Tackleboxes?????

[eelpout#1]

My old Fenwick tackebox just died (or at least the plastic thing that keeps the box shut did) and I was wondering what the rest of the fishing world uses to keep their tackle straight. The old box held (holds) about 50 Shad-raps in various colors and configurations, with most being between #5's and #8's in size. Does anyone have any ideas on how to keep these nice and tidy and yet still accessable?

tc

[Norsky]

I just picked up another Plano 7771. I liked the first one so much, I bought another and ended up stowing almost all my tackle in the two of them. They make the 4 pull out drawers customizable for all your crankbaits or whatever you want to put in them. The side compartment will hold quite a few spinnerbaits or spoons (or whatever). The very top tray opens for lots of quick access to tools or other stuff. The main top portion open up and you have a couple smaller boxs for jigs, etc. It seems to keep all my tackle very dry, which is very important to me. I hate it when crankbaits or other hooks sit in water and get all rusty. So far so good with these tackle boxes. They're big, but it's nice to have all your equipment stored neatly and have easy access to all of it.

[LMITOUT]

I have two boxes and it seems to work pretty good. I got my first tackle bag this year (had been using one of those hard sided boxes with drawers) and wish I would have went to a bag a long time ago. It has exterior pockets for the odds and ends that don't seem to fit in the individual plastic boxes that fit inside the main bag compartment. I've been looking at bags for a while but could never find one I liked. Cabelas had them on sale this spring so the price and the configuration fit perfect. Dividing up the Plano boxes to hold different items is a huge timesaver. One box has jigs, one has spinner components such as beads & blades, one box has spinners and Lindy Rigs on the Lindy tackle savers, another has shallow cranks and another just for #5 Shad Raps. I also have another marked "MISC" for sinkers, bobbers, etc, etc. Works great. I know a lot of people have been doing this for years but I was accustomed to my old system and always thought it worked fine. It was a mess compared to the organization I have know.

My other box is a B&B crankbait box that holds 96 cranks. They hang by their tail hooks in their own individual compartments which completely eliminates any tangling. In this box I have my #7 Shad Raps and other deep cranks such as Reef Runners. They offer smaller and larger boxes to fit your needs as well.

[SteveWilson]

I use Plano 3600 boxes for storing most stuff. I have containers for spooling new line, steelhead, trout spinners, plus a bunch for more normal pursuits. To carry the 3600 boxes I picked up a Bass Pro Shops XPS 360 Tackle Bag. It can carry 11 3600 boxes. I usually have it carry 4 (as drawers) plus 1 in each side pocket (it can hold two in each side pocket) and then I store a spinner bait box, weights, extra spools and stuff in the top. It's a great box.

Now for crankbaits. I use two B&B Bait Boxes, a model 964 which stores 96 crankbaits that are up to 4" long and a 967 which stores 96 crankbaits up to 7" long. I also put index cards in the top sleve so I know what Rapala goes where. It's real nice for getting the rapala's organized (handy when trolling) and for reminding you which ones need replacing after you loose some. I also have a couple of other bait boxes for Muskie lures but that's another subject.

[Borch]

For storing cranks the best box I've found is the "Special Mate" hanging crankbait box with the dividers. Their 5" model is great for short baits like shad raps. It'll hold 128 baits and keeps them sorted and very accessable. If you do tip over your box the mess is minimal(usually 3-4 baits at most come unhooked ouot of 128). Do a google for Franks Great Outdoors and you should be able to track them down. Another great thing is no rusty hooks with this box.

[PerchJerker]

I've got several hundred cranks - hate to think about how many there are, or how much money is tied up in them - but I use 3700 size boxes for them. I don't mind having 5 or so baits in each section of the box, it's how I keep them organized and can find what I want. I've used B&B and similar boxes before but I can't fit all my baits in them --- and it's hard to see what baits you have --- plus those boxes take up a lot of room in the boat. My tournament partner still uses a B&B box and it drives me nuts. I think it's easier to keep cranks in 3700 series trays and just take along the ones I want. Good luck with your shopping.