How Do You Divide Your Tackle Bag?

[jitterbug127]

I have a four tray tackle bag and i am trying to put my bass, catfish and panfish gear all in ot but it is hard to keep it organized. I had specific boxes for each earlier this year but i wanted to down size. I am not sure how to do this and my box not weigh 20 lbs. Thinking 2 bass 1 cat 1 pan tray, but i am not sure. It is driving me nuts trying to carry a variety of tackke but keep it as light as possible.

[Catch and Grease]

All my bags of plastics in the top and side compartments of my box, one tray with terminal tackle and a handfull of spinnerbaits, one tray with jigs and top waters, and one box with hardbaits. That's how I organize my bass stuff.

[Jaderose]

I don't catfish and keep a separate box for my panfish and smaller stuff.  I might take both when I go but one usually stays in the truck.

[Senko lover]

I used tackle boxes for a little bit, then gave them up in frustration. I hate lugging them around the bank. I switched to backpacks, which are SO much easier. My tackle organization is ultra simple, because I fish two minutes from my house. If I'm going somewhere farther away, I'll put more stuff in. The backpack has two pockets:

• Main pocket: Two plano boxes with hard baits. Anything from jerkbaits to spinnerbaits to deep divers.
• Small pocket: A bag of senkos (for wacky or texas), a bag of craws (for trailers, texas, or Carolina), and a bag of finesse worms. I have like 50 bags of finesse worms, so I'll often carry multiple colors. I keep a scale with a tape measure in here, some pliers, and a small container of hooks + weights.

That's it! Remember, keeping it simple is not always keeping it underprepared.

[BasshunterJGH]

I have 3600 and 3700 plano boxes for bass, and a smaller terminal tackle box. Some crankbait boxes, miscellaneous boxes, and plastics boxes, etc. I have one 3500 I store my panfish and trout gear in.

[Weld's Largemouth]

I have a two-level Plano satchel tackle box that holds all my bass lures and some panfish gear. I keep my soft plastics in a backpack

[Master Bait'r]

I mostly fish from a sit-in kayak so a soft sided 3600 box is about all I can fit. I have 3 rod holders so I keep 3 main trays, with just enough room for two halfers- one for random terminal tackle and extras, the other for my UL river/panfish gear.

Tray #1 is heavy cover- mostly frogs, jigs and strange weedless stuff.

Tray #2 is plastics, hooks and weights. Craws, worms, minnows and the stuff to peg them, C-rig, punch weight or shaky head 'em. Plastics are my comfort.

Tray #3 is hard baits, vibrations and moving baits. An assortment of squarebills, jerkbaits, traps, spinners and smaller swimbaits are all lined up together.

I have backups and more at home but the 3 seashells er... Trays system works great to keep it simple and cover most of my bases.

[Raul]

No way I'm going to put catfish stinkbait in my tacklebox.

[jitterbug127]

I dont use stinkbaits anymore. I use dead minnows, worms, livers, or cut bait. I just use it all or donate it to the next guy fisjing when i am done. My dog has been in my stink bait way too mamy times. I quit buying it. She opened the lid on my tackle nox this summer and ate through the plastic three times.

[lordpaxin]

I have a big daddy 797 jammed with everything

Excluding plastics

I have a playmate party stacker jammed with all my plastics

On a typical day these 2 boxes are in the bed of my utv or in the back of the suburban

On a walking day to the creek or if I am hiking to a spot away from the truck I'll pick a few options and place in one of those camo Plano satchel bags

A jig or 2

Few different cranks and things

Sort out a few different plastics and a few spare hooks and weights If I lose one

Ideally I like to either have the back of the truck or the bed of the utv stacked and racked

[Bluebasser86]

I fill a Cabela's Super Magnum until I almost throw my back out to lift it, then I start putting plastics in binders. 

[Bankbeater]

I use different tackle bags for different species.  It's much easier for me to keep track of what baits I have, and where they are located.

