9 Best Surf Tackle Bag For Surf Fishing

Any modern fisherman needs a good fishing bag. You want to feel well prepared but still keep it simple for a successful day or night at the beach. There are several things to consider before buying a surf fishing bag.

The best surf fishing bags also known as lure bags, should be water-resistant or better yet waterproof, adaptable to match your needs, roomy with compartments to store and organize your fishing accessories for efficiency, durable, and just as important, comfortable and convenient. 

If you’re in a hurry, I recommend the Shimano Bluewave Surf bag. With this surf bag, you can store everything that you need for your surf fishing trip. This tackle bag is excellent for beginners or even if you are season angler.

Since today’s market offers a wide range of fishing bags with different styles, sizes, and price points, we have compiled this list to include the 9 best surf fishing bags you can get.

1. Piscifun Fishing Tackle Storage -Crossbody Sling Bag

The Piscifun cross-body sling bag is one of the most recognized tackle bags among fishermen. It is praised for its good quality, ample storage, and versatility. 

The fishing bag is made of 1000D high-density nylon fabric. Hence, it is water-resistant and fitted with a KAM buckle to stand the test of time against abrasion. 

It boasts the SBS full-length double zippers, which are well suited for outdoor bags due to their durability. 

Style – Even though the Piscifun model is primarily a crossbody sling bag, it is equipped with two widened, detachable and exchangeable shoulder straps that you can use either on the right or left shoulders. 

The main strap can be adjusted up to 51.2 inches while the associate strap extends up to 36.2 inches. This then gives you ample room to customize the bag to match your style needs. You can turn the bag into a sling bag, a handbag, a chest bag, or a backpack. 

Aside from using it as a tackle bag, many people also use it when traveling or in the military to store tools and other essentials. 

Notable features of the Piscifun fishing bag include two-rod belts to keep your rods secured. It has a reflective sticker, which is important to reflect during the night, a rear breathable mesh that guarantees comfort and two side pockets.

One side has a water bottle pocket, which also comes with strings to ensure your bottle or cup stays in place, and on the other side, you have a two in one pocket to hold tools like pliers. 

At 11.8 x 8.3 x 3.9 inches, this fishing bag features multiple storage compartments to hold all the necessary fishing gear and multiple exterior pockets where you can put your camera, phone, keys, or other accessories. 

Cons

• Can tear at the seams with heavy use. 
• Relatively small compared to other bags. 

2. Shimano Bluewave Surf Bag

The SHIMANO Bluewave Surf Bag is an A-lister when it comes to reliable and well-designed surf fishing bags. It is available in a small 8” X 10” X 3” or medium size at 10” X 10” X 4” inches.

This bag is made of 1660D nylon material – which makes it water-resistant – and fitted with a heavy-duty velcro cover to keep your fishing accessories secured. 

It features a top-down front opening that allows you to easily access your lures and a durable rubber mesh bottom that drains water from your equipment, keeping them dry.  

Fishermen praise it mostly for the multiple pockets which hold the jigs securely and the organization, which separates plugs and jigs in their respective compartments.

Not only does this boost efficiency, but with the removable divider in the bag, you can adjust the plug compartments accordingly to suit your needs. 

The main compartment is divided into eight sections to store your lures but can be divided further into sixteen compartments. You can remove the lure compartment to create more space or add a 16-section unit, bought separately, to magnify your lure storage. 

The SHIMANO Bluewave Surf Bag strap is quite strong and built to last. However, you can use the D-ring to lock the bag to your belt. This means you can easily access your gear from your hip without having to drop the bag. 

Thus for an angler with a need to quickly access their gear, this bag will be sufficient and very suitable. 

Cons

• Shoulder straps aren’t the most durable. 
• Seams can come undone with heavy use. 

3. SHIMANO Lure Case Large 

The SHIMANO Lure Case Large bag is made with water-resistant PVC, which is simple and convenient to clean. It’s topped with a molded polyester lid, and there is ample room for all of your essential surf fishing apparatus and tools.

