. If it's a remote trout lake, obviously just bring spinners, spoons, flies, plain hooks and other trout-specific gear.

The Survival Kit: Small Tackle Box, Big Impact

This is the sort of gear you'd pack if you were anticipating an emergency where catching a few fish might save your life. | Joe Shead

This is the tackle you might pack if you're not planning to fish, but carrying fishing tackle could save your life in an emergency situation. A kit like this might fit in a very small box the size of a cigarette box. Sucrets throat lozenges tins have long been a staple for emergency fishing kids, but any small box will do. Think minimal here: a few hooks, some line, split shot and maybe a small float or two. This is a box you hope to never use.

Compact Rod and Reel Options: Always Handy, Always Ready to Fish

A telescopic fishing rod equipped with a small spin-casting reel takes up little space and can be stored in your truck or strapped to a backpack for camping. | Joe Shead

A compact spin-casting or spinning reel doesn't take up much room. And you can even loosen the reel handle on a spinning reel and fold it flat for easier storage. The rod is the biggest consideration. A one-piecer is out. Even most two-piece rods are a bit long for emergency use. Telescopic rods are the way to go because they fold very small and take up very little space. Plus, the larger, bottom pieces form a nest for the more delicate tip section, although you may want to tape down the tip so it doesn't slide out and get broken in a backpack or bouncing around under a car seat.

There are even some very small micro rod and reel combos made with the traveling angler in mind. Even an ice fishing rod wouldn't be out of the question in some situations. It all comes down to how large of a rod you're willing to store and carry.

Make a Tackle Plan: The Benefit of Preparation

Remember, you’ll want to adjust your emergency kits to the local types of water and species available. A few thoughtful choices can create a small kit that is surprisingly effective. And you’ll never be disappointed that you were prepared to go fishing when an unexpected opportunity presented itself.