What is your tackle organization "philosophy"?

[fishwizzard]

I am embarking on a compete reorganization of my fishing stuff.  It is an unholy mess and I am getting to the point where I loose track of stuff as fast as I buy it.  I have bought a pile of storage boxes and have made decent progress.  

However, I cannot make up my mind how to sort and box my tackle and lures.  I can think of a few different, and seemingly equal, systems to employ, they are, briefly; 

1) Terminal tackle and other non-lure items are boxed by type, then by specific product.  Lures and plastics are the same way, less popular categories in larger groups, more popular ones split into more subgroups.  This will likely take the least number of boxes.  

2) Terminal tackle is the same as #1, Lures and plastics are sorted by style of fishing, so all my LMB stuff is in one box, all my saltwater stuff in one, etc. Some styles I fish often will be split again, for example I fish finesse lures for bass the huge majority of the time, so those lures will be in a separate box from the heavier/larger stuff.   In each box things will be broadly broken up into categories and smaller boxes/bags, so like it will not just be a 30L Tupperware with stuff piled in it.  This will take more boxes then #1 but will make packing for any specific outing faster and the focused boxes will make it less likely I will omit something I wanted to bring.  

3) Going further then #2, everything is split into style and sub-style large boxes.  These are then filled with smaller boxes and bags of tackle and lures.  This has the advantage of letting me see everything for an trip every quickly and let me monitor stock levels to prevent running out of something, or the more likely "buying something because I forgot I already owned three bags of them".  In addition there is obviously going to be a ton of overlap, in hooks and plastics especially so.  I am not sure how to deal with that, either by splitting stuff up and trying to keep track of two stocks, or by putting stuff where it will see the most use and having to remember what is where.  This will obviously take a ton of boxes and a lot of storage space.  

I am leaning towards #2, but I could go either way.   

I would love any input on how you guys do it, based on some of the stuff I have read here, a lot of you must have whole rooms full of gear.  

 

EDIT: All these boxes will not leave the house, I will have a separate "car kit" of commonly used stuff, changing as the seasons do.  I will add to this stuff from the main stash as needed.  The building of this car kit is an other kettle of fish, and will likely take longer to figure out.  

 

 

 

[BaitMonkey1984]

Sounds like you have the disease. Take a photo so we can see the amount of tackle so we know what we are dealing with. I recently did a re-org. I have say 19 3700 boxes with what I primarily use throughout a year. Think I have three senko boxes- a green, a black, and a brown senko box. A Box for craws, box for creature baits, box for tubes and so on. Then have two old school tackle boxes for my jerk baits. I had my extras in 5 gallon bags and it became impossible to manage. I went to walmart and bough four of the  3 draw plastic filing cabinets. Everything is now at my finger tips. No more digging around a bag. Then for terminal tackle, they have these small five draw plastic filing cabinets for the bathroom. I got two of those for terminal tackle.  I have texas hooks in one, wacky hooks in enough, etc. When my terminal 3700 needs to be replace I go to my filing cabinet and replace. I really can keep good eye on my inventory at a moments glance.

 

So, I have 80% of what I want in my plano of tackle boxes ready to go. IF I want something else, it is easily accessible and I can create a day box with an empty 3700. Finished the re-org after fishing season so interested to see how it works, but I am very optimistic. I will try to get some pics and post it for you to see. 

 

[bwillis]

I have 1 360 box with a variety of terminal tackle, which is supplied from other 360s stocked with specific stuff.  360 full of lipless cranks

360 full of other hardbaits

Spinnerbait box full

50 pounds of plastics in a big box in my trunk

I have a couple tackle bags I use, with some of the above boxes and a few bags of plastics, with a pocket stuffed with pliers and stuff.  It stays somewhat organized for a trip, maybe 2 or 3, then its a disaster.

