What is it? A fishing tackle box subscription. This little package of tackle is a complete surprise full of lures, hooks, and a small tip booklet delivered to your door each month. You can specify what type of tackle you want based on the type of species you are fishing for.
Where can I try it? https://mysterytacklebox.com/
What’s the cost? Mystery Tackle Box has 3 plans and various payment schedules. The Regular plan gets you $25 in tackle for $20 per month while the larger Pro and Elite plans will cost $30 and $40 per month, respectively. As with most companies, the more months you commit to, the more discounts you receive. If you choose a 3-, 6-, or 12-month billing plan over the monthly, you will save yourself a few bucks.
Bonus: Their Facebook sometimes runs $5 deals to try your first box (that’s what we did!) and their website boasts free shipping on all plans.
Our Review:
Although I am an avid fisherman myself, this subscription review is brought to you by my expert fishing-obsessed husband, Marcus.
Like my Nadine West subscription box, Marcus first saw Mystery Tackle Box on a Facebook ad. He saw a coupon to try it for $5 and thought, why not? He even told his younger brother to give it a try too.
Marcus ordered his box first, and his brother ordered his $5 box after. His brother received his box within 4 days after ordering, whereas Marcus did not receive his until 3 weeks later. Marcus thinks that they lost his order, and he had to contact customer service a few times. Once he finally got his box, he was impressed with the quality. Check out his box below.
The Likes:
- Good quality tackle. Nothing cheap, very well made and name-brand items.
- Great customer service. It did take a few emails to customer service to have them look into his significantly delayed box, but Marcus says that they were very helpful.
- Easy to sign up, easy to cancel. I liked how the different plan choices and prices were very clearly defined. One click in your dashboard and your box is cancelled.
- Educational. You will find a tips magazine in the box, and videos and blogs online to improve skills.
The Dislikes:
- Surprise tackle. Surprise tackle based on species is nice, however, you could just walk into Academy and pick out exactly what you need for basically the same price. (It should be noted here that MTB says their boxes contain exclusive lures and gear, and that it’s 40% off retail. Still, that wasn’t enough of a selling point for Marcus to continue the subscription.)
Would he try the box again? No. He only answered no because of the above reason, not because the box wasn’t a fun or quality purchase. He has quite the collection of lures, and Marcus, like most long-time fishermen, has specific lures he trusts. I feel like once you have a lure or bait system that brings you success after success, you stop trying to find other methods. So could he justify $20 a month on some tackle that he might use? No. Plus, he really doesn’t need to be buying tackle month after month anyway.
Because we only tried one box, I don’t know if the future boxes would have included more items or something super exclusive, so I can’t speak to all of the claims that MTB makes about the contents and price savings.
I think this box would be best served for new fishermen, just starting their tackle collections or those who like to change up their methods quite often. That way the included how-to guides and limited-edition lures are well utilized. With that said, I do think that this box is really fun and of great quality and would make a perfect Father’s Day or birthday gift for the fisherman in your family.
Read my original blog post, Are Subscription Boxes Worth It?, as well as my other subscription box reviews:
What do you think?