I’m just curious if you all keep your soft baits in the bag or put them in tackle box or utility box for easy access and storage?
I understand the importance of keeping them in bags where they have liquid inside for smell and flavor, but ones that have nothing on them?
Such as these...
I keep all of them in their original bag.
keep all the bags organized in multiple soft sided tackle boxes according to bait type.
soft baits seem to last a lot longer in their original containers.
I’ve done both, In the bag I’m sure is better for the baits. I got tired of pulling the bags out looking for the one I wanted. Now there in Plano 3600 boxes. It works fine, but now I have four 3600’s full of plastics in my backpack. I think you just have to come up with a organized way that works for you. I’m still working on a way to have enough of what I want but not bring to much of everything with me.
Ya I am thinking about getting a hard tackle box like this one. I have soft one right now and I believe I’d like everything open instead of in a plastic utility box.
They have these for $20 at Walmart.
I like to keep mine in their original bags and put them in soft sided bags made for holding soft plastics. Do not put anything from ZMan in a plastic box as it will ruin those boxes. Do not mix ZMan with any other plastics as it will ruin them too.
I store my panfish soft plastics in trays, along with jig heads etc... They do just fine
However with bass soft plastics, I recommend leaving them in the original bag, and finding a way to organize them. I tried storing different color flukes and rage craws in 5$ trays from Walmart and it completely ruined the trays, within a couple months.
The baits themselves were fine but the trays, not so much.
So I learned the hard way that it's just best to leave them in the bag.
Plastics stay in their original bags.
On 12/3/2018 at 3:10 AM, NittyGrittyBoy said:I store my panfish soft plastics in trays, along with jig heads etc... They do just fine
However with bass soft plastics, I recommend leaving them in the original bag, and finding a way to organize them. I tried storing different color flukes and rage craws in 5$ trays from Walmart and it completely ruined the trays, within a couple months.
The baits themselves were fine but the trays, not so much.
So I learned the hard way that it's just best to leave them in the bag.
What did it do to the trays?
On 12/3/2018 at 3:51 AM, reason said:Plastics stay in their original bags.
I agree. Mine stay in their original bags. I store the bags at home by type (worm, tube, craw, etc) in shoeboxes.
When I travel I use a bait binder. I have the Kastking one. Got it for $11 on sale.
https://www.amazon.com/KastKing-KKT-KK-Lure-Bag-S-Fishing-Waterproof/dp/B075V6M8CL
I'll take a picture when I get off work tonight, warps up the lids so they don't hardly close or seal.
On 12/3/2018 at 3:10 AM, NittyGrittyBoy said:I store my panfish soft plastics in trays, along with jig heads etc... They do just fine
However with bass soft plastics, I recommend leaving them in the original bag, and finding a way to organize them. I tried storing different color flukes and rage craws in 5$ trays from Walmart and it completely ruined the trays, within a couple months.
The baits themselves were fine but the trays, not so much.
So I learned the hard way that it's just best to leave them in the bag.
So did I. Flambeau makes boxes that won't react to Elaztech they are not made from PVC like so many others which have a reaction to it. I now carry my open TRDs and Zeros in them.
On 12/3/2018 at 4:55 AM, Jig Man said:So did I. Flambeau makes boxes that won't react to Elaztech they are not made from PVC like so many others which have a reaction to it. I now carry my open TRDs and Zeros in them.
What does the elaztech do to them?
I keep frequently used baits in Plano boxes, one each for swimbaits, creatures, jig trailers, trickworm, giant worms. I keep elastec in their original bags in their own, separate binder. I have a double binder for odd ball plastics and another single binder for finesse worms.
Soft plastics usually stay in their original bag unless I cannot tell what is in the bag. I put like bait bags in gallon freezer bags together so I can find them easier. Plano boxes just take up too much space for soft plastics IMO.
Allen
On 12/3/2018 at 7:22 AM, Tyler. said:What does the elaztech do to them?
Warped the lid so much it would not close. Also damaged the dividers. There is some kind of chemical reaction. A Zman tech is the one who told me about Flambeau.
I keep plastics in original bags. If you are looking for a "tackle box", I keep mine in the 7qt sterilite plastic tubs that you can get at Walmart for $2.00 each. They are the perfect size for most plastic bait bags and you can get 25-30 bags in each one. They have latches on each end to secure the top. You can take a magic marker and label them easily.
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Sterilite-7-Qt-6-6-L-Latch-Box-Stadium-Blue/46001913?athcpid=46001913&athpgid=athenaItemPage&athcgid=null&athznid=PWVUB&athieid=v0&athstid=CS020&athguid=8739eb32-f0f-16771997afb85c&athena=true
On 12/3/2018 at 3:00 AM, Log Catcher said:I like to keep mine in their original bags and put them in soft sided bags made for holding soft plastics. Do not put anything from ZMan in a plastic box as it will ruin those boxes. Do not mix ZMan with any other plastics as it will ruin them too.
I learned that the hard way. It melted away and the stuff hardened on top of my rage craws and ruined them. That was the last time I’ll probably buy any zman soft plastic other than the trd
I keep them in utility boxes as it's much easier to access and store. I have had minimal warping, if any at all. I do keep ZMan and Savage Gear in their bags as I've heard they will melt other plastics.
Most all plastics are kept in the original bags.
