How do you choose what to get rid of. 2024

lookin4lunkers reply :

OK guys here is my delima, everytime I walk through a bait store or fishing isle at wal-mart I see something that looks good to me so I buy one ( mainly plastics ). So now my tackle bag weights between 50 and 75 pounds. Its hard to fish when your back has been thrown out from carrying this bag. I know I need to get rid of some things but how do I choose without feeling like if I had only had one of those worms I threw away. My wife makes fun of me when I have to switch hands before I get to the truck with it. Thank for any Ideas Lookin for Lunkers.

dodgeguy reply :

don't feel bad!!!i have a cabelas denny brauer super magnum that weighs 80 lbs.!!!seriously though,i sometimes have to cull my plastics also.i just get rid of the stuff i never ever use and don't have any confidence in.the only problem is the bag still weighs the same because i replace it with something else!!!

bigbill reply :

I have had the same problem too but i handle it a different way I rotate my baits often. I take out the older stuff and put it in a box marked "USED" so i can go back to it when i want to use them again or give some out to my sons to use too. I also do it with older crankbaits too, maily because the old stuff still works so why sideline them? Of course I have taken up some room now with everything but we can never have too much fishing stuff can we? BigBill

I'm very Frugal and i can't pass up a sale on fishing stuff.

Rattlinrogue reply :

I have a bag for baits that I have no confidence in.The baits that I have had success with go in my tacklebox.Trouble is,it's still like a suitcase.

Rebbasser reply :

The bass fisherman's dilemma. I finally had to buy a boat to hold all my tackle, and it still isn't big enough ;D.

When I get to that point, usually with soft plastics, I determine what I will or will not use and remove those I Will not use. I put them in a plastic box on the shelf in the garage and occasionally end up rotating baits when I go through the boat again.

mullman reply :

I've started to give my 5-year old the baits that I never use. He's got his own tackle box now and everytime I buy a new bait he gets one more of my old ones. It's a lot of fun to watch his eyes light up with a new bait that he can use with his Scooby Doo rod.

scbassin reply :

The very best way to choose is, if is broken & can't be repaired & there is nothing that can be used. Then put it in a save in case bag. When you have so much tackle it don't all fit in the boat, get a bigger boat. I called Ranger Boats & asked them when they were going to build a forty foot bass boat so I could store my tackle. They are getting right on it.

abelfisher reply :

You could always do what i DID. In my garage I have a wall of pegboard where I hang my tools. I got to the point also where I was starting to collect a lot of fishing stuff, so I hung 2 more sheet of pegboard so I can see all the extra stuff I have; in case I decide to go back to it. If it is out of sight of me, I forget what I have. Anyway, it looks cool in my garage and makes people think I know what the hell I am doing when it comes to fishin' ;D ;D ;D Boy can I fool 'em! ;D

Rebbasser reply :

Good idea Abelfisher. Thanks!

Marty reply :

As I have aged, my tackle-buying is way down. However, I still take too much stuff out with me, but I just can't bring myself to pare down. It's a real problem when shore fishing, as I'm walking around with two shoulder bags. Maybe one of these days. :-[

roadwarrior reply :

I like the pegboard idea, but for the most part I give away most of the stuff that doesn't work for me. I keep everything in Plano and Shimano plastic boxes and only pack what I'm planning to use on a given day.

Here's a suggestion for Marty and other bank fishermen. I carry a Plano plastic box that is about 8X12. Cabelas has a Safari Vest with pockets for everything and a pouch in the back. The box fits perfectly in the pouch so I don't carry anything but my rod. Works for me.

Phishn_Phool reply :

That's a great idea Abel, but my shed only has 4 walls. and I have 9 tackle boxes. I wish I knew something about ebay, I was looking at some of the stuff I moved down here and know I will never use it. I have like 10 wooden Hellbenders still in the boxes. Are lures from the 1960 to 1975 worth anything. I still had a pack of Mann's (Grape) Jelly Worms unopened LOL ;D

Nick_Barr reply :

I would start an auction for all those baits, i did and it went pretty well.

Shad_Master reply :

My local club has a "Sportsman's Flea Market" every year as a way to raise money for the club. We sell tables to vendors and have several tables for the club. People bring their takle and equipment and put it on the table for sale and the club collects gate money from the public for comming in to browze around. Some of our regular vendors are small mom & pop bait shops and some are specialty vendors (one guy ties bucktails for Northerns) but a lot of them are either other clubs or just guys who have a ton of stuff they want to get rid of.

bassin4life reply :

I would open my own tackle shop after awhile ....lol ;D

guest reply :

I was starting to get out of hand myself,and just had a major purge of stuff I dont use so therfore I dont need. Im not sying what Im left with is the expert opinion what everyone needs but I decided since I love to fish and fishing is a pastime to relax I decided to KEEP IT SIMPLE.

