How do you store your soft baits?

[Owasco]

I am just getting back into fishing after many years since regularly fishing the fingerlakes in upstate NY.  I have never really fished softbaits in particular therefore I never had too many in my tackle box.  Recently I have accumulated many softbaits including Rage Tails and Ribbitts, which I have fallen in love with.  As of now I just keep them in their original packaging in my tacklebox which is becoming cumbersome.  I am wondering if any of you have found a more efficient way to store them.  Will they melt or get damaged in the summer heat if they are touching one another.  Anyway, any advice will be greatly appreciated and I can't wait to hear some of your innovative ideas for storing these wonderful lures.

Thanks in advance.

[Skeet22]

There are many worm binders that will probally fit your needs. Not sure if you have an Academy Sports around you but thats where I picked mine up at. It holds like 40 packages of soft plastics. Maybe more.

[Bass_Fanatic]

I just use 3700 Plano boxes and label them like Creature Baits, Lizards, Worms, Senkos, Rage Tail, Swim Baits, ect. Make sure you keep them seperated by color because in the heat the colors will bleed so if you but Red Shad with Pumpkin your Pumpkin becomes Pink...haha I know because I got some "Pink" Lizards now.  After I labeled my boxes and seperated each color I store them with in a compartment of my boat that keeps the labels facing toward me so that I can quickly grab the right  box and spend more time fishing.

[Owasco]

Wow that was quick!  Thanks for the ideas.  Unfortunately I dont have an academy sports where I live, but I do have a Dicks Sporting goods and a Gander Mountain.  Bass Pro Shops is in Auburn NY and I am occasionally up there.  Thanks again.

[NateFollmer]

Just be careful if you use the Plano boxes (I do). If you have them in heat or they are going to sit for a long period of time make sure you lay them flat. I left mine in my tackle bag (upright) in the heat one day and all of my stick and swimbaits started to bow. I had to straighten them all out (not fun).

[Senkoman12]

i try to keep them in the bag but i do keep some in boxes, you ever fish oneida lake, thats my home lake and its got great fishing, i live in Central Square, NY

[Owasco]

i try to keep them in the bag but i do keep some in boxes, you ever fish oneida lake, thats my home lake and its got great fishing, i live in Central Square, NY

Nope,  Have been in the area many times though.  I used to live in Auburn NY and loved fishing the Owasco Outlet.  Owasco Lake is a great place to fish.  I have always been intrigued by Oneida though.  It's a much shallower lake than the fingerlakes. I've heard the fishing is great there. 

Which part of the lake do you fish?  Do you target bass or another species?

[bassfisherjk]

I keep my soft plastic's in their original bag.

[Senkoman12]

i try to keep them in the bag but i do keep some in boxes, you ever fish oneida lake, thats my home lake and its got great fishing, i live in Central Square, NY

Nope, Have been in the area many times though. I used to live in Auburn NY and loved fishing the Owasco Outlet. Owasco Lake is a great place to fish. I have always been intrigued by Oneida though. It's a much shallower lake than the fingerlakes. I've heard the fishing is great there.

Which part of the lake do you fish? Do you target bass or another species?

i fish the west end or the end that brewerton is on and i mostly target bass and walleyes and i ice fish on it i the winter for panfish i have never fished any of the finger lakes, the only other lake i fish regularly is Onandaga lake

[Owasco]

i try to keep them in the bag but i do keep some in boxes, you ever fish oneida lake, thats my home lake and its got great fishing, i live in Central Square, NY

Nope, Have been in the area many times though. I used to live in Auburn NY and loved fishing the Owasco Outlet. Owasco Lake is a great place to fish. I have always been intrigued by Oneida though. It's a much shallower lake than the fingerlakes. I've heard the fishing is great there.

Which part of the lake do you fish? Do you target bass or another species?

i fish the west end or the end that brewerton is on and i mostly target bass and walleyes and i ice fish on it i the winter for panfish i have never fished any of the finger lakes, the only other lake i fish regularly is Onandaga lake

Hmm, How is the Walleye fishing in Oneida?  I am looking for a place to fish them.  Onandaga eh?  How many fish do you pull out of there with an extra eye?

[Nebraska Bassin]

I have a Cabela's Denny Brauer bag that I use now, it has several two-compartment zippered bags that I put my plastics in (I leave them in the original package and just pull the package out when I'm using that particular bait) and several one-compartment bags in the back that I use for spinnerbaits.  Nice bag back in the day, but time has taken its toll on it, I had to do some work to keep the binder rings from coming apart, and some of the zippers on the dual-compartment bags came apart.  Good tackle bag if you can find one and take care of it, though.