Comfort and mobility are highly considered throughout the design of this tackle bag. It’s lightweight and can be carried on the shoulder or waist.

This makes it easy to maneuver, helps reduce fatigue, and distributes weight across the body. 

This bag is well-suited when it comes to organizing your fishing trips, boasting 5 two-part compartments, and 6 rows with 3 slots.

Each slot can be taken out separately, making it easily accessible and customizable to your surf fishing goals.

However, at 7.5 x 10.6 x 5.9 inches, this tackle bag is best suited to surf fishing that requires small lures, and larger bodies exceeding 7.5 inches and soft plastic pike lures do not fit very well. 

If you need a comfortable, customizable, water-resistant tackle bag that’s just big enough for small lures and essentials, this may be an excellent option for you.

Cons

• This tackle bag may be too small for your fishing goals and is best suited to small lures. Removing dividers will alleviate this issue, but this will reduce carrying capacity.
• Hooks tend to get caught at the bottom of this tackle bag, which can be eased by banding your hooks before packing. 

4. Canyon Surf Bags in 3 Sizes – Made in The USA 

The CANYON Surf Bag – 6 Tube tackle bag is made of premium materials and is hand-assembled. The innovative design allows water to drain through the bag and dry up quickly, which is an excellent feature for any surf fishing bag.

Its design is lightweight, easy to clean, removable shoulder straps for customizable traveling, and can also be fixed to your belt for alternative carrying preferences. 

The front and side compartments, 2-inch square tubes, and transparent plastic case safely sealed with velcro closure make organization simple and effective.

Compartments can comfortably fit various sized lures, pencil poppers, and darters, while the front pocket can hold leaders, terminal tackle, and the small lure box which comes with the tackle bag. 

It’s a viable option for medium-sized bucktails and jig heads for paddle tail or fluke style soft plastics, and the size is suitable for mobility while casting.

However, the construction of the strap itself isn’t all too sturdy and lacks quality padding. This can be alleviated by getting some shoulder padding that suits your preference and adding it onto the optimal comfort strap. 

If you need an incredibly versatile, water draining tackle bag that can fit a range of various sized lures comfortably, then this tackle bag may be an excellent option for you.

Cons 

• The shoulder strap’s construction lacks sturdiness and comfortable shoulder padding. This can be altered by adding on a comprehensive and plush shoulder pad to suit your comfort preferences.

5. Last Cast Tackle 3 Tube Surf Fishing Tackle Bag 

Last Cast Tackle 3 Tube Surf Fishing Tackle Bag is made with quality nylon belt loops, padded adjustable shoulder straps, and a heavy-duty hook loop. These features allow for convenient mobility while casting and versatile carrying preferences while traveling.

This tackle bag’s durable construction has been topped with a waterproof coating, a rubber bottom to prevent water seeping in, and mesh for easy drain and drying.

It boasts a front pouch with pockets for diamond jigs, spoons, bucktails and swimmers, and side pouches for tools. There is space to comfortably store dozens of lures up to 7 inches and even a bottle of water.

The design allows for quick access and switching out between plugs, swimbaits, spoons, or whatever your target fish species seems to want at the moment. 

While the mesh allows for easy drainage and drying, the side pockets and tubes that come with this tackle bag do not have any drainage features. One can change this by making small holes for drainage. 

If you’re looking for an incredibly comfy, stylish, and highly functional tackle bag that fits all your belongings comfortably, then this may be a viable option.

Cons 

• The side pockets and tubes don’t have drainage features, and water can get trapped in these areas. It can be changed by making a small hole where needed.
• The rubberized bottom is not too durable, so one should be mindful of where the tackle bag is set down. 

6. DOLPHIN Supreme Large Surf Tackle Bag

DOLPHIN Supreme Large Surf Tackle Bag is made with quality materials, features an optional shoulder strap, 10 compartments, and has 2 larger side pockets with heavy-duty velcro covers that feature drainage holes for quick drying. 

