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Follow Up Article : The Lakewood Products A049 Swimbait Box & Clips
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Date: |
9/25/08 |
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Tackle type: |
Tackle Storage |
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Manufacturer: |
Lakewood Products |
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Reviewer: |
Cal |
Introduction: In October of 2007, we introduced you to Lakewood Product's A048 Swimbait storage box. At that time, the company was still working on a solution for shipping storage clips to include with their bags. Earlier this year, Steve Wagnitz, President of Lakewood Products, informed us they had finalized a design and sent a few our way to check out. Much to our surprise, included in this shipment was the A048's big brother, Lakewood's full sized, original swimbait box, the A049.
Introducing the
Lakewood Products A049 Swimbait Case
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Lakewood Products A049 Specifications
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| Dimensions |
24" w x 15" d x 15" h (not including exterior pockets) |
| Storage Compartments |
12 small : 2 medium : 1 very large (center) |
| Colors |
Five (Black, Green, Red, Blue, Grey) |
| Price as Tested |
$159 |
Impressions: If you found the A048 large, let me tell you, the A049 is one SERIOUS box. Interestingly enough, it does not really hold more baits than the A048 bit is capable of holding longer baits since it is a full three inches deeper than its smaller sibling.
The A049 (right) is quite a bit larger than the A048 (left) which we reviewed in the fall of 2007.
An added benefit to the A049 is the inclusion of a large, center compartment capable of fitting several Plano 3700 boxes in just about any configuration you can imagine: on end, on their side, or flat. This added bit of versatility is very helpful, though of course, it comes at a price - deck space.
A peak inside the A049 reveals a slightly different interior layout than the A048. The primary difference is the open, center compartment.
The A049 was designed to sit right up on deck, strapped to the post of your pedestal seat to keep it in place. Although, given the weight of a fully loaded A049, stability is not a huge concern unless you're on rough water!
The center compartment comfortably fits several Plano 3700 series boxes.
Same as any box from Lakewood, the AO49 is built tough enough to support your weight, but because of that open, center compartment, be sure to have the zippers closed on the lid before stepping onto the box or you'll feel the flex of the top as you step on the center of the box.
The A049 actually holds the same amount of baits as that of the A048.
The new clips work very well even with baits that have a relatively small line tie like these Huddleston Deluxe Rainbows.
The Clips: Finally, Lakewood has a clip solution to include with their boxes. These new, wire clips fit snuggly over the wooden dowels and are fairly easy to use. The end of the clip extends up and beyond the
dowel to help prevent baits from bouncing up and out of the clip by accident.
Here's a
close-up of the finalized clips to go along with the Lakewood Swimbait boxes
The clips are easy to twist and turn to adjust as you need in order to keep your baits properly aligned. They appear to be a good solution to an imperfect problem.
An array of 3:16 Lure Company baits clipped in and ready to be stored.
Conclusion: For the serious big bait angler with serious storage needs, the A049, shown here, and the previously reviewed A048 just became all the more useable given the finalization of these storage clips. They're not perfect, and baits can still become entangled with one another, but these boxes are a really nice way to keep your expensive baits at the ready and in view all at once, and for those who are wondering, yes actually, I was able to fill both boxes at the same time rather easily!
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