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Last Updated on March 25, 2025 by Paul Clayton
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Mystery Tackle Box vs Lucky Tackle Box? Best Option
Mystery Tackle Box and Lucky Tackle Box are popular with skilled and beginner anglers alike. These are the two main services if you were also considering getting a surprise tackle box.
In the thrilling world of fishing, a battle rages. Two titans vying for supremacy. A contest that leaves no room for mediocrity.
Which is the best option for the Mystery Tackle Box vs. the Lucky Tackle Box? This is not a question but a challenge thrown to the winds, a challenge that echoes in the hearts of every fishing enthusiast.
Will it be the Mystery Tackle Box, shrouded in enigma, promising treasures unknown? Or will it be the Lucky Tackle Box, bearer of fortune’s favor, provider of serendipitous finds? The answer lies ahead, hidden in the depths of this article. Let’s dive in!
Key Takeaways
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Both Mystery Tackle Box (MTB) and Lucky Tackle Box (LTB) are monthly fishing tackle subscription services that offer curated fishing gear at a discounted price.
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MTB offers a Beginner Series, a non-subscription option aimed at new anglers, providing educational content along with fishing tackle. LTB does not have a beginner-focused option.
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Pricing & Plans:
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MTB has three subscription tiers (Regular, Pro, Elite) plus the Beginner Series.
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LTB has three tiers (Classic, XL, Tournament), but no long-term 12-month plans.
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LTB’s extended plans tend to be slightly more cost-efficient than MTB.
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Content & Value:
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MTB offers mystery boxes with varied contents tailored to specific fish species.
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LTB provides detailed information on the number of items included in each box.
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LTB’s Tournament box offers a higher value ($85 worth of gear) than MTB’s Elite box ($60 worth).
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Shipping & Availability:
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MTB ships to the US, Canada, and Mexico, offering free shipping in the US and Canada.
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LTB ships only to the US, Puerto Rico, and Canada, and shipping is free only in the US.
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MTB has faster shipping (3-6 days in the US), while LTB takes 3-10 days in the US and up to 14 days elsewhere.
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Packaging:
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MTB often includes sample-sized packages to offer a greater variety of lures.
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LTB generally provides fewer sample packages, which some anglers may prefer.
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Which one is better, though? Is there even a better option? Let’s find out!
What Are Mystery Tackle Boxes and Lucky Tackle Boxes?
(Prices will vary during seasons; pricing at the time of writing)
Mystery Tackle Box and Lucky Tackle Box are subscription services that send monthly tackle boxes. Each box includes fishing gear such as hooks, baits, fishing manuals, and other good stuff.
The monthly boxes are mysterious or lucky because you receive new, hand-picked gear each time. Since your history of purchases and boxes is tracked, it’s highly unlikely that you will receive a duplicate product.
As some anglers online phrase it, the mystery or lucky boxes are the kind of Christmas gifts that come every month. You don’t know what you will get, and you also get the fishing tackle at a discounted price.
However, while Mystery Tackle Box and Lucky Tackle Box are similar, they have key differences in pricing, box contents, shipping policy, and packaging.
Mystery Tackle Box
Unmasking the enigma, the Mystery Tackle Box is a thrilling adventure designed for fishing enthusiasts worldwide. It is a box filled with tackle surprises, curated to satiate your fishing fantasies.
Like a treasure trove arriving at your doorstep every month, the Mystery Tackle Box provides a 
monthly tackle service with an assortment of unique fishing gear. Each box is meticulously crafted with an element of uncertainty, keeping you on your toes. So, dare to delve into the unknown, and let the Mystery Tackle Box be your guide in this enthralling journey through the waters!
First, let’s overview Mystery Tackle Box, the older two. Mystery Tackle Box is one of the oldest if not the oldest, services.
Mystery Tackle Box plans & pricing
Mystery Tackle Box has 3 plans plus the 3-month Beginner Series. The contents and pricing of these packages differ drastically. The key thing that is common is that MTB (and also Lucky Tackle Box) doesn’t refund these items, though they do send replacement gear if something is missing or damaged.
A little side note – the box contents and pricing for Mystery and Lucky Tackle Boxes are shown as of late October 2019.
Beginner Series
The Beginner Series isn’t a subscription service like the 3 Mystery Tackle Box Plans. Instead, it offers one monthly box for three months for a $59.97 one-time fee and free shipping. This service aims to introduce beginners to fishing and give them some essential tackle.
