organizing tackle boxs

I decided to re-reorganize my tackle and the more I stare at it the more
confused I get.Spinner baits for example.I use these little square boxes
that hold about 18- 20 lures and by the time you get them in by colors
blades weight etc they are co crowded in that you choose one and end up
with three.Any better solutions.???Worms etc.I use long plastic trays 7x12
approx. and sort them by brands into color into size and so on and at the
end of the day I have about 10-15 bags loose and strung out from one end of
the boat to the other.HELP. I don't seem to have as much trouble with
cranks R-traps and the like becaust the are easy to remove and store in
trays . the same with jigs.I know that I carry way to much tackle for one
man but I just can't bring my self to leave any behind .I know there are
better systems than I've got but what are they and who's got them???
Thanks Ken Blevins

Hi Ken -

About 30 + years ago I experienced the same problem. Here's what I
have been doing ever since. I buy military surplus bags from local
stores and from Sportsmans Guide. I seperate my tackle based on the
fish I am going after as well as the method. For my softbaits, I have
a bag I bought from BassPro with plastic envelopes. I have bags for
steelhead fishing, ice-fishing, crappie fishing, etc. I just grab the
right bag. Works for me and the bags are cheap, most have pockets to
further seperate stuff. I do have a monster box from Plano that I
keep spinners and hardbaits in. Maybe this will help.

Regards,

Dick

On Sun, 11 Jan 2004 18:59:09 GMT, "kenneth blevins"
wrote:

I decided to re-reorganize my tackle and the more I stare at it the more
confused I get.Spinner baits for example.I use these little square boxes
that hold about 18- 20 lures and by the time you get them in by colors
blades weight etc they are co crowded in that you choose one and end up
with three.Any better solutions.???Worms etc.I use long plastic trays 7x12
approx. and sort them by brands into color into size and so on and at the
end of the day I have about 10-15 bags loose and strung out from one end of
the boat to the other.HELP. I don't seem to have as much trouble with
cranks R-traps and the like becaust the are easy to remove and store in
trays . the same with jigs.I know that I carry way to much tackle for one
man but I just can't bring my self to leave any behind .I know there are
better systems than I've got but what are they and who's got them???
Thanks Ken Blevins

If ya can't get all your baits in a cigar box...then ya got too many
baits! Just kiddin....but mine do all fit in a cigar box .
JK

I doubt, but hope you will find a good answer will beat your own knowledge
and need. I have seen this consternation questioned many times and the same
line of answers come up, usually of no help, because they are of an
individual need or method of fishing.

I have the same basic problem relating to your need, "I just can't bring my
self to leave any behind". I travel a minimum of 500 miles to fish for a
week to 2 weeks at a time. The information obtained from the sites is
usually "old stuff" or "warped" so I feel I have to drag along most of what
I have to fit the occasion. I have gone the route of buying lures when I
get to the area which has led to the glut of stuff. I have found in a
majority of cases it does the seller more good than it has done me, not to
count the waste of time. I end up using what I already have with better
success.

I have a large softside bag with the large boxes in it and ample pockets on
the sides. I have two other medium sized plastic boxes that I have stripped
the not-so-worthy trays out and have them filled with the large to medium
sized plastic boxes and bags of soft baits. In addition, I have a box of
lines and a separate box with spinner blades and related parts I throw in
the baggage area of the vehicle and some extra boxes of spare lures I stick
in the corners of the boat lockers. Many of the specialty lure bags and
boxes I find take up more room than I can spare to share with the rest of
the needed equipment so I can not justify that method. Further, I try not
to peruse lure sections of stores and catalogs because I know I have more
lures than my knowledge and expertise can use.

My other back of the mind thought is to buy a house and a large garage on a
specific lake and leave the "stuff' there and then I could take out only
what I intend to fish with for that foray.

Al Crumrine


"kenneth blevins" wrote in message
et...
I decided to re-reorganize my tackle and the more I stare at it the more
confused I get.
Snipped
I know that I carry way to much tackle for one man but .I know there are
better systems than I've got but what are they and who's got them???