[Bassun]

I use a mix of tactics for my gear depending on the situation.  I've actually changed from Plano to the Zerust line from Flambeau, I don't know that it helps - but I figured I'd give it a try.  On the boat I keep a mix of gear in multipe sized boxes, each dedicated to a type of bait.  I used to store them in a large tackle bag, but I've stopped and now keep them on the boat in a storage compartment.  I keep all terminal gear and hard baits in a mix of boxes, mostly 3600 and 3700 sized.  Spinnerbaits go in a spinnerbait box, and I have two progressively larger boxes for bigger gear for stripers etc.  I keep my plastics in their original bags and in a 30" multipocket tacticle bag, along with all of my normal tools etc in the pockets.  One thing I started doing years ago was keeping an "empty" 3700 labeled "used".  Everytime I took off a lure, instead of putting it back in it's box I would just drop it in the used box.  It made it easier to see what I had tried and helped to figure out patterns.  It also helped me to realize when I was simply trying the wrong things for the situation.

 

If I'm bank fishing I have a smaller (I think 18") tacticle bag I use.  I will just drop in whatever boxes and bags I want and off I go.  Now, if I am catfishing seriously, I have an old Plano 7771 box that I still use.  I keep plastic gloves, filleting knife, heavy terminal gear, etc. etc. in it.  I use it both on the boat, and on the river bank.  It doubles nicely as a seat, lol.

 

If I'm wading, usually I have my wading vest on with one or two small boxes of small gear or flies for the creek depending on what type of fishing I'm doing.  On the rare occasion I will just have spare rapala and a pair of pliers if I'm doing a quick dip - or if I've stopped off on the way home etc and using the travel rod.

 

Needless to say, I tend to be "prepared".  I hate to get into a situation where I don't have what I need, and tend to carry a little extra especially if I'm fishing with a friend who doesn't have as much gear.  They all know if I have it, they are welcome to use it. 

 

The funny thing is, although I tend to keep a mix of lures even wading - 95% of the time I'm fishing the same lure in the creeks.  J-7 Rapala in Silver and Black.  I just love that thing!  (And keep a few spares!)

[basscatcher8]

I bought three Lew's speed boat bags. One bag is my bass stuff one is my walleye/crappie stuff and the third smaller one is all my plastics. This works for a boat not as well for bank fishing obviously. But the platics can go into either of the bigger bags if I'm going on someone elses boat.

[SirSnookalot]

I keep it real simple, 1 lure on the rod and couple in a lure box, if fishing soft plastics just put them in pocket along with a packet of hooks.

My inshore set-up could easily be used for freshwater.  I use fanny pack, on the waist band is a sheath and pliers. Inside the fanny pack I have 6 4" plastic lure boxes from Jannsnetcraft, each box contains a specif style of lure and put anywhere from 2-5 in each.  A second pocket contains 3 spools of different size leaders.

[Brnnoser6983]

When I fish I bring everything. I have the Cabelas magnum tackle bag. So i carry 2 3500s that hold weights and misc terminal tackle and 6 3600 boxes that carry everything else. I also use the bass master free bag with 2 3400 to hold misc in- bagged plastics and all other bags of plastics.

Wish I had a better boat that could store some of my tackle and rods. As it is now I have to clear it out every time I am done.

[PAGreg]

I just got a cabelas magnum bag and am in the process of reorganizing. Thus far I have a 3600 for terminal tackle, 3600 for dropshotting, 3700 for topwater, 3700 diving hardbaits, 3700 for jigs, 3700 for creature baits, 3700 for swimbaits, 3700 for trailers.

The nice part of having things categorized by type/method is the ease of swapping boxes for the particular body of water you're heading to.

[Brnnoser6983]

That bag is the best! It feels great carrying it with the strap. All handles hold up great! And there is so much room for evening. I was even able to make a tote for my Muskie spinners.

[J Francho]

What are these panfish and catfish things?  Are they types of bass?

 

I don't mix my stuff up.  I have a chest pack for my stream trout fishing, and any other stuff for casting goes into a plano boxes, and I have another bag for trout.  The bass bag is the biggest of the bunch, and holds 8 3700 boxes.

[tomustang]

I have found a while back that Plano 3701 thin boxes can keep me more organized. I can fit 3 Thins where 2 Standards are, which can help me divide my lure selection and not have me go overboard with choices