Storing Soft Plastics

[RHuff]

Within the last few months, the amount of packages from retail and mystery box has put the number of bags of soft plastics I have over the top. Instead of letting those things keep piling up in my tackle bag I decided to organize them all in a couple of hard plastic tackle boxes, and trashed the individual packages. Should soft plastics be kept in their own zip packaging or organized for easy storage in a box? How do you do yours?

[ThatZX14Fella]

I keep mine in their original bags.

[Senko lover]

I keep my most of my go-tos in a Plano box with my terminal tackle and everything else in Ziploc bags in their original packaging.

[Brnnoser6983]

Look up the Plano utility box 3731. You can store two rows side by side, and they stack nicely. I always keep mine in original bags as not to have an opps melting incident again. Then you take out what you need.

[MIbassyaker]

Generally I think keeping them sealed in pack is better than a box, so If I buy new plastics in thier own pack, I keep them in the pack. But I've also accumulated a lot of miscellaneous plastics from buckets, grab bags and bargain bins, and these I put in tackle boxes organized roughly by size and type with similar colors combined in the same tray.

[Raul]

I always keep soft plastics in their original bag and that one is not available in Ziplock freezer bags and those into a binder or a stowaway box,  I don´t want colors mixing, I don´t want salt and/or oil messing up the rest of my stuff.

[blckshirt98]

I try to keep my plastics in original bags as much as possible, especially with so many plastics nowadays coming with scent.  I store the original bags in Ziploc Freezer Bags, they fit really nicely if you put them in there "standing on the end" where you can store them side by side - which when full also stores perfectly in Sterlite bins.  Also many colors will bleed into other plastics which might be good or bad depending if you want an "accidental custom" color.

 

Also never mix ZMan plastics with any other plastic.  Just a bad scene all around there.

[S. Sass]

I have one cheap imitation 3700 style box the used soft plastics usually end up in there simi organized while fishing. Later after fishing I will go back and if they are worth keeping I reintroduce the usable pieces back to their factory bag. Or into a Ziploc with my own concoction of scent attractants. The rest stay in their original packaging as some have scent some have salt etc. I don't want one big pot where all my plastics are scented the same. Also here in Texas you don't want to forget you have soft plastics in a plastic container in the truck or boat during the summer. For some reason the factory bags haven't melted on my like the plastic boxes will.

[Derek Petter]

On 7/14/2015 at 6:12 AM, Brnnoser6983 said:

Look up the Plano utility box 3731. You can store two rows side by side, and they stack nicely. I always keep mine in original bags as not to have an opps melting incident again. Then you take out what you need.

Bought one and the box is not deep enough for fitting bags :/

[ww2farmer]

I have 3700 sized boxes filled up with all my staples in quantities enough to last a day or two. Until then, they are kept in their original packages at home. No sense in having 75 bags of 5" green pumpkin yum dingers in the boat, when a couple packs laid out in a box will do most of the time. When I am down to a handfull I grab a few bags out of the tote before the next trip. It saves a lot of room and clutter in the boat. And I actually keep a better handle of how much I have of something when I can see how many are in the box, instead of guessing if that pack or this pack is full, or almost empty, etc...

[Cgolf]

Both, but I prefer boxes for plastics that kink easily. For example Kalins tails get kind of jacked up in the bag, and they can easily be set in a box so this doesn't happen. I also like boxes when I want to carry quantities of different styles in similar colors. I will box a bunch of say water red baits together. Not worried about mixing scents, since I add some before they are fished anyways 

[flyingmonkie]

I keep them all in their original bags and keep them organized in an old set of dresser drawers in the garage.  When it's time to hit the water, I toss 10 or 20 bags in the boat with me depending on what I expect to be doing.

[Mike L]

As a co-angler I have to bring and carry what I have in my bag. I use vertically divided 3600 plano boxes. One each for stick, creature and swim baits.

 

 

 

 

Mike 

[RichF]

If you have the room (in your boat/tackle bag), I like Plano 3730's.  I keep the plastics in their original bags and put them in their own divided slots in the box.  You may have to trim the bag edges a little with certain brands.  I'll post a pic when I get home this evening.  It really comes out quite nice and neat.

 

I actually don't have a ton of room in my boat so I only take one of these and fill it with the plastics I know I'll use and keep all my extras in speed bags/worm wraps.  The box provides quick and easy access.

[MichiganBass80]

Im using this, a Flambeau 4510 Double Deep Half Tuff' Tainer for some of the soft plastics that I have. Mostly the stuff I'm not using a lot of. The stuff I want to get to quickly is in a couple regular plano boxes.

[Brnnoser6983]

23 hours ago, Derek Petter said:

Bought one and the box is not deep enough for fitting bags :/

They will.. They will lay down a little. Unless it is abnormally tall. But zoom, yum, bruiser.. Ones like that will

[RichF]

[CTBassin860]

We make these plastic containers at work.They are used for fish fillets.I was thinking that I needed to get some small totes for my plastics then I realized I have a never ending supply at work.My fishing backpack is a lot lighter this evening!

[Alpster]

I have some plastics that are more than 30 years old that have been stored in a myriad of containers over the years. Still in good shape.

[fishwizzard]

I either fish from a kayak or the bank, so I want to keep my gear to the minimum.  I build myself little kits in 3600 boxes.  They are based around one style or type of lure or plastic, and contain the lures and any terminal tackle I need to fish them.  I like them self-contained as I can just grab a few and toss them in my car when I head out the door and not worry about forgetting anything.  The downside is that I have to keep duplicate tackle for stuff that I use across different kits.  

 

For example, this is my "5-6" worms, t-rigged" box:

 

When bank fishing I bring a single rod and grab a 3600 that fits the rod and kind of fishing I will do.  I also keep more "universal" lures/plastics in smaller boxes so I can grab a few for variety or to cover myself if my main choice doesnt work out like I hoped.  

 

I always want a few senkos or flukes on hand, so I used these small pencil cases that hold 4-6 of each.  I do the same with smaller hardbaits if say I want to have a jerkbait or two on hand.

[Hot Rod Johnson]

I also use the Flambeau 4510 Tuff Tainer Super Half Satchel. I always try and keep the baits in the package that they have came in because of the scent and leakage issues.

 

 

Edited January 27, 2017 by Hot Rod Johnson

[WIGuide]

 

 

 

I organize mine so each general style of bait has a go-to box and all others in original packaging in a ziplock bag.