How Do You Organize Your Tackle 2024
FL_Sharpshooter reply :
Trying to figure out how I want to separate my cranks, jigs, spinnerbaits, etc. What kind of system do you guys use?
Jig Man reply :
I keep mine is size specific and bait specific boxes.
lynyrdsky1 reply :
Im more of a disorganized organized person haha. I keep all my plastics in the original packs and keep the packs in a small bag I have labeled with "bag-o-plastics". I keep all my hard baits in different plano boxes put those boxes in an old back back. Works well for me as a non boater when you need to keep everything tight, nice, and easy to get to when you are in someone elses boat.
dulouz reply :
On 11/28/2011 at 3:26 AM, Jig Man said:I keep mine is size specific and bait specific boxes.
That is essentially what I use, except on a smaller scale. I have one 3700 for cranks, 1 for twisters, 1 for worms/creature/tubes/frogs, 1 for spinner/buzz baits, 1 for terminal. I have several smaller boxes for topwaters, crappie jigs, jerkbaits, and bass jigs, and other misc. lures. This all goes into a Cabela's tackle bag.
A-Rob reply :
3700 for my cranks
Big freezer zip lock bags for all my bags of craws/creatures/flukes/worms/senkos/frogs etc
Goose52 reply :
I standardized on 3600 boxes - the smaller size makes them more manageable in the canoe or when carrying a few on the bank. Plastics are left in their original bags. For carrying the 3600s, I have an open-topped tote (Cabelas) that holds 6, and 2 tackle bags - one holds 3 3600s, the other holds 2. In the canoe, I usually just have the 6-box tote. Other times, I can mix and match the tote and 2 bags to carry from 2 to 11 3600s.
I have 3600 boxes for:
cranks (3 boxes) - organized by depth
lipless cranks
topwater
jigs & spoons
spinnerbaits/buzzbaits
minnow baits (2 boxes) - rapalas, rebels, jerkbaits, etc.
terminal tackle
a couple of misc boxes
Then, I have some 3500-size boxes that hold smaller swimbaits, in-line spinners, and some other stuff.
I've got an empty 3600 handy for when I want to just mix-and match baits and configure a box for the particular plan I have for that day.
There's lots of ways to organize tackle. How you do it kinda depends on how much stuff you have and how much of it you want to take with you when you go fishing, and whether you are fishing from the bank, a boat, or both.
SirSnookalot reply :
My disorganization is perfectly organized. My freshwater fishing is all shore and only fish moving baits. I only have about 20 or so different lures and found that's all I need so everything is just laying on table. When I go out to fish I put a couple of lures in a old rapala box and stick them in my pocket.
I keep no saltwater gear at home ( except rods, reels and line for replacement), it's all in my car. I use a fanny pack as my day bag with lure boxes, I actually have quite a bit of stuff in there and keep a lot of back lures in the car.
tnbassfisher reply :
My system is a little different since I fish from a kayak. But I use a milk crate in the back tankwell to hold all of my tackle. I have 4 3600 and one of the 3700 Terminal Tackle organizers. The four 3600's are dividing into jigs, shallow-medium cranks, medium-deep cranks, and another with swimbaits/frogs/just kinda a box where stuff goes if I need another spot. Then I have a small box that only has one divider that I use to store spinnerbaits. My plastics go into a medium-sized tackle binder and sometimes I carry a small tubberware container kept in the hull of the kayak.
Siebert Outdoors reply :
Pretty much like Jigman.
Fishes in trees reply :
Cool. One good thing about winter coming on is we get all these threads about tackle organization. All tackle organization is temporary. It lasts for a while, then you start using it and things get moved from box to box and after a while you have tackle chaos again.
Spare tackle organization is another thing. I keep nearly all of my stuff in an unheated out building, so mouse proofing is a concern. All soft plastics are kept in some sort of hard plastic box. Hard baits are sorted by type and kept in plastic boxes. Recently I've been sorting different boxes in to clear plastic totes, mostly as an anti-dust measure.
Sometime in December or January, I'll get all the gear out of my boat and put it in totes for over the winter storage. That's when I'll check all the tools, safety equipment and so forth, stuff that should stay in the boat all the time. I am frequently amazed at how sockets and nut drivers, that are only in the boat because they fit a certain specific nut, get misplaced. The bait monkey has a cousin who specializes in tools and hardware.