[68camaro]

Wow, I have a paltry amount compared to you guys. I carry all my stuff in Plano bag with Shoulder strap. In the side and front pocket I have about a dozen bags of plastics, In compartment I keep:

Plano 3600  - Cranks/swim

3600 - jigs/most used plastics

3600 - Top waters

Stow away very thin 3600 - Jerkbaits

3400 - few buzz baits/spinners

3700 - terminal tackle

At home keep anther 3700 and small tackle box with a few misc./extra and maint. items.

Next project is to get a 3400 or 3600 for finesse stuff only, I don't do a lot so don't need much room.

...And there she has it......

[thomas15]

It seems like it wasn't that long ago when all of my tackle fit into a hard Plano 3 tray tackle box. Now I have three plano soft bags with four each 3600 boxes, a spinner bait box and a small duffle packed with plastics. The plano bags have smaller plano storage boxes packed with terminal tackle. I have 8 plastic shoeboxes stuffed with overflow plastics. Then there are overflow cardboard boxes filled with tackle that I don't know where to put and a few misc. 3600 boxes and a scent/pork box that just sort of hangs out.

I'm a piker compared to others here and yet I'm to the point where I really have no idea where anything is. So I'm going to take all of my 3600 boxes and put them on a shelf in my shed and select what I think I will need for the day so that the overhead on the boat is much lower. I really don't know what else to do.

 

[Jaderose]

I subscribe to "Chaos Theory"

[Evan K]

I recently passed the threshhold of owning more tackle than I can comfortable carry while bank fishing (which is my primary mode of fishing). Here's my system.

I have a BPS Pro Qualifier backpack that holds 3600 size boxes. It holds 10 or more of these, so it's pretty capacious. Since my bag uses 3600 size that's the size boxes I use for everything except soft plastics. I have 3 3601 (extra thin) boxes for hooks, sinkers, and other terminal tackle. All my hard baits are kept by type in 3601 boxes- cranks, jerkbaits, chatterbaits, jigs, etc. I have one box with panfish and some bass finesse lures as well.

During Tackle Warehouse's 25 days sale I picked up 3 Flambeau 4510 boxes in which I keep all my soft plastics (in their original bags), like filing cabinets. I have a box for worm-like baits, a box for craws/trailers/bugs, and a box for swimbaits/lizards. I am really pleased with these.

When I'm ready to go fishing, I go through and pull out the trays I think I'll use for the day's fishing. My backpack holds enough that I can get a pretty comprehensive selection with me for the day. Since everything's already in 3600 size trays I can just grab the tray and go. I'll grab whatever soft plastics I want and put them in a gallon ziploc bag.

I've been really pleased with this system so far.

[buzzed bait]

8 minutes ago, Jaderose said:

I subscribe to "Chaos Theory"

"Organized Chaos Theory"

all my plano boxes have nice clear label maker labels on them.... now what's really inside may be a mystery at the end of a fishing trip!

[Fishes in trees]

Work in stages and be satisfied with small victories.  If you can get your fishing tackle from an "unholy mess" to a "holy mess", that counts for something.  I'm at the point that I realize I can't carry all the stuff I want to in my boat but I still try.  I try to remember to keep everything that I might need in the boat and or fishing truck.

I try to label boxes and start the season with stuff in the right box, for the most part, but it seldom stays that way for long.  What I do know is that trying to be somewhat organized is a goal and if it does get achieved, it is only momentary.

[Scarborough817]

most of my things are organized by type and colour as well as what rod they are fished on. terminal tackle gets its own box of course but i like to keep certain colours on one side and keep that consistent through all of my boxes.

[tomustang]

All I saw was 'storage box' don't know what that means according to you but plano  (among others) make 3700/3600 sizd tackle trays and that's basically what everyone uses.