The Beginner Series boxes are as follows:
- Month 1: Intro to Fishing. In this box, you get a line and tackle, instructions on basic knots, spinning reel dos and don’ts, and fishing safety & etiquette.
- Month 2: Beyond the Basics. This box introduces you to hard baits and teaches you how to set the hook and where & when to fish.
- Month 3: First Rig. The last box in the Beginner Series includes swimbaits, spinnerbaits, and
crankbaits, introduces you to the Texas rig, and teaches you how to read fish & water behavior.
This box is nice, but beginners shouldn’t rely heavily on it. You can learn plenty of stuff in 3 months on your own, and while the Beginner box will provide you with some unique tips and gear, it should only be viewed as a supplement for fishing.
Regular Box
The subscription boxes start from the Regular, cheapest Mystery Tackle Box plan. The pricing of the Regular plan is as follows:
- $19.99/month if bought monthly.
- $15.99/month if bought for 3 months ($57.00 total and $3 savings).
- $15.49/month if bought for 6 months ($108.00 total and $9 savings).
- $14.99/month if bought for 12 months ($198.00 total and $24 savings).
As Mystery Tackle Box claims, you are getting around $25 in value for the $15-$20 paid monthly. However, Mystery Tackle Box doesn’t specify how many items you are getting with the Regular subscription, though it does tell that you are getting things like hard & soft baits and articles containing fishing tips & tricks.
This box is available in the following species options:
- Bass: largemouth, smallmouth, and spotted.
- Trout: rainbow, brook, brown, and cutthroat.
- Inshore saltwater: redfish, snook, flounder, and speckled trout.
- Panfish: crappie, perch, and bluegill.
- Catfish: blue, channel, and flathead.
- Walleye &sauger.
Pro Box
The Pro plan is a step up from the Regular subscription and offers around $40 in value. It is priced as follows:
- $29.99/month if bought monthly.
- $25.99/month if bought for 3 months ($84 total and $3 savings).
- $25.49/month if bought for 6 months ($162 total and $9 savings).
- $24.99/month if bought for 12 months ($297 total and$24 savings).
Priced $10 higher than the Regular plan, the Pro plan offers higher-quality fishing tackle, perhaps in higher numbers.
The species selection is nearly identical, except you get a Multi-species option instead of Catfish. The multi-species box includes tackle aimed at bass, catfish, and panfish.
Elite Box
Finally, you have the Elite Box, which offers about $60 of value. For this box, MTB specifies how many items you are getting—Elite boxes usually come with 5-9 “hand-picked” and “high-end” pieces of tackle, a collectible sticker, and fishing tips and tricks.
The pricing of the Elite plan is as follows:
- $39.99/month if bought monthly.
- $38.99/month if bought for 3 months ($111 total and $3 savings).
- $37.99/month if bought for 6 months ($216 total and $12 savings).
- $36.99/month if bought for 12 months ($399 total and $36 savings).
The pricing for long-term subscriptions is slightly more cost-efficient in the Elite plan than in others. MTB wants you to purchase the Elite plan’s extended subscriptions!
While the included tackle is high-quality, you don’t have as many fish species to choose this box for – you only have the Bass and the Multi-species option that includes bass, panfish, and catfish. With that said, the poorer species selection doesn’t necessarily mean that you won’t be able to use the included gear for other fish species.
Mystery Tackle Box shipping
MTB ships its boxes to the United States, Canada, and 
Mexico. The monthly subscription boxes ship for free in the US and Canada.
For other MTB items like fishing tackle and apparel, the shipping fee is $6.99 for Canada and the US and free if the order is more than $59. MTB rods come with a $12 surcharge.
Some items are eligible for expedited shipping for a $9.99 fee.
Regarding shipping times, the subscription boxes are shipped with UPS and generally arrive in 3-6 business days within the continental US (all states except Alaska, Hawaii, and Puerto Rico). Shipping to the non-continental US, Canada, and Mexico usually takes 2-3 weeks.
Mystery Tackle Box packaging
MTB’s packaging can be good and bad, depending on your preferences. The tackle mostly comes in sample packages rather than retail packages.
MTB claims on its FAQ page that 90% of its subscribers prefer to get a greater variety of baits to full-size retail boxes. Small sample packages allow MTB to save space and ship more stuff to you, but the sample packages may involve more plastic in them, not to mention that some people may dislike how they look and feel.
