When out lure fishing for Bass we need something to carry our tackle in, some might put everything in a small rucksack, and leave it on the beach or the rocks, this can be good if you are fishing from a rock ledge or not standing in the water at a beach. A lot of lure anglers like myself like to wade into the water, be it on an estuary, beach, or rocks at the water’s edge, where a rucksack is not convenient and risks getting washed in the sea.
So a small bag of some description is needed, that can be worn on the body that has enough room to carry your essential tackle, without walking back to where you left a rucksack. I first bought a sling pack a Rapala Urban one, it had a double pocket with 2 plastic boxes inside, you could carry a lot of lures, probably too many, it also had 2 small pouches to carry other bits that were needed. It did its job but the only thing was it needed to be pulled around the body to access everything.
After a bit of research into something different to use, I came across a review from a well-known Bass Fisherman, who has been using this bag for years, it had been difficult to get hold of but recently the Art of Fishing has started importing and distributing to UK shops.
So what is this bag called, well it is technically a chest pack, made by HPA in France, The HPA Chest Pack as seen above is a small black pack that has one large compartment 2 side compartments, and a front compartment, all have strong zips to close, with the large top compartment having a double zip. The pockets also have mesh drain holes if water does get in. The pack is made of leather-type material which is soft but strong. It has a HPA logo on the front. On the top, there is a carry handle, which feels strong, also it has a holder for pliers.
Although the pockets are not massive, you can still carry a lot of gear in them, in the front I have a Westin W3 medium bits box, which holds my hooks, lure clips, split rings, and fluorocarbon spools. I also have a Rapala line snipper on a spring lanyard, which fits inside and zips in.
My Westin W3 Bits Box with all my weighted hooks, spare single hooks for lures, split rings, and lure clips, and I can hold 2 spools of Florocarbon too.
On the side pockets, in one I carry a fish measure and a line knotter tool, on the other side I have a small torch, a spare spool loaded with braid as backup, and some glue.
The main compartment holds 2 lure boxes, I have Sakura Lure Boxes at the moment, they both fit in nicely and can be removed when needed. I have also bought a couple of the Westin W3 Lure boxes, very similar in design, and I’m going to swap over all my lures to these boxes.
In those 2 boxes, I have one filled with different size surface lures, the other is filled with my metal lures on one side, the other side I have a selection of soft plastics. More than enough to cover a few hours of fishing.
The HPA Chest Pack is meant to be worn in front of you and can be if so wished, but I and others like to wear it on one side of our waist, with using it this way the supplied neck strap is way too short for me, some use a camera strap, but I found a nice padded laptop bag strap, it has super strong clips to attach to the HPA bag.
Also, the waist belt was not the best for me, luckily I had a 2-inch webbing belt I was using to hold my thigh wader straps and hook sharpener, it fits perfectly and I have replaced the HPA one with this, i can still strap my waders and hook sharpener as well. I will put a couple of links for these below.
Conclusion.
So would I recommend this bag, if you were looking for something like this, absolutely although it might look and be slightly small for some, this bag can hold enough tackle for a lure fishing session, with the upgraded belt and strap making it more comfortable and I been fishing for a few hours and hardly notice it on me.
Wearing it on your side makes it close and with a quick unzip of the main compartment with one hand you have quick access to your lure boxes, you can also push the box back without looking at it, making a change of lures easy for you.
When I went to Purchase mine several shops had sold out of Stock they had, I managed to get hold of one from Rooney’s Fishing Supplies online shop, they are very popular with lure anglers and go quickly. I was at Lowen-Chy Angling recently and they had a few in stock, I will link their shop below. Many thanks for reading my Review Steve.
It’s good, the main issue is the shoulder strap for me, not being long enough. I found it rather uncomfortable and too short to access my lures. I invested in a RBB lure belt, which I find much better, but had to change webbing belt on it, as the standard one is loose and shit!
Thank you, James. Yes, I had the same issue with the shoulder strap, but sorted with a replacement now.