[junyer357]

I have a stackable drawer system from walmart i keep my spare and newer lures in to replenish my tackle bag. Its a 3 drawer and i keep terminal tackle, jigs, and plastics in bottom one, hard baits in middle, wire baits in top, and line stacks neatly on top.  I try to keep a running list of whats in there in each drawer and a list on my phone of needs. I found this helps (but not cures) me keep the bait monkey from filling my cart with stuff i dont need. 

As the season change or i lose lures i replenish and try to keep my tackle bag current. Its just a bps bag that holds 7 or 8 3700 boxes.  In it i keep 6 boxes and a gallon bag of my favorite/confidence plastics. The 5 boxes are labled and are: 

terminal tackle hooks, weights, etc..

Topwater

Jigs

Wirebaits

Shallow cranks 

Med and deep cranks

 

[Felix77]

For my soft plastics I have 2 under the bed sliding storage bins full.  I use 10 gallon bags and sort the plastics by type (senko, beaver, creature, drop shot, finesse etc.)

All the terminal tackle and hard baits are in Plano boxes labeled accordingly.

[bunkerbstr]

I'll try to keep it short.  First, I've been fishing a long time, so, like many of you, I have hundreds of everything, so trying to keep the stuff semi-organized is all I can hope for.

1.  I have a large 6' X 4' cabinet (I need another lol) in the fishing lab that holds about a dozen plastic shoe boxes and another dozen 25 gallon plastic bins.  In those plastic bins, I keep the back up plastics.  There is also a large peg board with a few dozen hooks that hold back-up hard baits, spoons and assorted other plastics.  In each of the boxes I sort baits by type - craws, finesse worms, stick baits, terminal tackle, jigs, spinnerbaits and so on.  This is the back up stuff.  

2.  I keep around 15 or so 3700 boxes on my boat along with a large catch-all box that lives under another hatch.  The 3700's are filled with baits depending on time of year and where I'm fishing.  I keep most of my plastics in 3700 boxes on the boat (worms, craws, creatures, etc) each separated by type.  I also keep separate boxes for hard baits by type and/or diving depth -- shallow diving cranks, lipless, mid-depth, deep divers, topwaters, etc.

3.  I cycle through the boxes each season (I fish all year), swapping boxes in and out depending on time of year.  The other 40 or so 3600 & 3700 boxes are in the basement cabinet with the other stuff mentioned above.  

This system works for me and may not work for everyone.  When I get low on an item I can go to the cabinet and refill the 3700 with the depleted bait(s).  Each winter, I reorganize and sort items (takes a long time) and order what is out or running low.  

*I also keep about 4 or 5 spare empty 3700 boxes (fits in my tackle bag) in the fishing room for when I go on other's boats.  I fish with friends and rather than bring an entire box of lipless baits, square bills, craws, or worms, I can  consolidate 3 boxes into 1 box so I don't have to bring 10 boxes along.  Having the back up empty boxes saves me a lot of time.  I can pack for a trip in under an hour versus if I didn't have empty boxes sitting there.  All you have to do is sort through and drop them in the empty box.  Much easier.  

I tried to keep it short.  Apologies for the novel.  

[Bassun]

I personally keep all my plastics in their original bags, and put the bags themselves into a duffle.  I keep the majority of "normal" stuff in the main compartment, then the bag also has two decent sized sections on each end.  I put my grubs and creatures in one side and flukes in the other.  I go to flukes and grubs quite often so it was handy to keep them separate.  In the middle, I bagged similar style plastics into a gallon ziplock and labeled it.  Finesse, craws, large worms etc.  Super easy to find exactly what I want, and everything stays clean and fresh.

Hard plastics live in 3600's basically.  I separate out for cranks, deep divers, jerks, etc. so that I can grab one or two boxes and have most of my lure type right there in front of me.  Each box is labeled on the end in sharpie so its easy to grab what I'm after.  I also have a bigger box for "large" lures, a spinner bait box, and some small boxes full of smaller stuff.  I do, also, keep a couple small boxes with just 1 and 2 inch grubs.  I have a ball with them and its so easy to just grab that box and pluck a bunch of perch or 'gills for fun or cat bait on the occasion.  

