Tackle System?

[Fishin4Life]

I have lots of "stuff" and everytime I go out it turns into a big mess. What do you guys use to organize your tackle for easy accesss and also easy to put back where it came from. I like the idea of a tackle bag, how do they work? I would like seperate things for cranks, spinner baits, plastics, and maybe one for hooks, sinkers, and jigs. Oh yeah and you can't leave out one for the little bit of walleye gear I have. Any idea's besides plano boxes? I tend to just throw things in there at random, and takes me a day to sort them back out. So as I think, maybe a bag is not a great idea?

[TurnUpTheFishing]

Get a tackle bag with plano boxes and have one (or more) clear box for cranks, spinners, terminal tackle, etc.

I think once I fill my tackle box, which will be real soon this will be my next system. My box turns into a tangled mess of lures, line and hooks after just a few fishing.

Im not sure if the bag will help this problem though. When Im on the water I want to fish, not make sure my tackle is staying organized.

[buzzin for bass]

Tackle bag with the clear boxes is the way to go. I put a piece of masking tape on the end of the box that shows when the tackle bag is open to label the box for quicker reference. The labels make it easy to quickly grab the right box, whether to take a lure out or to put one back in. With this "system" you can get as specific as you want, i.e. I have one box for large bodied shallow running cranks and one box for small bodied shallow running cranks, not to mention the four boxes for different styles/actions/diving depths for minnow style crank baits.

The key to any system is going to be not just throwing things in at random as you stated. To help with this when changing out on the water I always throw anything I take off on the console. After the pile on the console has grown large enough I sort that back out into the boxes (I do this at home so I'm not "wasting" time on the water). I also like the idea of storing on the console for a while becuase it allows the baits to dry out before storage, no rusty hooks.

Lastly, I would definitely recommend spending the extra money on the plano brand boxes, as opposed to the gander or cabela's ones, especially if you have/get a bag that stores the boxes vertically. The closures on the plano boxes is much more secure and the tops tend to stay tight to the compartment walls better so hooks and weights don't slip from one compartment to the next. With the large variety of boxes available you should be able to get something the works well for you. I personnally like the plano 3771. The 3771 is thinner than most boxes so you can put 3 of those boxes in the same area that 2 "normal" boxes fit, plus the small height means less room to rattle. The only baits I don't store in either the 3771 (1 and 3/8 inches tall) or 3770 (2 inches tall) are buzz baits or spinner baits.

[Slyster]

I use 3 clear plastic tackle boxes.. one for cranks and spinners, one for tubes and senkos and other plastics, and one for panfish stuff and hardware like hooks and sinkers etc.

And.. my MAIN stash is at home.. I just load up the 3 small boxes with just what I am taking out on THAT day only.

[Fishin4Life]

Quote:

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my MAIN stash is at home.. I just load up the 3 small boxes with just what I am taking out on THAT day only.

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Thats a good idea. I like to hit the lake with all guns blazin! hehe, don't want to run out of ammo.

[Deitz Dittrich]

I usually have the majoiriy of it in the boat.. Thats one very nice thing about a Triton, It has Awesome storage. It will hold 21 of thost plano 3700 boxes(I think thats what number they are...

But there are a lot of times that I go out of someone elses boat.. I then have a soft side tackle bag..that I think I can get 6-7 of the boxes... I take what I think will work for the day in that soft side.. There have been a few times that I wished I had a different box along, but I usuall get by.

[delmuts]

21 ????????

[Deitz Dittrich]

Yep.. I had to go count.. LOL... The Tritons have those PALS system in them that hold the boxes vertical..Its really quite slick!

[Bullwinkle]

I also use the tackle bag and clear plastic boxes for cranks and the such. For spinnerbaits I picked up a hanging box which you hang the spinnerbaits across the vertical pieces of plastic and then clasp them down. I like the box because it is small and keeps my spinnerbaits sorted (colors, sizes). When going in someone elses boat I grab what spinnerbaits I might use that day and put them in the pockets of a small travel cd holder. May sound odd but the cd case works pretty dang good and fits perfect in my bag.