At 11 x 5 8 inches, this bag has ample room for all kinds of surf fishing essentials. The tubes’ depth will fit most of your lures, and the extra space inside this bag allows for the storage of any larger fish needle plugs that extend beyond tubes. 

The two rows of tubes are connected but can be split apart easily for convenience and versatile customization. It’s exceptionally durable and has excellent organizational features for on-the-go surf fishing and quick access.

To top it off, spaces between the tubes have notches to accommodate hooks, and it has additional storage for tins and small lures.

However, this DOLPHIN Supreme Large Surf Tackle Bag has a relatively short shoulder strap, which may not be very comfortable.

This can be fixed by simply adding extra length to your strap if you need a better fit. Alternatively, you can fix the bag to your belt instead. 

If you need a convenient, spacious tackle bag that can store most lures variations, this could be a well-fitted option for you.

Cons 

• It has a relatively short shoulder strap, which may not fit many people comfortably. This can be changed by adding on extra length to meet your comfort needs or fixing the tackle bag to your waist.

7. Okuma Nomad Travel Series Surf/Jetty 7 Slot Bag

Okuma Nomad Travel Series is made with high grade 600 denier ripstop polyester, with seam reinforced PVC coating for optimum waterproofing. It’s relatively large at 16 x 8.5 x 1.25 inches and has ample room for various lures and accessories.

Comfort is vital throughout this design, featuring a comfortable, adjustable, and wide padded shoulder strap with oversize buckles for a comfortable fit and weight distribution.

The D-rings for the strap could also accommodate a belt.  

It includes one utility box for terminal gear and features durable mesh pockets for additional storage.

It has a compartment for a water bottle and a pliers sheath on the outside.

Although the bag is larger and quite durable, it is relatively lightweight.

There are ample drainage amenities distributed throughout the bag’s design, which allows for quick clearing of excess water. 

However, there isn’t an allocated spot for things like bucktails and small tins, and the depth of the tubes makes it tricky to access smaller items. Partially filling the tubes with Styrofoam can help this issue. 

This bag is quite large and possibly larger than necessary. If you are looking for a tackle bag that provides over enough space for all of your fishing supplies, tools, refreshments, personal items, and still leave room for extras, then this would be an ideal choice for you.

Cons 

• There is no allocated space for smaller items, and the tubes’ depth makes it tricky to store. One can alleviate this issue by partially filling the tubes with Styrofoam to decrease its depth.

8. KastKing Fishing Tackle Bag 

There’s a reason Kastking fishing bags get a mention when best bags for surf fishing are being listed. These bags are made to give the angler ultimate functionality, reliability, and performance.

They come in three versions, including Hawg, which is the largest of them all, Lunker is the medium size and Hoss the small size. 

The Kastking Hoss fishing bag is made with a 420D nylon material making it tough, water-resistant, and long-lasting. The interior is lined with a PVC layer and hydrophobic coating to protect your tackle from damage while the exterior is coated with the same hydrophobic material to shed moisture. 

This acts as double protection to your fishing gear while increasing drainage and fast drying.

The KastKing Hoss is a shoulder bag. Therefore it comes with a neo-grip anti-slip shoulder strap, which is padded for comfort and made with suitable material, so the bag clings on to your shoulder without slipping off.

On functionality, the bag features a self-healing zipper. This feature comes in handy whenever your zipper comes undone. All you have to do is unzip and rezip to fix the split.

The exterior of the KastKing Hoss Bag is fitted with seven pockets to optimize functionality and organization. There’s a front pocket to fit one 3600 size tray, a molded pliers holder for easy access to fishing pliers or other essential tools and slip pockets where you can put your phone, keys, or iPad. 

On the bottom, there’s a waterproof rubber molded compression for added grip, stability, and water resistance. This feature protects your bag against wear and tear while ensuring your bag doesn’t slide off no matter where you place it. 