Anyway, I think these tackle organizing threads are cool, mostly because I never get completely done and it is never completely right.
tnbassfisher reply :
It also lets us cure a little bit of cabin fever and see all the stuff everyone else has that we wish we had. 
JIGFISHERMAN. reply :
ideally I would organize tackle by lake. Even if lots of the stuff carried over to other lakes, each lake had it's own. Then I could have all my 3700's in a carrier and pull the entire thing and change, based on the lake I'm fishing.
Might even do something like that in the boat....Make it easy to pull a group of 3700's at once.
Also, I'm interested in how everyone organizes there crankbaits.
roadwarrior reply :
It starts for me with a small storage room, turned fishing retreat, in the garage. Rods and reels are
displayed upright on wall racks. On low shelving I store "reserves" in Plano boxes, organized by depth.
Just above the shelving are peg boards for bags of soft plastics on one wall, a display hutch for hard
baits, extra line and terminal tackle.
Two hard tackleboxes contain line, terminal tackle, oil and tools that I carry in the truck on big trips
My main bag is a XPS 3600 for everything I might want on a trip. Then finally, a small G. Loomis worm bag
that I have converted to hold everything I will fish on a given day. Generally, this is all I take on a boat.
Sometimes I take all my rods on a big trip, but I have a carry-on for the 6-8 I plan to use. Right now I only
carry two on the Tennessee River. On lakes this winter I might carry 4, but the range of lures or techniques
is more limited in the winter.
So, starting from a fairly large base, the amount of stuff I actually take on the water is small. I also carry
a man-bag which is stored out of the way. Rain gear, scale, sun glasses, lure retriever, sun tan lotion, etc.
When I move to the back of the boat, things are neat and clean.
00 mod reply :
On 11/29/2011 at 8:02 AM, roadwarrior said:It starts for me with a small storage room, turned fishing retreat, in the garage. Rods and reels are
displayed upright on wall racks. On low shelving I store "reserves" in Plano boxes, organized by depth.
Just above the shelving are peg boards for bags of soft plastics on one wall, a display hutch for hard
baits, extra line and terminal tackle.
Two hard tackleboxes contain line, terminal tackle, oil and tools that I carry in the truck on big trips
My main bag is a XPS 3600 for everything I might want on a trip. Then finally, a small G. Loomis worm bag
that I have converted to hold everything I will fish on a given day. Generally, this is all I take on a boat.
Sometimes I take all my rods on a big trip, but I have a carry-on for the 6-8 I plan to use. Right now I only
carry two on the Tennessee River. On lakes this winter I might carry 4, but the range of lures or techniques
is more limited in the winter.
So, starting from a fairly large base, the amount of stuff I actually take on the water is small. I also carry
a man-bag which is stored out of the way. Rain gear, scale, sun glasses, lure retriever, sun tan lotion, etc.
When I move to the back of the boat, things are neat and clean.
I've seen the room....quite impressive!
Sometimes he takes all of his rods on small trips too.....ok maybe not all of them but about 13 to be exact!
But it is very organized and didnt even get in our way in my 16 foot boat with my 8 combos! LOL
Jeff
Red reply :
I use two bags. One holds four standard plano boxes. Jigs in one, spinnerbaits/topwaters in one, shallow cranks/jerkbaits in another, and mid to deep diving cranks in the last one. The second bag is about the same size however there are no boxes. I store all my soft plastics in original packaging here, kinda neatly placed in the bag like a filing cabinet. This makes it very easy to find what I am looking for. I organize them by brand. Tools, terminal tackle, etc etc are stored in the smaller side pockets between the two bags. Any extra baits are kept in miscellaneous plano boxes and/or Walmart bags in my closet. 
FL_Sharpshooter reply :
I ended up getting a Plano Softsider Fishouflage model 3375. It came with four 3750 boxes, and seven pockets, plus I bought a 3500 series box to store my terminal tackle in (stored it in the front little zippered part). My plastics got stored in the main front zipper and in one of the side pockets. I really liked how jigfisherman labeled his boxes so I stole err... borrowed his idea 
. Overall, I'm very happy with my purchase. The bag is big enough for all of my stuff -- it even has a neat-o zippered part inside of the bag for my scent. Plus, it has that sweet camo look - who could resist!?
Alpster reply :
I keep over a dozen 3700 boxes loaded with all my baits & rigs and also have several 3600 boxes with just jigs.
