As I’m packing my bags to hit the Miami Boat Show, of course as a traveling angler, the first thing on my mind is what type of fishing gear I’m bringing.

Though lures can range the whole gamut depending on where you’ll be fishing and what you’ll primarily be fishing for, other gear is standard across the boards for a traveling angler. First, you need a rod and reel set up that can handle most back bay and lighter ocean fishing situations.

Anytime I travel to warm climes, whether is sunny Florida or St. Lucia in the Caribbean, I always pack my three-piece St. Croix TIS70MHF3 travel rod that comes in a small, handy carrying case. Its rated for 10 to 20-pound at 7 foot and has handled everything from 1-pound speckled trout to 20-pound roosterfish. I match it with a Shimano Stradic 5000 which I unscrew the handle to pack it streamlined into my luggage.

The reel is spooled up with 30-pound Power Pro braid and I always bring an extra spool with me in case some beast takes all my line as has happened on many a night shift shark fishing. For leader material, always bring a few skeins of 20 to 50-pound TripleFish monofilament or Seaguar fluorocarbon.

Now to the nitty gritty. Fill a small Plano box with a wide array of hooks including Gamakatsu Baitholder from size #6 to size 6/0 as well as Octopus hooks from size #2 to 10/0, then add a mess of Spro 50 to 100-pound barrel swivels, size #4 three-way swivels, fishfinder slides, 40-pound Duolock snaps, 75-pound TA clips, and sinker weights of the egg, pyramid and bank variety from ½ ounce to 4 ounces to round out the terminal tackle box.

To house all the boxes and tackle, set up with a backpack that can hold up to three Plano 3700 container boxes so you can be sure to always have all your tackle on hand. Even if you are just out fishing for sheepshead, you never know when a huge snook may appear and you’ll need to quickly change up rigs, lures, etc.

Next week I’ll get into what lures should be staples in a traveling tackle box.