Similar bags of baits are then grouped together and place in a larger labeled zip lock freezer bag.
Baits that I use a ton of - Rage Bugs & Rage Craws come out of the smaller original bags and go directly into a big zip lock - it's just easier.
A-Jay
I keep most plastics in plano 4700 boxes because I have had to many bagged plastics get an unnatural bend in them from being stored in a bag. Rage plastics stay in the bag, because their packaging is top notch.
I have some Producto and slider worms from the mid 90s that have been boxed and they are like new. Never seen any issues with bagged or boxed baits deteriorating over time.
I used to keep mine in the original bags. I got tired of looking thru the bags to find what I wanted. Or I would buy baits that I thought I was out of. Now I store them in Plano 3600 boxes, everything except Senkos and Rage Craws. I keep those in the original package. I like the new system, makes it much easier to find what I'm looking for, and easy to tell when I'm running low a specific bait.
Keep mine in original bags but usually will double up contents from two bags into one to save space. Certain craw and worm I use alot of I load 1gal freezer bags to make it easier and quick. Old fishing partner used Plano 3700's and he was usually quicker at changing baits out.
I keep them in the original bag and sort them by type into gallon bags in my boats storage.
On 12/3/2018 at 9:09 AM, heavyduty said:I keep plastics in original bags. If you are looking for a "tackle box", I keep mine in the 7qt sterilite plastic tubs that you can get at Walmart for $2.00 each. They are the perfect size for most plastic bait bags and you can get 25-30 bags in each one. They have latches on each end to secure the top. You can take a magic marker and label them easily.
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Sterilite-7-Qt-6-6-L-Latch-Box-Stadium-Blue/46001913?athcpid=46001913&athpgid=athenaItemPage&athcgid=null&athznid=PWVUB&athieid=v0&athstid=CS020&athguid=8739eb32-f0f-16771997afb85c&athena=true
This is exactly how I have mine stored in my little boat. Works great and very cheap.
With very few exceptions, I keep them in their original container-at least until the "zip-loc" breaks-and then I put them in a different one. The one exception I CAN think of is if I've already rigged the bait and want to use it again later. THEN I leave the hook in and place the bait in the one spot in my hard box dedicated to these particular baits. I find that removing the hook (and then later rehooking it) detracts from the baits "integrity".
On 12/3/2018 at 9:09 AM, heavyduty said:I keep plastics in original bags. If you are looking for a "tackle box", I keep mine in the 7qt sterilite plastic tubs that you can get at Walmart for $2.00 each. They are the perfect size for most plastic bait bags and you can get 25-30 bags in each one. They have latches on each end to secure the top. You can take a magic marker and label them easily.
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Sterilite-7-Qt-6-6-L-Latch-Box-Stadium-Blue/46001913?athcpid=46001913&athpgid=athenaItemPage&athcgid=null&athznid=PWVUB&athieid=v0&athstid=CS020&athguid=8739eb32-f0f-16771997afb85c&athena=true
I’ve been doing this method for a long time also. They store nice in the boat compartments as well. I have a few different manufacturers of them but all work out well. You can keep specific terminal tackle in there also so when you grab the box everything is right there to convert over quickly. Some plastics are stored by manufacturer, some are stored style. I find plastics easier to find this way.
I like to keep my soft plastics in the bags they come in.
For many years I kept mine in the original bag, and crammed them into plastic trays in bait boxes. One container holds 4 trays full of baits. I also had an overflow of plastic baits in the original bag that I kept (and still keep) on nails on the wall in my fishing room.
For the last couple years, I started taking baits out of the original bags and putting them naked into the trays, grouped by type and color. I love this system except that it seems like the zoom baits I use lose their color and "slinkiness " doing it this way.
Not sure why they lose color because they are no more exposed to sunlight than before.
What I like about my current system is that its one step to the bait instead of 2 , and I actually enjoy seeing tha baits in the tray for some reason. When using the bag, there isnt quite enough room in the tray- they are crammed in there.
Kind of looking for a new way. I dont like soft storage for some reason, probably that you are several motions away from the bait ( zippers drive me nuts ). I only have a small soft storage bag I carry for accessories and bank fishing.
Being in a kayak I don't carry a ton of plastics...........
Yum Dingers in four colors
Rage Craws in 2 colors
Rage Bugs in 2 colors
Menace Grubs in 2 colors
They are out of their bags and in a 3700 Plano box.
Four things to remember when storing plastics in plastic bags:
1. Be sure not to mix the different plastics just in case they leach their colors onto the other plastics in the bag. In other words, keep all 294 Senkos together, all Zoom Junebug Trick Worms together; all Zoom or YUM green pumpkin finesse worms together by manufacturer, etc.
2. Write the names and types of the baits on each plastic bag so you can easily see what is in the bag and not rely on your memory that can be foggy in a few months. Do not write anything on an index card or piece of paper and put it in the bag as it will suck up the chemicals in the plastics.
3. If possible, keep all new baits in their original packaging. Do not add any plastics that you have thrown and are saving for your next fishing adventure.
4. Keep any used plastics you wish to retain in their own bags, separate from the other baits as stated in 3 above.
You can then store your plastics by name, color or type so you can take inventory next year and then take the Bait Monkey with you to the tackle shop to buy or order replacements.
And it is fun to do this and realize how many different types of plastics you have.
Merry Christmas!