2016 Tackle Room

[Will Wetline]

A tackle room is an angler's refuge. It's a place to shut out the clamor and clutter of everyday life and turn thoughts to fishing tackle. Join me on a tour of my Fortress of Solitude.

I designed and built this bench and shelf unit for R/C model construction. It now accommodates a miscellany of articles of interest to the lure builder/fisherman.

The tackle boxes, used for storage now, give you an idea how long I've been wetting line. The Old Pal on the floor was purchased circa 1965. It was my second tackle box.

Couldn't pass up this steel locker at a tag sale. Face shield, goggles and 3M respirator with organic vapor cartridges are on the top shelf. The middle shelf holds Do-It molds with hangers detached and I.D. labels on the end of the handles. Non lead alloys are boxed on the bottom along with the Lee Production Pot IV.

This solid oak rod rack, sold by Cabela's, is better finished than most of my furniture.

There are more than a few feathers in the cabinets on the top shelf. The Sterilite shoe boxes await filling with the packages of soft plastics on the floor to the right. I'm sure you're familiar with the footprint of 3700 boxes, but maybe not with the big plastic box below. I bought it from a big office supply company which had it mislabeled, "sliding letter/legal file box." How could they not have noticed that it holds six Plano 3700s perfectly? It's my office afloat! The utility carrier (see sunscreen and MegaStrike sticking out) also fits in the 14' aluminum rental boat that takes me to where the smallies swim.

A fan blocked in by a double layer of 1" insulation foam is essential if you're using vinyl paint. Use it when you're molding jigs or spraying mold release. All fumes including super glue and flatulence will go out the window.

How about this slide-on stainless steel bench top? Friend and bassmaster, Fred, a fine craftsman of many materials, fabricated this from a hood that once hung over a commercial oven.

Here's where everything comes together.

Good lighting is a great friend to the craftsman. Not shown is the full spectrum desk lamp that I use when tying flies and jigs.

Magnetic strips work well for tight-packing tools.

Before I stack any more Sterilite 3 drawer components cabinets, I'd better check my town's building codes for a height limit.

I'll leave you with a photo of some of the products - (Aargh! I forgot to sprinkle some steelhead flies into the picture!) - that leave this room and find their way into a fish's jaw.

 

[A-Jay]

I'd have expected nothing less Sir ~

#SuperImpressed.

btw - no matter how old I get flatulence is always funny . . .

A-Jay

 

[Maico1]

Very clean setup , you should be proud .

[jlperkins]

nice!!!!!!!!

[WI_Angler1989]

I don't have any experience in tackle making, but I could get lost for days in there learning how. What a perfect place for you're passion, and so well organized.  

[MarkH024]

Looks fantastic. I have mine underway as well.  Thats what northern winters will do to you. Not as complete or nice as yours.  Planning to get an airbrush kit and start doing some painting when funds are available. 

I have to get an outlet in the ceilng for my shop light yet. My rods are all on a rack in same room just not pictured. Its coming along nicely. My little man cave and my boys love to be in there.

[CJ]

WOW! You have set the bar for what a tackle room should look like. I would never post a picture of mine. It looks like a tornado hit it!

BTW, is that a poison tail jig head you tied bucktail on? That's the head I started out with. They swim great!

[whitwolf]

Nicely done and very Impressive!

[tander]

Looks great !!!! Your too organized for me. 

[68camaro]

Very nice indeed!

[Scott F]

I'd post a picture of my tackle room but it would take me hours to get it cleaned up enough to share in pictures.

[ClackerBuzz]

nice mancave aka heaven on earth

[Dwight Hottle]

Super organized but I already new that it would be.

[Maico1]

2 hours ago, MarkH024 said:

Looks fantastic. I have mine underway as well.  Thats what northern winters will do to you. Not as complete or nice as yours.  Planning to get an airbrush kit and start doing some painting when funds are available. 

I have to get an outlet in the ceilng for my shop light yet. My rods are all on a rack in same room just not pictured. Its coming along nicely. My little man cave and my boys love to be in there.

Looking real good, nice collection of SB's.

[Will Wetline]

17 hours ago, CJ said:

 

BTW, is that a poison tail jig head you tied bucktail on? That's the head I started out with. They swim great!

Yes, that's from Do-It's Poison Tail mold as well as the two skirted jigs at the top. There are two more above the ball on the left. I filled the cavity to eliminate the ring and barb and bedded Owner Centering Spring Pins in epoxy.

[Master Bait'r]

Will, that is absolutely a thing of beauty.  As a craftsman I can really appreciate all the small details you've incorporated and the organization is lab worthy.  I am loving all the fine work too!  I'd love to see more pics!  

[Fishes in trees]

That is very organized. I am envious of that level of organization.   My 30 x 40 fishing shed isn't nearly hat organized.  I've spent over $200 on shelving plus I've rigged 30' on the other side of the shed with scavenged shelving from various other places.   I've got 20 or 30 plastic totes full or semi-full of stuff.  I am reminded several times per year that it is pretty important to accurately label the totes.   White duct tape works good for this.  Be sure to label all sides and the lid, that helps some.  Organization of toys is an on-going project that only occasionally gets temporarily solved.  Tuesday I am taking my boat to the dealer for oil change - tune up, lower unit oil change, that sort of stuff.   Coming home I get to swap out trolling motor batteries.  When I finally get back to the shed,  I have a bunch of stuff piled on my utility trailer that I have to find a new temporary homes for.   I would like to be that organized, I really would but I'm just not wired that way.   It seems like there in a monkey mentality in my genes somewhere, when I'm done or don't know what to do with a thing, I just set it down in the first available place and move on.   Most of the time I remember where I put it - not always.  

I have six chairs of varying degrees of comfort in my fishing shed.  In the middle of last summer, I found myself setting on an overturned 5 gallon bucket, I looked around and all 6 chairs had stuff piled on them.   All I could do was laugh at myself - then I opened another IPA.

I have a similar situation in my garage.  I keep my go to work car outside all summer long, primarily because I generally have several projects in varying degrees of completion scattered around the garage.

One more thing - I find that the plastic shoe boxes with the attached lids work better for me than the ones with the separate lids.

 

[buzzed bait]

looks great and as clean as a test lab!!

[fishwizzard]

That is an amazingly neat room.  I am working towards a small version of that, but I am still in the "drowning in plastic boxes" phase while I figure out what to do about shelving. 

[Paul Roberts]

Very nice workspaces, Will! Now go in there and muss em up a bit and make us all feel better!

 

[fisherrw]

you have the neatest work space ive ever seen! I could never never have it that neat!

[WIGuide]

Your organization leaves me envious! Very nicely done! I could only hope to be somewhere between tornado and disaster in terms of organization haha. 

[Murrica]

Super Clean looking.  I wish mine was inside the house.  I have the 3rd bay of the garage that is walled off and I have my tv hooked up.  Still have to paint it and get the tv hung on the wall.  By mid season it will be a mess.  This was when I first moved in so don't mind the rods and gear laying everywhere.

[BannedForSpamming-1234555]

Wow, so clean

[Will Wetline]

I'd like to encourage everyone who wants to go on a clean up campaign and get organized.

Put your mind and your mop to it and persevere!

Here are before (2012) and after (2016) photos