Im down to 2 6'6" med action rods (Spinning) one for plastics one for hard baits. My plastics consist of worm from 2 to 10 inches. My hard baits are all wood(my favorites) and go from top water to divers.Sticks,cranks and topwaters to be exact. I also have a UL setup for panfish. Its a lot easier carrying what I have confidence and use,and now my tackle bag weighs less than my trolling motor battery.

bassackwards reply :

Quote
I carry a Plano plastic box that is about 8X12. Cabelas has a Safari Vest with pockets for everything and a pouch in the back. The box fits perfectly in the pouch so I don't carry anything but my rod. Works for me.

good piece of info for bank fisherman like myself.

my box has gotten quite heavy, and this is a great topic. I have started to carry an extra tube/worm in my pocket and walk around, but I've been thinkin about puttin everything in a plastic box and loadin' it all into a bookbag.

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btw, why don't u all just mail me the bait u don't use? I'm poor and need money... :-/

Danarchy reply :

Maybe you should try what I did. Last summer, I too was noticing that I wasn't the only one putting on a little weight. My plano pal was getting a bit hefty as well. I ended up having more sacks of plastic that I never used than baits that I had confidence in. What I did was grabbed an assortment of never opened, wierd looking baits (like bubble-gum pink floating trick worms and some strange zipper like worms from a garage sale) and headed for the river. I hit my favorite spot, a place where I knew the fish were, and started fishing these new baits. It took a little adjusting, but eventually I caught fish on just about all of the baits I brought with. One of which has now become a favorite of mine for chasing river smallmouth, that being a plain black power worm. In order for this to work though, you have to leave those "silver bullets" at home and grab a round of "blanks" and make 'em fire!

Oh, yeah... If you have action tailed worms or grubs that you've never got around to using, (ribbon tailed, twister tailed, forked, paddle, etc.) try sticking them on jigs or spinnerbaits as trailers. They especially seem effective if the color doesn't match the skirt. With grubs or shadtailed swim baits or even worms, you can easily snip off the front half of the bait to fit the hook perfectly, and then to further the use of these otherwise unused baits, you can keep the parts you cut off and use them for finesse situations or even for panfish. I remember a time when I as on a school of crappies. I was cutting off two inch pieces of old used power worms and threading them on a plain aberdeen hook. This kept me busy for over an hour!

Marty reply :

Thanks for the suggestion RW, but I don't know. I have a box of hard baits--cranks and topwaters. Another for soft jerkbaits, with one compartment reserved for a triple-wing buzzbait. Also a box for Senkos and other worms and another box for tubes and jigs.

I use all of these lures and am at a loss figuring out how to carry less.

roadwarrior reply :

Marty, It won't work for you. Like a lot of guys I have a lot of equipment and I try to use it in kind of a rotation. For example, Sunday I wanted to use my Calais set up which I use basically for Rat-L Traps, Spinnerbaits and medium topwater lures. So, for this particular morning outing, all I took was a Sammy and a spinner, no box.

Right now my box is packed with Senkos, Fat Ika, Kut-Tails and Slug-Gos, plus one half section for hooks and the other half section with weights (which I only use with the Kut-Tails). On another day I might carry Gitzits and lizards, but I always have a plan and stick with it. This way I get to use different equipment and force myself to use different lures or soft plastics. Otherwise I might be one of those guys that drives earthworm77 crazy: I might use Senkos and Fat Ika only!

dhaynes reply :

That question is easy. Don't throw nothin away. Take fishing the bait type you want to use. If thats all you have then thats all you can use it will force you to give a bait a fare shake before canning it. The next time you go try something else. Most all plastic will catch fish at one time or another. But never throw it a way. Put it in a box or somthing if you do not want to cary it. Try to limit the color selection you buy. Stick with a few dark, med and light colors and maybe a couple real bright colors for those days you are one some muddy water.

Phishn_Phool reply :

Bassin4life....good suggestio9n...but if I opened my tackle shop. how could I fish everyda?? LOL

bassin4life reply :

Well you could retire early and go all the time.....lol ;D

abelfisher reply :

Quote
Are lures from the 1960 to 1975 worth anything. I still had a pack of Mann's (Grape) Jelly Worms unopened LOL ;D

Phisn Phool, I would not get rid of those old lures. I am sure they ARE worth something. I ahve always been intrigued by old lures. I wish I would have kept some of my old lures. Frankly, I don't know where to go to find the value of old lures. If nothing else, display them! ;D

abelfisher reply :

Quote
If nothing else, display them! ;D

OR send them tome and I'll display them! ;D ;D

lookin4lunkers reply :

Well guys most of your ideas sound good. I been thinking about ivesting in some plastic worm molds. Anyone ever mess around with that. From what i understand you can reuse old plastic. Is it worth the trouble. Lookin for Lunkers.

earthworm77 reply :

I made a decision a few years back to really cut down on what I carry with me. I used to come to a tournament with a large Tackle bag with 5 3700 planos inside and another full of plastic.

