ICAST First Look: YakAttack BlackPak Pro And Accessories

At the beginning of summer 2022, YakAttack made big news when they released three new BlackPak Pro storage crates designed to provide safe, protected storage for tackle and gear. By the end of the summer, the company will add a selection of accessories to expand the BlackPak’s versatility.

YakAttack’s BlackPak Pro is a Premium Storage Upgrade

With solid construction and a sturdy lid, YakAttack’s original BlackPak was a big step up from the milk crates and small coolers anglers had been using to store gear and rods. With the pre-drilled holes, anglers could add rod holders and accessory mounts to the outside of the crate.

Improving on the original design, the BlackPak Pro is stronger and lighter with more options for customization. First, the Pro is available in three sizes: 13 by 13 inches, 13 by 16 inches and a massive 16 by 16 inches. The new crate has adjustable hinges to secure the water-resistant lid. On the front, two latches keep the lid closed and can be opened with one hand.

The new crate comes with three of YakAttack’s new TetherTube rod holders. The rod holders are large enough to hold the biggest rod butts and cradle baitcasting or spinning reels. To keep the rods in place, the tubes are outfitted with a bungee and hook that can either attach to the rod or one of three caged attachment points on each side of the tube.

Accessorize Your BlackPak Pro

So how do you make the new and improved gear crate better? YakAttack has released a line of accessories to customize the crate outfitting.

My favorite accessory is the TetherTube Turret. Attach the rod tube to the crate with the Turret, then push a lever to angle the rod holder up to 45 degrees. This is helpful for river anglers who need to lower their rod tip to pass beneath branches and overhangs. Angling the rods also keeps them out of the way of an angler’s backcast.

Continuing with the same idea, the GridLoc MightyMount with 90-degree adapter attaches an accessory base to the outside of the crate to hold a PanFish Pro camera boom, Omega rod holder or VisiCarbon Pro navigation light. The 90 degree adapter can also be angled to mirror the TetherTube Turret.

YakAttack also redesigned the MightyMount XL gear track to match the pre-drilled holes on the BlackPak Pro. Moving forward, all YakAttack accessories will be designed with hole spacing to match the GridLoc pattern on the BlackPak Pro.

Inside the BlackPak Pro, new Knotloc Bungee Dividers keep tackle trays and gear organized. Attach the plastic taps to the GridLoc holes and run the bungees between the tabs. The bungees are infinitely adjustable to customize gear organization and easy to remove, adjust and install.

To make the BlackPak Pro even better, it is now available in olive drag green and desert sand tan. In fact, YakAttack will be releasing select accessories, like cleats, tie-downs, rod holders and gear tracks in the new colors, too.

For years BlackPak dominated the kayak storage market with the toughest and coolest tackle crate system. Now, the updated BlackPak Pro will continue to offer secure and customizable gear storage for years to come.