Stan Fagerstrom
08-28-2002, 06:20 PM
New Shimano Tackle Bag
Winner Of Field & Stream Award
Stan Fagerstrom
Shimano reels are among the best you can get your hands on.
Experienced fishermen everywhere won't debate that statement. For years these fine angling tools have ranked right at the top in both level wind and spinning models. But that's not what this column is about. Now there are other products with the Shimano name that are getting a good bit of attention from fishermen all over the place.
I want to talk about just one of these new products. It falls into the tackle box category, but it's actually a tackle bag. It's the type that comes with a convenient carrying strap. You can hang the strap over your shoulder as you head for your boat. That, of course, leaves your hands free to carry your rods, coffee jug, raingear or whatever else you choose to take along.
A number of other tackle bags do the same thing, but few I've seen are made with the care and quality of this one that carries the Shimano label. I'm not the only one who feels that way. Each year Field & Stream magazine judges entries in 14 different categories of new items for anglers. The Shimano bag I'm talking about was named "Best of the Best" for 2001 in the tackle box category.
http://www.ifish.net/sfshsho.jpg
The Shimano bag's shoulder strap leaves the user's hands free for rods and other gear.
That Field & Stream award isn't the only one these new Shimano tackle carriers have picked up. At this year's ICAST show in Las Vegas, Shimano's Kangaroo Series tackle bags also won the "Best of Show" award.
But back to the bag that won the Field & Stream award. That one, and it's one I'm using myself, is the Model SHM-704B. Check one of these tackle carriers carefully and you'll find it has space for four plastic tackle boxes. These boxes are 14-inches long and 8 ¾-inches wide. Each plastic comes with 24 individual compartments that can be rearranged to handle the type of tackle you choose to carry. Load those four compartments and you'll have enough lures to fish for a month of Mondays.
You'll find the easy to arrange compartments in these well made plastic boxes a bit different than most you've seen in the past. One of the features I especially like is that the bottom of the compartments isn't flat like those in most boxes. If you've ever fumbled and fussed trying to pick tiny items of tackle, things like split rings or snaps, out of a tiny plastic compartment with a flat bottom you know what I'm talking about. You won't have that difficulty with this new Shimano tackle carrier.
http://www.ifish.net/sfshs.jpg
This new style tackle bag comes with four plastic lure containers. Anglers can change the the boxes depending on the type of fishing they'll be doing.
While those rounded compartments got my attention, there was something else that made a bigger impression. It will do the same for you, especially if you travel much with your tackle. Why? Because the top of this new carrier is detachable. It's designed for reel storage and provides six padded compartments for that purpose.
http://www.ifish.net/sfsh2.jpg
The top of the new Shimano bag is designed for reel and line storage.
I've packed my rods and reels a lot of places over the past half century. Rod cases are readily available. Good reel carriers aren't. The removable top of the new Shimano tackle carrier takes care of the problem.
The padded top compartment is held in place on the top of the bag by a zipper. When I'm traveling with my tackle by air, I often remove the top of the Shimano bag, place my reels inside, then take the compartment containing the reels on board inside one of my carry-on bags. That way I know my reels are going to be there when I arrive and won't get beat up during the trip.
Another part of this removable top is fashioned to accommodate several spools of line. Chances are you, like me, carry extra spools of different line tests along on an extended fishing trip. You can slip several lines spools over a wooden dowel in the space provided for it in the removable top compartment. It's not necessary to remove the spools to load a level reel. Just attach the end of the line on the spool of your choice and start cranking.
http://www.ifish.net/sfshrc.jpg
The bag's removable top makes it easy to carry your reels and line spools separate from the rest of your tackle if you choose to do so.
If all goes as planned I'll be heading into the Amazon jungle in early November to fish for peacock bass. Be assured the reels I'll be taking along will go into the top of my Shimano tackle bag.
Actually, it isn't necessary to remove the carrier's padded top if you don't choose to do so for air travel. This tackle bag is small enough to fit into the overhead bin of an airliner. If you've ever arrived at a distant location only to find that the tackle you had in a checked bag didn't, and I've had that miserable experience more than once, you know how comforting it can be to have it right there along with you.
Examine this new tackle carrier carefully and you'll find it has a number of other features going for it. For one thing, all of the zippers are the heavy-duty variety. The bag itself is built out of 1000-denier heavy-duty waterproof material. The sides, top and bottom of the box are padded with closed cell foam to further protect what you've put inside
The box also has specially designed non-skid pads on the bottom to prevent it from sliding around once it's placed where you want it. It comes with a padded 1 ½-inch padded shoulder-carrying strap.
This nifty tackle carrier comes in two sizes. The one I have, the SHM-704, holds four plastic boxes. A larger model, the SHM-706, holds six boxes.
The great feature about these carriers, of course, is that you can tailor the contents to the kind of fishing you choose to do. I use mine most often for bass. When I go after panfish, I simply take out the plastic boxes I use for bass and insert those filled with crappie, perch or bluegill lures. You can do the same whatever your piscatorial objectives.
This Shimano tackle carrier is just one of a complete line of such bags now available to anglers. I've told friends about these bags and they tell me they've had difficulty finding them. I can solve that problem. Start by looking over the line on the Internet. You can do that by going to www.hyiusa.com. (http://www.hyiusa.com.) Once you've made the determination which bag you want, you can call HYI, the folks who market these fine products, at (626) 332-8989. Ask for the Tackle Box Department. There you can find out the best place to obtain the tackle carriers in your own area.
I've used many different tackle carriers over the past half century of fishing and writing about it. These new Shimano tackle bags solve some problems the others didn't. My guess is a lot of anglers around the country are going to make the same discovery.