With the interior fitting 6 (3600) size trays, the Kastking Hoss fishing bag guarantees you plenty of room to put your tackle and even extra for any additional gear that you may need.

Cons

• Some users feel it’s a bit too small to carry all of their gear. 
• The velcro sometimes doesn’t stick too well. 

9. Fiblink Waterproof Fishing Tackle Bag 

The Fiblink Waterproof Fishing Tackle bag takes the lead when it comes to capacity and functionality. It is made of a heavy-duty 1000D nylon material, making it water-resistant and abrasive resistant. 

On durability, the bag is covered with a waterproof coating, which increases its resilience.

It is equipped with a KAM buckle to resist wear and pressure and fitted with double SBS zippers, which guarantee that your zipper won’t break as you zip or unzip your bag in a hurry. 

When it comes to storage, the bag won’t disappoint you.

It has large capacity main compartments to store tackle, 3 external pockets for more storage, and quick access of items such as your phone keys and fishing necessities and a water bottle pocket for your freshwater. 

This bag puts into consideration the functionality and needs that might arise as you fish.

Thus it is lined with a breathable mesh for comfort, and the shoulder pads are widened so the strap can sit on your shoulder without slipping off.

This humanized design ensures that you do not get tired as you carry the bag leaving you to focus on your fishing activity.

This surf fishing bag can also be put into more than one use. For one, the adjustable and detachable shoulder strap can be exchanged to fit the right or left of the shoulder.

This feature comes in handy because, aside from carrying the bag in different ways, you can tailor the bag to meet several occasions.

For instance, aside from fishing, the bag can be used for camping, hiking, cycling, mountaineering, and hunting.

On the interior, the bag features the main compartment storage at 12″ x 8.7″ x 6″ inches.

With such ample room, including the vented pockets available on the exterior, you can store your lures, fishing lure boxes, wallets, cameras, phones, keys, and other items you may need for your gear. 

The fact that this bag comes with ample storage and multiple pockets means that you can organize your gear so that you don’t fumble or have to remove everything from your bag before getting to what you need. 

 The bag is also convenient when you want to tie your lures hand free. All you have to do is wear the bag in front then tie your lures to the front rod holder.

The water bottle pocket can be used to hold your sunglasses. 

Thus if you are looking for a small-sized surf fishing bag with adequate storage, multiple compartments, and well thought of design, the Fiblink waterproof fishing bag is your go-to choice. 

Cons

• Straps can cause shoulder pain if you’re not wearing thick clothing. 
• It might be too small for your needs. 

How to choose the best Tackle Bag for Surf Fishing

From sandy shores to rock waterfronts, Surf Tackle Bags are designed for all types of shore fishing.

Choosing a good tackle bag comes down to three main aspects, namely versatility, function, and durability.  

The best tackle bag option will have a decent balance between all three aspects and allow you to make the most out of its features instead of inhibiting you or slowing you down.

Smaller tackle bags are great for on-the-go fishing or surf fishing spots where you need to move frequently and quickly.

Larger tackle bags are not as easily transportable, but are great for long surf fishing trips with limited movement, as you can camp out with ample supplies and plenty of space for snacks and drinks. 

The ideal tackle bag should hold all of your gear, be easy and comfortable to carry, and be relatively customizable based on your tackle selection, its size, and your trip magnitude. 

It should be high quality, suit your surf fishing goals, and be just big enough for everything you need. 

What are the advantages of having a Tackle Bag? 

Modern, innovatively designed tackle bags offer anglers a variety of advantages.

They are versatile, have minimal weight, topped with stress-free storage and organizational features.

They even compress when empty for even more convenient storage.

There have been so many times where I have made progress and then lost the catch due to interacting with my tackle carrier clumsily and slowly.

Many modern tackle bags have been created so that anglers can access their required tackle speedily, which will come in handy when out baiting the surf.