I transfer to one or more of my "take along" bags what I will use for the big trip or day.
Ronnie
FL_Sharpshooter reply :
On 11/29/2011 at 10:25 PM, Alpster said:I keep over a dozen 3700 boxes loaded with all my baits & rigs and also have several 3600 boxes with just jigs.
I transfer to one or more of my "take along" bags what I will use for the big trip or day.
Ronnie
Wow, nice collection you have there!
Goose52 reply :
On 11/29/2011 at 7:38 AM, JIGFISHERMAN. said:.......Also, I'm interested in how everyone organizes their crankbaits.
I organize by depth. At present, I have 3 boxes: shallow cranks (~0-8 ft), mid cranks (~8 to 13 ft), deep cranks (~14-30ft). Some cranks overlap those depth breaks and I just put them in the box where I think I would most use them (shallow/mid/deep). I'm trying not to buy any more cranks so hopefully I won't have to expand to a 4th box.
If you are a big-time cranker, you might consider a Special Mate box by Trinity Industries. They have a couple of crank boxes that hold a whopping 120 cranks each! "Micro" on this board posted some pics of the Special Mate boxes - they are very cool if you have a lot of cranks.
joebills78 reply :
WOW!! Some of you guys are actually organized! I thought my system of throwing the Gander bag full of stuff into a storage area on the boat and then opening each bag as I needed stuff was working . I guess I need to get organized. It appears that that is the way to go .
whitwolf reply :
I take what i need for a particular trip and or seasonaly.
gobig reply :
http://www.nbc.com/saturday-night-live/video/anal-retentive-fishing/1349689/
FL_Sharpshooter reply :
On 1/22/2012 at 4:14 AM, whitwolf said:
I take what i need for a particular trip and or seasonaly.
..and where is your store located? 
catchnm reply :
I do mine according to the same principle as Alpster. I haven't reched the point of having as much or the total orginization the way he has yet. I do try to keep eevrything seperated by type, deep cranks, shallow cranks, squarebills, jigs, senkos, craws, jerkbaits, etc., and then pull and carry as I might think I need for the day. I do wish a had me one them big 20' floating tackleboxes though. I could carry all my gear in one of them.
Sam reply :
I decided to do something different when fishing tournaments.
1. I have one tackle box with the cranks, spinnerbaits, Chatterbaits, jigs, pigs, topwaters, etc. so I don't have to look in various tackle boxes for a favorite lure.
2. I put various plastics divided up by color and type (Senkos, trick worms, finesse worms, Rage Tails, Shaky Heads, Drop Shot, etc., in gallon freezer bags.
By doing this saves me time and aggravation trying to find that one bait that I know will work (ha ha).
It also makes me prepare for the tournaments by thinking about what I am going to throw on what techniques.
Of course, I have other baits as backups in the boat just in case.
When I fish ponds, I take an old tackle box with a few baits since I will be carrying them with me, unless it is at the double secret pond and then I load the back of the SUV with the house!!!!!
Sam reply :
As a follow up, at home I have the baits stored in either plastic containers or furniture by either types or techniques.
I have 39 plastic or wooden draws that hold the baits and tackle in my Man Cave.
Sometimes I can find things easily; other times I have to hunt and try to remember where I put the specific bait.
RyneB reply :
I have peg boards full of plastics, unopened hard baits and such. I am very very organized until my second or 3rd time out. Then i have stuff everywhere.
Hooligan reply :
My "restocking" storage is much like RoadWarrior; I have a stall of the garage that is dedicated space to storage of tackle and gear. Any reels that I have are shelved, rods are hung on Pirahna rod racks without reels. All of my bulk plastics are hung on two 4x8 sheets of pegboard, all of my hardbaits in original packaging are stored on another 4x8 sheet. I have three sets of shelving that are dedicated to holding 3700 size boxes sorted by bait, depth, color, and brand. All of my jigs and/or wire baits are in 3750 size boxes with all jigs sorted by color and weight. It's a pretty straight forward system to keep everything organized and together. I can also keep an accurate inventory of what I have along with what's in the boat.
bassh8er reply :
Pretty much like everybody else, but I did make a soft plastics storage system that is all my own and works pretty well so far... I think I've posted this in 2 other threads already, so what's one more? I've also found that wrapping the treble hooks together with rubberbands as shown allows you to get a lot more cranks in the same compartments with no issues of tangling.