Winner Of Field & Stream Award
Stan Fagerstrom
Shimano reels are among the best you can get your hands on.
Experienced fishermen everywhere won't debate that statement. For years these fine angling tools have ranked right at the top in both level wind and spinning models. But that's not what this column is about. Now there are other products with the Shimano name that are getting a good bit of attention from fishermen all over the place.
I want to talk about just one of these new products. It falls into the tackle box category, but it's actually a tackle bag. It's the type that comes with a convenient carrying strap. You can hang the strap over your shoulder as you head for your boat. That, of course, leaves your hands free to carry your rods, coffee jug, raingear or whatever else you choose to take along.
A number of other tackle bags do the same thing, but few I've seen are made with the care and quality of this one that carries the Shimano label. I'm not the only one who feels that way. Each year Field & Stream magazine judges entries in 14 different categories of new items for anglers. The Shimano bag I'm talking about was named "Best of the Best" for 2001 in the tackle box category.
http://www.ifish.net/sfshsho.jpg
The Shimano bag's shoulder strap leaves the user's hands free for rods and other gear.
That Field & Stream award isn't the only one these new Shimano tackle carriers have picked up. At this year's ICAST show in Las Vegas, Shimano's Kangaroo Series tackle bags also won the "Best of Show" award.
But back to the bag that won the Field & Stream award. That one, and it's one I'm using myself, is the Model SHM-704B. Check one of these tackle carriers carefully and you'll find it has space for four plastic tackle boxes. These boxes are 14-inches long and 8 ¾-inches wide. Each plastic comes with 24 individual compartments that can be rearranged to handle the type of tackle you choose to carry. Load those four compartments and you'll have enough lures to fish for a month of Mondays.
You'll find the easy to arrange compartments in these well made plastic boxes a bit different than most you've seen in the past. One of the features I especially like is that the bottom of the compartments isn't flat like those in most boxes. If you've ever fumbled and fussed trying to pick tiny items of tackle, things like split rings or snaps, out of a tiny plastic compartment with a flat bottom you know what I'm talking about. You won't have that difficulty with this new Shimano tackle carrier.
http://www.ifish.net/sfshs.jpg
This new style tackle bag comes with four plastic lure containers. Anglers can change the the boxes depending on the type of fishing they'll be doing.
While those rounded compartments got my attention, there was something else that made a bigger impression. It will do the same for you, especially if you travel much with your tackle. Why? Because the top of this new carrier is detachable. It's designed for reel storage and provides six padded compartments for that purpose.
http://www.ifish.net/sfsh2.jpg
The top of the new Shimano bag is designed for reel and line storage.
I've packed my rods and reels a lot of places over the past half century. Rod cases are readily available. Good reel carriers aren't. The removable top of the new Shimano tackle carrier takes care of the problem.
The padded top compartment is held in place on the top of the bag by a zipper. When I'm traveling with my tackle by air, I often remove the top of the Shimano bag, place my reels inside, then take the compartment containing the reels on board inside one of my carry-on bags. That way I know my reels are going to be there when I arrive and won't get beat up during the trip.
Another part of this removable top is fashioned to accommodate several spools of line. Chances are you, like me, carry extra spools of different line tests along on an extended fishing trip. You can slip several lines spools over a wooden dowel in the space provided for it in the removable top compartment. It's not necessary to remove the spools to load a level reel. Just attach the end of the line on the spool of your choice and start cranking.
http://www.ifish.net/sfshrc.jpg
The bag's removable top makes it easy to carry your reels and line spools separate from the rest of your tackle if you choose to do so.
If all goes as planned I'll be heading into the Amazon jungle in early November to fish for peacock bass. Be assured the reels I'll be taking along will go into the top of my Shimano tackle bag.
Actually, it isn't necessary to remove the carrier's padded top if you don't choose to do so for air travel. This tackle bag is small enough to fit into the overhead bin of an airliner. If you've ever arrived at a distant location only to find that the tackle you had in a checked bag didn't, and I've had that miserable experience more than once, you know how comforting it can be to have it right there along with you.
Examine this new tackle carrier carefully and you'll find it has a number of other features going for it. For one thing, all of the zippers are the heavy-duty variety. The bag itself is built out of 1000-denier heavy-duty waterproof material. The sides, top and bottom of the box are padded with closed cell foam to further protect what you've put inside
The box also has specially designed non-skid pads on the bottom to prevent it from sliding around once it's placed where you want it. It comes with a padded 1 ½-inch padded shoulder-carrying strap.
This nifty tackle carrier comes in two sizes. The one I have, the SHM-704, holds four plastic boxes. A larger model, the SHM-706, holds six boxes.
The great feature about these carriers, of course, is that you can tailor the contents to the kind of fishing you choose to do. I use mine most often for bass. When I go after panfish, I simply take out the plastic boxes I use for bass and insert those filled with crappie, perch or bluegill lures. You can do the same whatever your piscatorial objectives.
This Shimano tackle carrier is just one of a complete line of such bags now available to anglers. I've told friends about these bags and they tell me they've had difficulty finding them. I can solve that problem. Start by looking over the line on the Internet. You can do that by going to www.hyiusa.com. (http://www.hyiusa.com.) Once you've made the determination which bag you want, you can call HYI, the folks who market these fine products, at (626) 332-8989. Ask for the Tackle Box Department. There you can find out the best place to obtain the tackle carriers in your own area.
I've used many different tackle carriers over the past half century of fishing and writing about it. These new Shimano tackle bags solve some problems the others didn't. My guess is a lot of anglers around the country are going to make the same discovery.