This may not be critical for you, but it should be remembered.
Lucky Tackle Box
Lucky Tackle Box doesn’t differ from MTB that much. With that said, due to some noticeable differences in pricing and gear, you may prefer LTB to MTB.
Lucky Tackle Box plans& pricing
Lucky Tackle Box offers three plans: Regular, The XL, and Tournament. As of late October 2019, no beginner box services were offered, but this isn’t too critical since LTB’s key product is surprise boxes, just like MTB.
Classic
First, the good thing about LTB is that it provides information on 
the number of items in each box. With the regular plan, you get 5 pieces of fishing tackle priced at around $25. The value is the same as that of the MTB Regular plan. Aside from that, you get how-to fishing videos and exclusive discounts in all the subscriptions.
The pricing of the Classic plan is as follows:
- $19.99/month if bought monthly.
- $15.10/month if bought for 3 months ($45.30 total and $5.67 savings).
- $14.78/month if bought for 6 months ($88.68 total and $13.26 savings).
The base monthly fee is the same, but with the extended plans, LTB is a bit more cost-efficient than MTB—you save $5.67 vs. $3 in 3 months and $13.26 vs. $9 in 6 months. That said, there are no 12-month plans available, which may be a problem for some people.
The species selection is also poorer—you have only bass, panfish/crappie/trout, and ice fishing options.
The XL
The XL plan includes 7 high-quality baits with an around $40 value. The pricing of the Regular plan is as follows:
- $23.99/month if bought monthly.
- $23.99/month if bought for 3 months ($71.97 in total and $9 savings).
- $23.49/month if bought for 6 months ($140.94 in total and $21 savings).
The XL plan is more cost-efficient than MTB’s Pro, but you don’t have the 12-month option.
The box selection for the XL plan is a bit wider—you can choose from bass, saltwater, multi-species, walleye, and fly boxes. The selection is a bit less specific than in MTB’s Pro plan, though, where you have specialized trout and panfish options, but this may not be a problem.
Xtreme
Finally, you have the Tournament box, with 13-16 high-end baits and a total value of $85. This is better than the MTB Elite box, which has $60 5-9 baits.
The pricing is higher as well, though:
- $42/month if bought monthly.
Regarding box selection, the Tournament plan is similar to MTB’s Elite plan – you again have the option of bass or multi-species boxes.
The Tournament plan is noticeably more expensive if bought monthly than the Elite plan. However, once you move to extended plans, the cost doesn’t differ much—there is around a $6-$13 difference between the extended MTB and LTB plans. Due to this, LTB may be a better option if you are willing to buy an extended plan.
But you again aren’t getting the 12-month option, which may be an issue for some people.
Lucky Tackle Box shipping
While LTB boxes are more cost-efficient than MTB boxes, the shipping is better with MTB.
LTB, first of all, ships subscription boxes only within the US, Puerto Rico, and Canada.
Also, free shipping is only available within the US, while Canada shipping costs $5. If you are in Canada, those $5 could be a deal-breaker.
LTB also has a slower shipping time—it takes 3-10 business days for continental US addresses and up to 14 business days for Canada, Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, and Canada.
Lucky Tackle Box packaging
As for packaging, LTB appears to be a little better than MTB, though this will depend on your needs and preferences. LTB seems to include fewer sample packages in its boxes, which, though not necessarily an advantage, maybe a good thing for some people.
This video has been included to clarify the topic. Credit goes to Fishing With YakPak
Final Thoughts
So, in the end, we’ve got the following:
- The main benefit of MTB is the shipping fees and time.
- The main benefit of LTB is cost efficiency.
If you live in Canada, Mystery Tackle Boxes may be a particularly appealing option since they ship for free and in a shorter time.
On the other hand, Lucky Mystery Box offers better pricing, which is especially appealing if you live in the US since the shipping there is free. Besides, due to the higher savings, the $7 shipping fee to Canada may not even be an issue for you, even though it means you will save $8 less.
Mystery Tackle Box may also be a better option if you are looking for specific equipment. That’s because MTB offers more fish options with its cheaper packages.
If these benefits aren’t big enough for you to decide, we suggest you buy both boxes for a month or two. You won’t be able to see the variety of tackle included in such a short time frame, but you should get an idea of how high-quality and cost-efficient each offer is.
