Bank fishing tackle organization

[scaleface]

When bank fishing , I am not going to have my hands full   and the only thing I want to bend over and pickup are bass  . I carry one rod and reel and wear a vest . I stuff the pockets with boxes loaded with lures that cast well with my rod and reel . 

 

[roadwarrior]

2 hours ago, scaleface said:

When bank fishing , I am not going to have my hands full   and the only thing I want to bend over and pickup are bass  . I carry one rod and reel and wear a vest . I stuff the pockets with boxes loaded with lures that cast well with my rod and reel .

 

 

http://www.cabelas.com/product/Cabelas-Mens-Safari-Vest/722816.uts?productVariantId=1854392&WT.tsrc=PPC&WT.mc_id=BingPLA&WT.z_mc_id1=90131217&rid=20&gclid=CKmFmKKAkNECFeJdMgod8a8Pcw&gclsrc=ds

 

[Mumbly]

When I know that will be out bank fishing for the day i will have a backpack geared up with 4-5 plano 3601 boxes, a decent selection of soft plastics and the tools and accessories needed for most situations.

 

When out for just a few hours I will be a lot more specific in how I want to fish and what lures to take. Some might laugh but when I was in my late teens I bought a Berkley strap-on tackle box that I still use today. Works great for me and holds a decent amount of lures. Aside from that I will also carry a fanny pack with several bags of soft plastics.

 

http://www.berkley-fishing.com/berkley-tools-and-equipment-tackle-management-berkley-fishingear/berkley-soft-belt-tackle-box/1285975.html

[Fishhook21]

   Whenever I go bank fishing I use an old backpack with 3-5 3600 boxes in it. Then for the plastics I put them in ziplock bags. This year I might throw the plastics in a double-deep utility box though, since the plastics were being squished this year. All tools and extras are in the front two pockets. 

[AustinHellickson]

A few one compartment tackle boxes work best for me

 

One for baits and another for weights and hooks

[Crankin4Bass]

Lots of good ideas here. I like to keep things light and easily accessible when bank fishing. I have tried a few things.

 

First I started with this small Plano satchel box:

http://www.planomolding.com/fishing/stowaway-utility-boxes/specialty-stowaway-utility-boxes/connectable-satchel-17-compartment-utility-box

I found it a pain because I constantly had to set it down. 

 

Next I tried this cheap Berkley bag:

http://www.berkley-fishing.com/berkley-tools-and-equipment-tackle-management-berkley-classics/tackle-bag---berkley/1285972.html#start=6

I slung it over my neck like a messenger bag and would turn around so it was on my back while casting. It worked ok but was small and sometimes stuff would fall out when I unzipped it.

 

I finally found a Simms Headwaters Sling Pack. It's made for fly fishing but it works great anytime. My hands are free and everything is easily accessible.

http://www.cabelas.com/catalog/product.jsp?productId=1716528&categoryId=0&parentCategoryId=0&subCategoryId=0&indexId=0&itemGUID=52f48f54ac10845751bc71d881b55593&destination=%2Fuser%2Forder_details.cmd%3Fid%3DicR06IMzLsPl6UcOOCChew%253D%253D%26key%3D4ac21c66938a4c67a811024234093d5e

 

The best thing about this bag is that when you rotate it in front of you, the front pocket opens up to form a little work space. 

 

It looks like Simms has replaced it with a newer slightly larger model called the Waypoints Sling. I think they have made some nice improvements.

http://www.cabelas.com/product/clothing/men-s-casual-clothing/men-s-fishing-clothing/fishing-vests-packs|/pc/104797080/c/104746680/sc/104329080/i/103928580/simms-reg-small-waypoints-sling/2125607.uts?destination=%2Fcatalog%2Fbrowse.cmd%3FN%3D1102599

 

Orvis has a similar one to the older Simms Headwaters pack called the Safe Passage Sling Pack:

http://www.orvis.com/p/safe-passage-sling-pack/14zf

 

I carry 3 small Plano Stowaway boxes with hooks, jigs, poppers, and cranks.

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Plano-Stowaway/16351084

 

I use a a Dr. Slick's scissor clamp attached with a retractor to remove hooks and cut line.

http://www.drslick.com/catalog/view_item/clamps/scissor-clamp

 

Add a one gallon ziplock with 4 bags of plastics, a little first aid kit, a bottle of water and I'm good to go. My buddy uses a cheap messenger bag and one 3700 Plano box and carries the same amount of gear.  It works for him and he spent a lot less on the bag. I probably would have done the same but I caught the Simms bag on sale for 50% off. I'm really happy with the Simms pack and have it and a 2 piece spinning rod in my car all the time. 