Hooks and weights are also in their own separate small boxes and one full of misc terminal gear.

The one thing that helped me out, especially when I was fishing tournaments, was keeping a "used" box.  I'd start out the day with it empty, then every time I pulled off a lure instead of going back to the original box, it went in the "used" box.  It was much quicker and it gave me a snap shot of what I had been trying and what wasn't working.  More than once I pulled the box and just looked at what wasn't working and it gave me insight as to what to try.  At the end of the day you have no lures in your main box with line on them, and you can easily clip and reset for the next day.  It also keeps you from putting deep divers in with your shallow cranks, or jerks with top-waters etc.  Everything has its place, and its super easy to keep it organized.  It is also super handy when taking a friend out.  They ask if you have and "X" and you can just grab the box and they can find what they are after.  It all goes back in the used box in the end, so you don't have to worry about someone putting the gear in the wrong place.  A nice little bonus.

As a side note, I do keep a complete live bait / catfish tacklebox separate and only bring it if I know I will be doing fishing of that nature.  Super handy that way since I may end up on a river bank, or who knows where instead of just my boat.

[alzun664]

My philosophy is pretty simple. I just sort them by type and depth. That's how I normally approach any fishing situation so It's easy for me to reach for what I need in that order. When I do end up getting a better box then label and sort everything in its own 3600 my setup will probably look something like

• Poppers & Prop baits
• Walking baits
• Frogs
• Minnow-type lures & Jerkbaits
• Shad-type lures
• Spinnerbaits & Buzzbaits
• Jigs
• Soft plastics (in their original bags)
• Terminal tackle

[primetime]

I wish I had a philosophy......I just make sure I have all my terminal tackle organized, and my Jig box which contains my chatterbaits and spinnerbaits....I use a small tackle bag just for my plastics and that is the hard part for me...I love plastics.

[fishwizzard]

A lot of stuff to think about, thanks guys.   One thing I am working on this year is severely limiting how much tackle I bring out with me.  When I am on foot I will have a single rod and whatever will fit into a small flyfishing chest pack.  When in my yak, only a single 3600 per rod.  As a relatively new fisherman I suffer from a lack of focus, which leads to a lack of practice.  In addition to bass I fish a good deal of brackish/salt water and am getting into wading small streams for panfish and trout, so I have a lot of different styles competing for my attention. 

Part of the grand clean-up/organization is to help me focus to making each trip about working on a single (ok maybe two or three) presentation(s).  A huge part is going to be sorting all my gack out into stuff I want to try and learn, and then donating the rest to a local fishing-based charity.  I don't see a reason to have twelve different styles of stick baits if I don't have the skill to fish them well.

[BaitMonkey1984]

3 hours ago, alzun664 said:

My philosophy is pretty simple. I just sort them by type and depth. That's how I normally approach any fishing situation so It's easy for me to reach for what I need in that order. When I do end up getting a better box then label and sort everything in its own 3600 my setup will probably look something like

• Poppers & Prop baits
• Walking baits
• Frogs
• Minnow-type lures & Jerkbaits
• Shad-type lures
• Spinnerbaits & Buzzbaits
• Jigs
• Soft plastics (in their original bags)
• Terminal tackle

Just realized that I failed to mention depth. This is extremely important. Before, sorting lures by depth it was extremely difficult and time intensive to find the right color and right depth for a spot I was fishing. Also,  I change lures often which exacerbated the problem. 

Ever since I changed my crank bait by depth I use them more often, and I have much more success. If I am sitting in 7ft of water, I am able to find the lures in that depth range in all the different colors in a moment. Doing so has made me a much better crank bait fisherman because the bait running is at the right depth and digging, deflecting etc. Success has resulted in my crankabit collection growing 10 fold. 

[lo n slo]

my head is spinning