These modern tackle bags provide comfort, accessibility, and won’t dent or crack like old-school tackle boxes using flexible fabric and padded straps.

Many tackle bags also come with convenient features like water bottle holders and rod holders.

Freeing up your hands will allow you to move around easily along your fishing trip, making it that much more enjoyable for you.

Things to look for when buying a Tackle Bag

When choosing the best tackle bag for you, there are vital factors that will be necessary regardless of which species you’re going for, your preferences, and the surf fishing location.

Water Resistance/ Waterproofing

This is undoubtedly an essential aspect for any tackle bag, and ‘waterproof’ is always a safer option than ‘water-resistant.’

The fabric used, as well as the closures for all compartments, should be well coated. 

I once made the mistake of getting a semi water-resistant ba and set it down at my favorite spot, only to realize my mistake when the tide came in. 

A lack of this feature could result in the rusted tackle and completely ruined electronic gadgets like cell phones, not to mention wet and soggy snacks.

Heavy-Duty Zippers

 The use of heavy-duty zippers is recommended. This increases durability and resistance to weathering, wear, and tear and reduces your tackle and valuables’ exposure to the elements.

High-Quality Materials

The contents of your tackle bag will become heavy and can weigh over 20 pounds once filled with everything you need.

The fabric used is an essential factor here, as cheap materials will tear and rip over time. High-quality materials and sturdy handles are critical for durability.

Design 

Your tackle bag’s design needs to provide optimum accessibility and should support all needs within your environment. 

Outstanding design features include detachable compartments, lightweight design, a magnetic catch-lid system, bottle holders, rod holders, and a molded waterproof base with mesh for quick drain and drying.

Organization 

When planning a surf fishing trip; being organized and prepared is key for reeling in great catches. 

Most tackle bags feature transparent plastic compartments, which are easily accessible and removable. Good options have dividers, multiple pockets, front-folds, side compartments, and space for tools.

Features like this will allow you to plan effectively, customize your tackle bag to suit every surf fishing trip and adapt quickly while you are out baiting.

Adjustable Padded Shoulder Strap

While this is a small detail, it can make a world of difference. Tackle bags can become quite heavy, and a good tackle bag should have a reinforced, adjustable, wide, and padded shoulder strap, which will distribute weight evenly for comfortable carrying. 

A few years ago, I went on a surf fishing day trip with a friend. I had learned from previous blunders and invested in a decent tackle bag while he had not.

While traveling back after the day, his bag ripped at the strap, and while luckily none of his possessions were damaged, it left a nasty friction burn on his shoulder.

What should be in your Tackle bag?

The contents of your tackle bag will vary depending on your surf fishing goals. There are a few essentials, including extra fishing lines, various lures, swivels, sinkers, leaders, hook variants, pliers or hook remover, stringers, insect repellent, sunscreen. 

You would also need to pack some tools like needle nose pliers, a flashlight, a measuring tool, multi-tool or knife, and of course, a first-aid kit.

Conclusion

Regardless of which surf bag you decide to buy, a good rule of thumb is to always meet your personal preference with functionality.

Ensure that your surf fishing bag is made of good Snagless and water-resistant material, assess the straps for comfort, and in the case you opt for a backpack, ensure the back is lined with extra padding for comfort. 

The bags reviewed in this list are very different in their own capacity, but they all share practical functions such as:

• It has the ability to protect your lure and support them in a breathable compartment.
• Durability 
• Ease to transport and manage while onshore
• Accessibility of the equipment as per the bag’s design and organization
• Comfort 
• Ample storage, depending on your preference and need.
• Versatility and adaptability.

Whether you’re a beginner or an aspiring angler trying to move to the next level, investing in a great tackle bag is recommended.

Choose a durable, versatile, and well-functioning tackle bag based on your surf fishing goals.

It will help improve your developing skills and make it so much more comfortable, convenient, and enjoyable for you. Good luck, and have fun!