Nick Jones reviews the Meiho Bucket Mouth Tackle Boxes...

With age and experience comes wisdom, and one piece of advice consistently heard from seasoned anglers is that a well-organised tackle storage system will enhance both fishing enjoyment and success. Sure, the fish might not care if your tackle box resembles a bird’s nest, but you can definitely miss (or ruin) opportunities if you’re wasting time between rig changes or your gear is in poor condition.

I’ve been through it all as a youngster and learned the hard way. Bags that get wet, broken containers, rusty terminal tackle, items disappearing when you need them the most – the list goes on! Thankfully, modern advancements in fishing gear have filtered through to tackle storage solutions, too. One of the coolest modern options available is the Japanese Meiho Bucket Mouth tackle box.

Meiho, meaning ‘quality shop’ in Japanese, is a brand that started way back in 1955. Meiho’s design uses rust-proof stainless-steel pins in all the metal joints and a high-impact-resistant copolymer resin to create strong and sturdy hinged lid plastic cases. These unique tackleboxes are still designed and manufactured in Japan and have been made to last.

The Bucket Mouth is a cooler-style storage solution that offers plenty of customisation options for adding compartments, different styles of smaller or larger trays, and accessories to the sides such as rod holders, drink holders, and tool pouches. The accessories and tackle trays are not included but allow you to pick and choose the perfect set-up for your preferred fishing methods.

The Bucket Mouth tackle box features two hinges on the lid that allow the lid to be lifted from either side of the box, or to be completely removed if needed, giving easy access. The lid is weatherproof and the latches fit in snugly with a satisfying click. The fold-up carry handle is super sturdy and feels nice in the hand. There’s also anti-slip rubber to stop the box from moving around in the cockpit of your boat or the back of your vehicle.

Available in three sizes – 20L, 28L, and 35L – these boxes are surprisingly sturdy for their meagre weights. Average-sized males can sit or stand on them – not too shabby for boxes weighing only a few kilos! With the addition of rod holders and the ability to sit on these boxes, it’s not hard to envision them as the ideal shore fishing companion. However, they’d be equally at home in the boat given their high-impact construction and anti-slip rubber base.

The Meiho Bucket Mouth tackle boxes are imported by Conaghan Distribution and available in selected tackle stores now.

November 2023 - Nick Jones
New Zealand Fishing News Magazine.
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