On Sun, 11 Jan 2004 18:59:09 GMT, "kenneth blevins"
sent into the ether:

I decided to re-reorganize my tackle and the more I stare at it the more
confused I get.Spinner baits for example.I use these little square boxes
that hold about 18- 20 lures and by the time you get them in by colors
blades weight etc they are co crowded in that you choose one and end up
with three.Any better solutions.???Worms etc.I use long plastic trays 7x12
approx. and sort them by brands into color into size and so on and at the
end of the day I have about 10-15 bags loose and strung out from one end of
the boat to the other.HELP. I don't seem to have as much trouble with
cranks R-traps and the like becaust the are easy to remove and store in
trays . the same with jigs.I know that I carry way to much tackle for one
man but I just can't bring my self to leave any behind .I know there are
better systems than I've got but what are they and who's got them???
Thanks Ken Blevins

Hi Ken,

This problem used to bug me too. I bought a fairly large soft tackle
bag with 4 side pouches, 2 large front pouches and use Plano style
boxes. The bag holds 5 in the bottom and three smaller ones in the
top. The top also holds one small spinner box, The side pouches have
different uses. One just holds bags of soft bait, like worms and
such. Another is equipped with rings and holds my supply of spinner
bait supplies and the ones I don't use very often. Another holds my
hook supply and the last hold weights, slip bobbers and assorted other
items. The top front pouch holds plastics I am using at the time so
they are not laying out. The bottom front holds pliers, side cutters,
forceps, clippers, scissors, Advil, sunscreen and such. I manage to
get enough variety with this bag so I have not been left without what
I need. Of course there is my "backup" bag that has another six or so
boxes. I may bring that along and leave it in the truck. That way I
can switch stuff around for the water and conditions and my boat is
too small for 2 bags. And I don't count any supplies I have stored at
home.

Your best bet is a larger boat with more storage :}



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www.outdoorfrontiers.com

"kenneth blevins" wrote in message
et...
I decided to re-reorganize my tackle and the more I stare at it the more
confused I get.Spinner baits for example.I use these little square boxes
that hold about 18- 20 lures and by the time you get them in by colors
blades weight etc they are co crowded in that you choose one and end up
with three.Any better solutions.???Worms etc.I use long plastic trays 7x12
approx. and sort them by brands into color into size and so on and at the
end of the day I have about 10-15 bags loose and strung out from one end
of
the boat to the other.HELP. I don't seem to have as much trouble with
cranks R-traps and the like becaust the are easy to remove and store in
trays . the same with jigs.I know that I carry way to much tackle for one
man but I just can't bring my self to leave any behind .I know there are
better systems than I've got but what are they and who's got them???
Thanks Ken Blevins


I'm mostly a plastics fisherman with seasonal emphasis on stickbaits and
spinnerbaits. I've been trimming the color schemes back over the last 5
years and concentrating on presentation, so YMMV:

I keep a Flambeau bag on the deck for the most used gear that takes 4 of the
3700 boxes: one for plastic worms; one for senkos/flukes/sluggos; one for
spider jigs & grubs; one for carolina rig baits.

The bag also accepts one 3600 box with a dozen stickbaits and a BPS
ringbinder soft bag that holds 2 dozen spinnerbaits & buzzbaits.

On top of the 3700 boxes, I lay a 4/1 plano box for terminal rigging
hardware (1 ea for texas; carolina; grubs; trebles & misc). The bags velcro
top juuust makes it. Total weight is about 50#.

I use the side net pocket for front deck trash and the big pocket for my key
plastics (multiple bags). The small pocket holds a spare spool of braid and
a spool of flouro for carolina leaders. Another pocket takes a scale and a
pair of cutters. Hook sharpener and SS forceps stay in the front well.

Crankbaits, misc topwters, rubberskirted jigs, bladebaits/tailspinners stay
in the boat all year along with 10# of the 3 or 4 confidence plastics.

Changes I need to make include moving more of the terminal tackle (hooks,
toothpicks, snaps, etc) into the 3700s with the baits to eliminate the 4/1.
The BPS spinnerbait bag has poor quality leafs - the zippers are shot and
the vinyl is getting pretty stiff. I'm also going to go back to pork
trailers more on jigs, so storage will be a problem on these.

kenneth blevins wrote:

I decided to re-reorganize my tackle and the more I stare at it the more
confused I get.