[Senkoman12]

i try to keep them in the bag but i do keep some in boxes, you ever fish oneida lake, thats my home lake and its got great fishing, i live in Central Square, NY

Nope, Have been in the area many times though. I used to live in Auburn NY and loved fishing the Owasco Outlet. Owasco Lake is a great place to fish. I have always been intrigued by Oneida though. It's a much shallower lake than the fingerlakes. I've heard the fishing is great there.

Which part of the lake do you fish? Do you target bass or another species?

i fish the west end or the end that brewerton is on and i mostly target bass and walleyes and i ice fish on it i the winter for panfish i have never fished any of the finger lakes, the only other lake i fish regularly is Onandaga lake

Hmm, How is the Walleye fishing in Oneida? I am looking for a place to fish them. Onandaga eh? How many fish do you pull out of there with an extra eye?

the walleye fishing is awesome in Oneida and i have never caught a walleye onandaga but its good lake for largemouth while oneida is a better smallmouth lake

[chromedog]

You guys are right in my stomping ground.  I fish Oneida occasionally, but usually fish Otisco, Skaneateles and Owasco.  Never caught much on Owasco though.

[MichBassMan]

I keep mine in soft side coolers, in the original bags. I buy the cloth or plastic soft sided coolers, square and about the size of a six-pac. I have about 6 or so of them. I buy them in all different colors and I mark them with permanent marker by types of baits;tubes & grubs, creature baits,worms, sencos, flukes, etc. Soon you will remember what type soft plastic is in what color bag. It preserves the scent, it keeps them organized, it's easy to see what I'm low on, and it's easy to take out types of baits I won't need on any given trip. I store an inventory of my common used baits in the original bags also, but in an old  dresser in my wilderness room in the house. They stay good for a very very long time if stored in their original bags and out of the heat.

[iceintheveins]

I keep them in the original packs inside tackle wraps.

[bilgerat]

It's especially important to keep the Rage Tails in their original clamshell pack to keep their shape.

[culprit71]

You guys sound like you have a good system.  I generally have started to just keep my soft baits seperated in their original packaging by category in the gallon ziplock bag-senkos and worms in one bag , tubes & tiny ikas in another, twirltail grubs in another, and so on.  That way I can grab what I think I might need to target fish and I will carry some in my vest so that I can minimize the weight I carry.  I will have to look at some of those other ideas for a more durable and permanent system.

Oh yeah by the way I also started soaking Berkely gulp minnows in the juice in small horseradish jars.  Holds the sauce in a lot better than the original jar, and it's small and perfectly sized for the 2 inch minnows.  I also saw at Dick's a cool screw top container designed especially for this purpose, though it would be more apropriate on a boat rather than carried in a backpack while wading due to the size of the container.

[I.rar]

i take a few out of their bags and throw them in zip lock bags so im not carrying 10-20 of each bait when i may only use 2 or 3 that day. rage tails and soft swimbaits stay in their original packaging though.

[Scorcher214]

i keep the majority of my soft plastics in utility boxes. I have a few bags that ti cant fit into the boxes so i leave them in bags. My tackle backpack can hold eight 360 Utility boxes so i have room for all of em. I keep the bags though just in case i need them.

[Owasco]

Alot of great Ideas.  Thanks for all of them.  I will definately be using some of your techniques.  First thing that I need to do is pick up a larger tackle box/bag.  I think I'm leaning toward the bag type.  The new ones seem to be very versatile.  Once I have that I will be able to organize my softbaits and use the multiple pouches to keep my softies in there original packaging.  Again, Thanks for all the reat ideas.

[KC Bass Fanatic]

I just use 3700 Plano boxes and label them like Creature Baits, Lizards, Worms, Senkos, Rage Tail, Swim Baits, ect. Make sure you keep them seperated by color because in the heat the colors will bleed so if you but Red Shad with Pumpkin your Pumpkin becomes Pink...haha I know because I got some "Pink" Lizards now. After I labeled my boxes and seperated each color I store them with in a compartment of my boat that keeps the labels facing toward me so that I can quickly grab the right box and spend more time fishing.

x2

[Gorgebassman]

I keep my soft plastic's in their original bag.

DITTO   

[bowtech_182]

In original bags .  I have 6 one gallon ziplocks I sort them with.  All kept in a dedicated soft tackle bag.

[repper]

i use the plano boxes too. but i've that senkos bleed way worse than others sdo i keep those in their originals, all in a giant zip lock. i've got some very uniquely colored senkos!

[bwillis]

I have a tackle binder with a bunch of plastics in it, but most of my plastics are in their original packages in a big container I got from Wal-Mart.  I just grab what plastics I'm going to use on any given trip and leave the rest in there.