 

 

 

 

[fishwizzard]

You guys with a dozen 3600 boxes blow my mind with how much weight you are willing to carry.  I think I am going to start carrying $50 in singles and just buy what ever I need from one of you guys. 

[mixel]

1 hour ago, Bunnielab said:

You guys with a dozen 3600 boxes blow my mind with how much weight you are willing to carry.  I think I am going to start carrying $50 in singles and just buy what ever I need from one of you guys. 

 

I had the same thought. That's pretty nuts for bank fishing to be hauling all that around, unless you're sitting in the same spot all day long and backing up the truck with the bar-b-que in the back. Would not want to carry that much weight for all the ground I try to cover.

 

[Ohitsmeagain]

I use the Browing Fishing Backpack. I can store alot of tackle as well as it has a cooler built in. Its very sturdy as is pretty cheap. I got mine for $60 at Bass Pro.     

[Heron]

Rule #1 - Know your fish-Know your waters.  Then youll know what you don't need.

 

Rule #2 - Don't carry too much stuff.  You wont use it, and it will be dead weight.

 

Rule #3 - Organize your stuff at home before you grab it.  So youre not taking things you wont use.

 

For instance, I like to have the hierarchy of my organization be based on something like this....

 

> Most productive baits all year

Then...

> Season/Month

--> Approx. water temp

----> Shoreline location / Bottom features  (Ex. Rock, mud, flat, steep, weeds, logs, etc.)

------> Weather conditions

 

That way, I can just take a quick peek out the window, and know exactly what I will take. 

 

Rule #4 - Just grab a couple.  When you decide which baits youre bringing, just grab a couple of each, depending on how long youll be down there for.  Don't grab youre whole jig box, or your whole crank box, or 25 bags of plastics.

 

Rule #5 - When youre at the water, stop thinking about the stuff you left at home.  You will lose confidence in everything you do.

 

 

 

[georgeyew]

On 12/25/2016 at 1:30 AM, j bab said:

I've got my BPS backpack quite full... 14 3600 size boxes  plus tools

 

That's amazing you can fit that many boxes in the back pack. Must weigh about 25 lbs.

[j bab]

47 minutes ago, georgeyew said:

 

That's amazing you can fit that many boxes in the back pack. Must weigh about 25 lbs.

Good guess, 27 pounds! Pretty darn heavy but I don't carry it on my back constantly, it just gets everything from one place to another. If I'm going to be walking long distances bank fishing I have small bags for that.

[AustinHellickson]

7 hours ago, Heron said:

Rule #1 - Know your fish-Know your waters.  Then youll know what you don't need.

 

Rule #2 - Don't carry too much stuff.  You wont use it, and it will be dead weight.

 

Rule #3 - Organize your stuff at home before you grab it.  So youre not taking things you wont use.

 

For instance, I like to have the hierarchy of my organization be based on something like this....

 

> Most productive baits all year

Then...

> Season/Month

--> Approx. water temp

----> Shoreline location / Bottom features  (Ex. Rock, mud, flat, steep, weeds, logs, etc.)

------> Weather conditions

 

That way, I can just take a quick peek out the window, and know exactly what I will take. 

 

Rule #4 - Just grab a couple.  When you decide which baits youre bringing, just grab a couple of each, depending on how long youll be down there for.  Don't grab youre whole jig box, or your whole crank box, or 25 bags of plastics.

 

Rule #5 - When youre at the water, stop thinking about the stuff you left at home.  You will lose confidence in everything you do.

 

 

i carry a wide variety because I don't know what will work. I have only caught fish at the lake across from my house from a Texas rigged drop shot worm bank fishing.... Thoughts?

2 hours ago, georgeyew said:

 

That's amazing you can fit that many boxes in the back pack. Must weigh about 25 lbs.

How much was your setup without baits? Looks nice to me 

[j bab]

@AustinHellickson the bag was $20, the boxes were probably $6 each on average, so roughly $100. You could get boxes cheaper if you looked for sales, I picked them up one or two at a time over a couple years.

[Heron]

@AustinHellickson.......No need to take a wide variety.   Bring what works (your T-rig worm), and then bring only a couple different additional baits to try.   Keep your selection small so that youre not spending too much time changing baits.  Kinda like Rule #4. 