Topwaters
Swimbaits
Spinnerbaits
Shallow divers
Mid-divers
bassh8er reply :
Lucky Crafts
Jigs
Jerkbaits and lipless cranks
Frogs
Deep cranks
bassh8er reply :
And finally the soft plastics system...
Main storage area, separated by bait type
An example of what's inside each tub. All batis are left in their original bags to help keep them even more organized.
Buzzbaits and chatterbaits
Dennis1022 reply :
Bassh8er, I like the idea you had about tying up the treble hooks on your lures. The only thing is rubber bands will dri rot or melt onto your crank baits. I had several lures that had rubber bands on and they just melted on the lures. So what I did is use twist ties from bread bags and other ties from things you buy in big boxes that can be cut down to extend the twist ties.
Now what would you bring on a river and using a canoe and not a Bass boat? Then you have to make a special amount of lures to carry with you. I even had to cut down on rods I used to bring. I use to bring 14 rods & reels like half Baitcasters & SpinningReels. Now I only bring max. is 4 rods. I use to have a Bass Boat, but sold it and now only have a canoe and a semi V that needs repair.
tpsneaks18 reply :
I personally keep a bag with 3700 planos that store my hard baits...categorized into Lipless, deep/medium divers, shallow/square bill/wake, and topwater, then bladed baits and buzzers n bladed swim jigs. I will pick out from my tackle @ home and switch out what I think I need for the particular pond/tournament based on season, water clarity, past experience, etc.
But for plastics I buy 2.5 gallon Zip Loc bags...I label them in Categorys like "dropshot baits", "Beaver Baits/Craw Baits", "Stickbaits/Senkos", "Lizards", "Tubes", etc...then I keep the baits in their original packaging and throw them in the zip locs...This way when I know of a type of bait i want, i can quickly go right to that category and make my decision. Best way I've found for soft plastics and saves me time on the water. The Gigantic Plano Open Storage "stowaways" work great to house the plastics in the zip locs...the HUGE one w/ no separations, just a big open box.
hike4steel reply :
I have just started storing my soft plastics in 3700 boxes making a switch from large freezer bags. I have removed them from their respective pacages to maximize storage space. I am likeing it this way. They are eayier to find then rooting through bags. the only drawback so far is you can't soak a whole bag of worms with garlic or you leave them in the bag. Hardbaits stored in3700 also in similar way as the rest of the organized to semi organized fishermen.
bassh8er reply :
On 5/27/2012 at 8:25 PM, Dennis1022 said:Bassh8er, I like the idea you had about tying up the treble hooks on your lures. The only thing is rubber bands will dri rot or melt onto your crank baits. I had several lures that had rubber bands on and they just melted on the lures. So what I did is use twist ties from bread bags and other ties from things you buy in big boxes that can be cut down to extend the twist ties.
Now what would you bring on a river and using a canoe and not a Bass boat? Then you have to make a special amount of lures to carry with you. I even had to cut down on rods I used to bring. I use to bring 14 rods & reels like half Baitcasters & SpinningReels. Now I only bring max. is 4 rods. I use to have a Bass Boat, but sold it and now only have a canoe and a semi V that needs repair.
I have been using the rubber bands for 3 years now with 0 issues. I have also fished out of canoes, kayaks, and small 2-man boats and just grab gear accordingly before heading out.
Dennis1022 reply :
Bassh8er Thanks for your response on this issue. I was just wondering about the rubber bands melting onto the lures. Another thing was that my tackle box was a Plano 747, I had put my spinnerbaits and the rubber skirt stuck/melted to crank bait lures. The reason I brought up the issue of the canoe is that I had to sell my bass boat and now just have the 2. That is a canoe and a Semi - V Grumman 1978, that the semi needs to have work. so I have to down size my load to carry on the canoe. So I'm trying to figure out the lures to put into a smaller tackle box. If anyone has ever had this issue I would gratefully accept your input. Oh by the way, Bassh8er I wasn't putting your idea down, just was wondering if you had the problem, in fact I really like it the way you had put all those lures and don't get tangled up! Keep safe on this Memorial Day and never forget those who never came back.
logan9209 reply :
i try to keep mine organized. try. i bank fish (no boats allowed at my lake) so i don't wanna carry every thing i have. since i tend to use soft plastics in the end, i just carry all of them in the book bag in original bags (or a zip lock if one isn't available). my cranks in one case and jigs and spinners in another. problem is that i get lazy sometimes usually put them in the wrong box on the fly or i'll put the soft plastic in one of the other pockets of my backpack.
hatrix reply :
I keep all my stuff in Plano boxes. I have 2 boxes that are my main ones that are mixed up. I don't need to have a bunch of the same style lures in one box. I just keep lures that are proven to me and they have basically any thing in the box I need from terminal of all sizes to plastics to cranks or any thing. If I am doing a quick pond run I will fill up a empty plastics bag with what I want to fish and carry that in my back pocket.