I'm a freak when it comes to my tackle. I believe in brand specificity. I make almost all of my own baits so I use one jig, one spinnerbait and my own plastics. It works for me. I use Bagley's or ThunderShad balsa cranks only. It works for me.

I got away from buying everything thast looked cool years ago. About 3 years ago I experimented by bringing 1 3700 plano box and a small 12" by 8" duffel bag for my plastics. I fished the next 3 tournament seasons this way, traveling extremely light and it worked out for me. I was never at a loss for having the right bait, so this is the way I've contiuned to do it.

Really taking stock in what I do have, I noticed I have a ton of stuff but it is all the same type of stuff. This makes it easier to cull things down a bit.

That said, there is no reason for me to carry the kitchen sink.

I generally carry:

about 25 assorted Grass Jigs

4 Traps

4 ThunderShads/Bagley's Kill r B's

4 Leverage Spinnerbaits

2 Sammy's

1 bag of Platy's assorted colors

several bags of tubes

some tube heads, plenty of hooks, glass beads, weights

assorted plastics like Fat Ikas, SD's, FatZillas and a few standard worms in the duffel.

Total weight.....maybe 8lbs.

Oilpig reply :

I think some of you are on the right track, others may be a bit off here. The problem isn't figuring out how you can carry all this stuff, it's how to eliminate a lot of this stuff you're carrying around.

My thinking is that if you carry everything with you all the time, you'll be thinking more about what lure will catch the fish, instead of what you need to do with a lure to catch the fish. Most of us think about the lure too much, and not enough about the fish eating the lure.

Here's what I did before I bought a boat and was carrying all my stuff.

1) Get rid of all the stuff you find in your box that makes you say "Oh, when did I get this?" or "Hmmm, didn't even know that was in here!". Obviously you aren't using that stuff anyways.

2) Start marking stuff when you use it. For instance, if you keep your soft plastics in their bags, mark on the bag with a marker the date or even just a tick mark when you use it. At the end of this season, any bags without marks get put into your reserve that you don't carry with you.

3) Start asking your wife before you buy a new lure or bag of lures. Invariably she'll say no or complain about how much you spend on them already and you won't feel like arguing about it so you'll do with what you have already. (NOTE: Not my wife, she's a good one )

Next year you'll be all set to gallop merrily along the countryside with a much lighter bag of goodies to tempt your prey from their hiding places!

abelfisher reply :

Quote

Start asking your wife before you buy a new lure or bag of lures. Invariably she'll say no or complain about how much you spend on them already and you won't feel like arguing about it so you'll do with what you have already. (NOTE: Not my wife, she's a good one )

Now that's FUNNY! LOL, LOL! ask my wife? I don;t think so. I just do the old "puppy dog " trick and she feels sorry for me and tells me to go get it! ;D

guest reply :

You should open those jelly worms.Last summer I ahd a friend order me some 6" jelly worms from their site. i got the Motor Oil and the original Grape. I racked up on them,maybe the fish hadn't seen them in a while or maybe it's because they are the first worm I ever caught a Bass on. I really know I can catch fish with them . I ordered more for this year and a few in some longer sizes.

Rattlinrogue reply :

As far as rods go,I'm way out of control.I'lltake 10-12 rods rigged with various baits I "think" I may need.I can see a tourney basser doing it,but I'm just a weekend warrior.

guest reply :

Hey Mr.Ratllinrouge I dont even tournament fish and I was up to six rods,and I dont even know what Im doing 1/2 the time. So I just have 2 6'6" Fenwick Med. ros with fast action One l use for plastics the other plugs.A guy I fish with noticed that when I was using cranks baits I kept pullin the baits away from em as soon as I felt a bite.He gave me a E-glass rod and thats all i bring now 3 rods and Im paying more attention to what bait im using and why, I didnt need to be so compicated and now Im lloing foward to putting my boat in the lake tommorow and see what this season brings.

Hot n Tot reply :

Reading these post got me thinking about what I could take out of my suitcase. At least that's what my wife calls my tackle bag. I have a small one that I wasn't using. I put everything that I haven't used or could not remember what it's for into the small bag. When I finished, you would have thought that I removed a couple of cinder blocks based on the weight difference. I've been needing to do this for awhile now. It's amazing how many lures I had collected. Most of them I had to have,;D but they've never left the safe confines of a Plano box.

GobbleDog reply :

Yep. My box is full of lures that I paid for and then cast about 5 or 6 times before stuffing them back in the tacklebox and rarely ever using them again.

But the fancy lures make my tacklebox look really good.

Hot n Tot reply :

Quote
But the fancy lures make my tacklebox look really good.

Good Point. I think I'll put them all back. LOL

BassChaser57 reply :

That is an easy question to answer.

If I have not used it in the past year I have a couple of young, beginning, and financially restricted anglers I give my tackle I will not use. If you do this be ready for these young folks to catch some nice fish on tackle you cast away. What a great way to help others get hooked.

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