 

Then refer to Rule #3, and make sure that the additional baits you are trying are a good fit for the day's Season/Water Temp/Location/ and Weather conditions.  

 

Figuring out which baits work with some consistency, just takes time on the water to figure out (that's part of Rule #1).   But do so in an intelligent, and organized manner. Its better than succumbing to junk fishing.

 

Rule #6 - When in doubt, throw a Fat Ika.   Fat Ikas excel at simplifying things.

[AustinHellickson]

1 hour ago, Heron said:

@AustinHellickson.......No need to take a wide variety.   Bring what works (your T-rig worm), and then bring only a couple different additional baits to try.   Keep your selection small so that youre not spending too much time changing baits.  Kinda like Rule #4. 

 

Then refer to Rule #3, and make sure that the additional baits you are trying are a good fit for the day's Season/Water Temp/Location/ and Weather conditions.  

 

Figuring out which baits work with some consistency, just takes time on the water to figure out (that's part of Rule #1).   But do so in an intelligent, and organized manner. Its better than succumbing to junk fishing.

 

Rule #6 - When in doubt, throw a Fat Ika.   Fat Ikas excel at simplifying things.

This helps A LOT

[soflabasser]

Less is more when it comes to bank fishing. Carrying more than you really need will weigh you down,especially if you plan on fishing for +10 hours.A Plano box filled with proven lures, a couple meal replacement bars, couple water bottles and a can of bug spray is usually more than enough items for a backpack . As for rods,you only really need 1 rod/reel combo and more than 3 combos is really not needed for a successful day of bass fishing. 

[AustinHellickson]

17 hours ago, soflabasser said:

Less is more when it comes to bank fishing. Carrying more than you really need will weigh you down,especially if you plan on fishing for +10 hours.A Plano box filled with proven lures, a couple meal replacement bars, couple water bottles and a can of bug spray is usually more than enough items for a backpack . As for rods,you only really need 1 rod/reel combo and more than 3 combos is really not needed for a successful day of bass fishing. 

What combo do u use?

[soflabasser]

6 minutes ago, AustinHellickson said:

What combo do u use?

 

For bass fishing rods I mostly use Ugly Stiks and for reels I mostly use Shimano and Penn. I have a custom bass rod(was given to me as a gift over a decade ago)and use that rod for mostly topwater/jerkbait fishing, but honestly haven't seem it outperform my other rods enough to justify its price. Have caught several bass that weighed over 10 pounds from land using these combos, so I don't see the need for me to buy more expensive combos.

 

[mixel]

I'm in same boat as soflabasser. Using Ugly Stiks and Shimano reels. I have real trouble buying into the expensive rod theory in that it will actually help me catch more fish. $45 ugly works great. Reels are a different story though as I've seen poorly made reels fail fast and generally be less durable than some more expensive ones. Still, for my needs if I can keep the reel cost under $70 it is ideal for me.

[j bab]

@soflabasser & @mixel don't ever fish all day with a $200 rod... your bank account will be drained in no time while you replace every ugly stik you have  

[mixel]

Haha touche @j bab but my bank account has to have something in it before it can be drained and lately that doesn't seem to be the case. 

[Heron]

Combos?

 

Dude, my last two 5lbers this year, were caught on a $22 Berkley cherrywood spinning rod, with a $9 Outdoor angler 2000 reel.  This rig has held up just fine for 3 seasons so far.

 

I like to use gear that is inexpensive, but has great value, because it is gratifying to me, to catch fish well with cheap gear, while everyone else spends hundreds, or even thousands of dollars, to catch the same fish.

[soflabasser]

With my profession I can easily replace every single one of my rods for the "latest and greatest" bass rods if I wanted to,but I have no need for it and don't think I will.I rather spend the money saved on proven lures,but that's just me.Besides,my better half won't be happy if I spend more money on fishing than I already do.

[soflabasser]

1 hour ago, mixel said:

I'm in same boat as soflabasser. Using Ugly Stiks and Shimano reels. I have real trouble buying into the expensive rod theory in that it will actually help me catch more fish. $45 ugly works great. Reels are a different story though as I've seen poorly made reels fail fast and generally be less durable than some more expensive ones. Still, for my needs if I can keep the reel cost under $70 it is ideal for me.

I agree with you and these ugly sticks can easily take the beating a bank fisherman gives to his gear.I see my combos as a tool to catch bass(or any fish) and I don't want to baby my gear.I have stepped on my rods, high sticked them with big fish,yet they haven't broken,even with +2 decades of abuse.Not easy to do that with high modulus graphite rods.