Scorcher214 reply :
I have a BPS stalker tackle bag. Usually everything is in it but right now all the plastics are strewn over my couch because I couldnt find my albino flukes....they were in my satchel.
But this is usually how it is done:
-1 3600 for cranks
-1 3600 plano fto spinnerbait box
-1 3600 for all my topwater
-1 3600 for all terminal tackle
-1 3600 for whatever
The backpack can store 8 3600s so I don't use all of them and use the rest of the area to put soft plastics. There are also pockets on the flap of the backpack and All my ragetail stuff goes in there. I thought about putting my plastics into 3600 boxes, but since i mainly am a bank fisher/kayak angler now, I just load up my satchel with several bags of plastics, my box of terminal and one box filled with miscellaneous lures.
crankbait2009 reply :
For those that store their softplastics in the original bags and then placed on a pegboard with hooks.........when you have so many, how do you determine what goes out on the water with you each time? Or do you end up taking everything?
I use a very small tote with all my plastics in the original bags, so that way they are always with me and I don't have to worry about the "crap, i left it at home"
logan9209 reply :
crankbait2009, for some reason I have a hard time breaking away from soft plastics. Not saying I've mastered them, but I know that on a hard day I can always pull out 1 or 2 bass with them. So, I tend to bring all of them with me and then have just one plano3600 filled with the hard baits that I might practice with if I have time (spinnerbaits are my bane).
tpsneaks18 reply :
I guess this shows some of us are more into soft plastics than others...the people who've said they store their plastics out of their bags in 3600 or 3700 boxes---U obviously can't have a HUGE assortment of plastics or I'd imagine it'd be absolutely impossible to store them this way...The amount of plastics I have...I'd need at least 20-25 3700 tackle boxes to store them out of their bags in sectioned off portions of a 3700 box... My hardbaits have always required one tackle bag...4 3700's- Topwaters, lipless/deepdivers, medium divers/shallow divers, chatterbaits/buzzbaits...n then a special double tiered box about the size of a 3600 but double-sided filled w/ jigs. Then I have an ENTIRE other bag for my soft plastics...either the giant stowaway box, or an empty tackle bag if its a tournament.
logan9209 reply :
tpsneaks18, I bank fish and I walk to where I'm going. Due to health issues even if I had that much, I couldn't carry it. I would love to be able to carry all I have. I hate getting to a spot and decide to fish with something different just to realize that I had preplanned not to bring that particular tackle box with me. But sometimes, you just have to go with the flow.
SirSnookalot reply :
Organization is one thing and what I take with me on an outing is something else. When F.W. fishing I take no more than 4 or 5 different kinds of lures and if I suspect I may run into some vegetation I'll take some sort of soft plastic to rig weedless, everything fists nicely in my pockets, 1 rod. My SW gear is kept in my trunk in small boxes, 1 each for lures, jigs, spoons and some misc stuff. I use a good sized fanny pack with closeable lure boxes, more than enough tackle for any inshore outing I may do, as rule 2-3 rods. A lost lure is usually replaced on the way home from fishing.
My gear at home is in on a couple of small shelves and a storage bin with drawers. Not too neat, but since I know where everything is, I guess I'd call it organized. I have around 20 or so combos, that hang vertical from a wall in my garage.
logan9209 reply :
Speaking of which...This might be suited for a different post but since we're talking about organizing. Z-Man soft plastics absolutely can not be stored next to any other soft plastics. I learned this the hard way. I bought one of their chatterbaits with a split tail grub on it. I put the lure with my other jigs. In no time at all the grub part shriveled to nothing. It can be stored out of the bag, but just not with soft plastics. I'm not sure if putting a Z-man lizard and a Z-Man saw tail worm together would have the same effect, but I will leave that research for someone else.
related Fishing Tackle topic
previous topic
© 2024 - fishing.qciss.net. All Rights Reserved.