The best way to organize a tackle box is to get rid of what you don't use.
When I was a kid and could afford nothing, I wanted every lure in the tackle
shop. When I was in my 20's and could afford everything, I bought it all. I'm
in my late 40's now and know better. I own enough tackle to fill a bait shop
but I probably only use about 20% of it regularly.

My spare bedroom and part of my garage is my tackle box. Can't carry it
all. Just pick what you need for that particular outing. I know its
easier said then done but you'll get use to it.

I use small plano boxes for taking just the essentials with me. Employ a
rotation system for different bodies of water and or seasons. Choose
your game plan. Traveling light is more fun and less work!
Proper storage is important though. Don't want to find out later on that
some of your rubber has melted or dry rotted or few hundred spinnerbait
skirts fell apart.

Dana, WAaaay too much!

..........................................

-Dana

http://community.webtv.net/dana030/Numismatic

Hi Ken,

I want to pass on a tip to you and other SW owners about how I store my
Secret Weapons on the water. Remove all blade attachments from the lures and
store them separately in a small plastic divided box(s). I personally use
the Plano 3213's. Then, put your heads into a quart size Ziploc bag or two.
This method will hold a whole lot of spinnerbaits in a tiny space.

Most important, I find that storing the blade attachments separate from the
heads keeps me from getting lazy. It forces me to think about what the
fishing conditions actually dictate to decide what blade(s) I should use.
Then I just grab and quickly clip on whatever I need.

--
Bob Rickard
www.secretweaponlures.com
--------------------------=x O')))

"kenneth blevins" wrote in message
et...
I decided to re-reorganize my tackle and the more I stare at it the more
confused I get.Spinner baits for example.I use these little square boxes
that hold about 18- 20 lures and by the time you get them in by colors
blades weight etc they are co crowded in that you choose one and end up
with three.Any better solutions.???Worms etc.I use long plastic trays 7x12
approx. and sort them by brands into color into size and so on and at the
end of the day I have about 10-15 bags loose and strung out from one end
of
the boat to the other.HELP. I don't seem to have as much trouble with
cranks R-traps and the like becaust the are easy to remove and store in
trays . the same with jigs.I know that I carry way to much tackle for one
man but I just can't bring my self to leave any behind .I know there are
better systems than I've got but what are they and who's got them???
Thanks Ken Blevins

I solved my spinnerbait storage problems in 2 ways.

1) I now carry only the baits I'm likely to use on that trip.

2) I realized that 99% of the bass were being caught on 2 or 3 colors, in 2
weights. I now carry about 6 to 8 spinner baits and a baggie full of skirts
along with a small Plano box full of blades, split rings, swivels and clevis
rings in various sizes.

I still own 10 dozen spinnerbaits, but they get put out for every garage
sale. The ones I use all the time (White/Chart, White, Chart, Crawfish, in
3/8 and 1/4 oz) are ready to go. I always keep 1 chart, 1 black and 1 white
head (3/8oz) in a baggie in one of my wraps I use for soft plastics. If I'm
going night fishing, I carry just what the trip calls for. The 3/4 oz
Ledgebuster stays home the rest of the time.

I also learned that carrying a box for bass and a smaller one for panfish
cut both in half. I don't walleye fish, so i don't need bottom bouncers and
Lindy rigs. While I may use sinkers, I don't need 6 pounds of any one size
while I'm on the water. I may throw crankbaits, but if I'm fishing a shallow
weedy lake, I don't need every color of Mann's 20+ they make.

My extra tackle stays home, mostly in Plano 3700s and ziplock bags. (stored
under the desk where I do my fly tying - now there's a lot of equipment to
carry around)

Go through everything. If you didn't use it last year, you probably won't
this year. Try leaving some in the car or truck. If you don't miss it, take
it out of the box. Soft palstics come in a million colors, but I'll bet you
don't catch fish on every one of them. If you really want to learn to travel
light, go to a fly-in camp. Or canoe the Boundry Waters some time. About
your 10 portage in a day will have you leaving it behind....and you'll still
catch fish.

Good luck,

Mark


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