Do we all carry too much tackle for too many techniques

[Can't Catch Bass]

1 minute ago, cgolf said:

Not at all, because if I can limit my choices and streamline my thought process that will mean more fish in the boat for me. 

 

That's just crazy talk... Do you really think multiple fish will hit the same bait more than once? They talk you know.

[Maxximus Redneckus]

Im a minimalist  i fish fresh and salt same day..i can do it all with 6 diff lures in a 3700 size box..spook, rapala,manns purple worm,mepps black fury  rat l trap and a curl tail grub..i may  have 2 diff size spooks in 2 colors and  3 diff size traps in 3 diff colors same with the grubs.but IMO 30 plus yrs fishing these lures account  for numbers and size from panfish to rockfish to blackdrum its all i need and just 2 rods

[Can't Catch Bass]

8 hours ago, Maxximus Redneckus said:

8 hours ago, Maxximus Redneckus said:

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[tcbass]

On 11/21/2017 at 10:26 PM, IndianaFinesse said:

What do you do in the cold water then?  Doesn't seem like those four lures would work so good then IMHO.

 

Something like 90% of my bass are caught on shaky heads, the ned rig, buzzbaits, jerkbaits, frogs, and shallow cranks-so I really don't branch out as much as I could on a regular basis either.  Several techniques are all I use for short, seasonal windows but aren't used much the rest of the year (weightless trick worms in the postspawn, rattle traps for a week or two in the fall and spring, blade baits and hair jigs in winter, etc.).  Those are typically my "money" bites so to speak.

 

 

I don't fish when it gets cold because of a physical condition where I can't.

 

 

Different lures work well at different lakes and areas. I'd say Senkos are probably one of the best bass catching lures of all time.

[Wurming67]

I was gonna post this question but searched first for it I figured there was a thread.Its fun buying tackle and rod and reel and it's also fun catching fishing on different lures and proving to yourself you can catch fish on that lure or bait.Butttt I think it hurts me more than it helps me having so much tackle and rods and reels because instead of just focusing on a few baits and really giving them a chance to work im picking up different rods and tying on different baits so this weekend I'm just bringing 3 rods for fishing the water column at  top,middle and bottom.I honestly believe where I mainly fish I could bring one rod and one bait "Senko" and catch fish consistently all day I might try that instead ?

[Mobasser]

I have to agree with Team9nine. The more I learn and study bass fishing , the less I really need. I've narrowed it to around 5 or 6 bait types for the whole season. I used to sweat all this, but not now. Keeping it simple

[DogBone_384]

I can't speak for the rest of the membership, but YES, I usually carry too much tackle.  I have a bad habit of thinking up a game plan the night before I go fishing and by the time I'm out the door I've 'what if'd' myself into taking much more tackle than I end up using....

[Riazuli]

For me, having a good selection of tackle and being able to use different presentations is part of what makes fishing enjoyable for me.  I'd be bored if I was slinging the same drop shot all day just because it's a good way to catch fish.  I like to visualize and feel a lipless running through the water, imagine and feel the wobble of a squarebill, feel the  chatterbait vibrate and roll against the bottom, imagine a jig N craw crawling through the mud...I spend more time doing those things than catching fish so I might as well have fun while I'm doing it!  Also, as the saying goes, better to have too much and not need it than not enough when you need it. 

[Cgolf]

2 hours ago, Riazuli said:

For me, having a good selection of tackle and being able to use different presentations is part of what makes fishing enjoyable for me.  I'd be bored if I was slinging the same drop shot all day just because it's a good way to catch fish.  I like to visualize and feel a lipless running through the water, imagine and feel the wobble of a squarebill, feel the  chatterbait vibrate and roll against the bottom, imagine a jig N craw crawling through the mud...I spend more time doing those things than catching fish so I might as well have fun while I'm doing it!  Also, as the saying goes, better to have too much and not need it than not enough when you need it. 

For me it isn't limiting it to 1 or 2 presentations, but maybe 10 to 15 options instead of 30 to 40 to cover the changing conditions.

[J Francho]

3 minutes ago, cgolf said:

For me it isn't limiting it to 1 or 2 presentations, but maybe 10 to 15 options instead of 30 to 40 to cover the changing conditions.

That's a good way to look at it.  I'll go a little further.  Those 10-15 options can really be lumped into what I can throw on 4-5 rods.  That translates to 4-5 boxes, since I setup my boxes per what rod I use for the baits.

[desmobob]

For me, half the fun of the sport is buying and trying new tackle.  I'd guess I could get by handily with about 10% of what I carry.  

 

Everyone is different.  For some, it's fun to be minimalist.  For me, it's fun to look in my tackle boxes and find stuff I didn't even remember I had...  

 

Tight lines,

Bob

 

[FishDewd]

I probably carry a little too much.. I use a bag that holds 4 medium sized plano boxes with moveable dividers that they sell in the fishing department of basically any store. I have one box full of plastics, some float, others are for texas rigging, dragging, etc. Another box that is a mix between weights and trailers for jigs and bladed baits. This is my accessory box. Another box that contains all hooks, jigheads, and some just in case specialty stuff. The main box I use contains all hard baits of some sort. Square and round crankbaits, a few buzzbaits, a chatterbait, rage blade, jigs, spoons, bladebait, spinners, etc... plus I have some plastics for ned rigging stuffed in a few pockets of the bag. I also have some extra line and some tools in there, like pliers and cutters. How much of it do I use of a given day? Not a whole lot really. I generally have a plan for what I'd like to try that day before I go out, but if all that fails I may decide to try something a little different. I like the option for trying something new and/or creative if the situation arises. Here lately I haven't been having much luck so I've trying to figure out what works or doesn't work. So far it seems like more stuff is in the "doesn't work" category. Plus with this additional tackle I can help out someone else if needed. There's always that guy who runs out of something or forgot something. I don't have any issue handing over a few hooks or weights if it means that person can have a more fun day.

[Cgolf]

Was just thinking about getting setup for the opener in May and what I want to fish with and it dawned on me why I am trying to limit myself a bit. I fish out of a 16 ft boat with a custom extended deck so I can lay out 3-4 rods on it. Here is the thing you bass boat guys can store more in one compartment than I can carry. I can get a 3600 bag, 3700 bag, terminal bag, and pedestal box from Lakewood if I max it out. Realistically that is too much and I can’t move around. Out of necessity I need to pack smart because I really have limited space. This isn’t a complaint, just reality.

[Obi_Wan]

Yes.  I've always owned less tackle than my dad, therefore, I've always taken less tackle to the lake than him.  All things being equal, we end up fishing the same thing and 3/4 of his tackle never sees the water.  I have a larger selection of soft baits than I do hard baits.  I basically have one 3700 with crank baits, two boxes with jerkbiats (one shallow, one deep), 5-6 spinner baits, a few jigs, and soft baits.  I can get it all in one bag if I want and usually do.

[Wurming67]

I think some of us are doing it totally wrong.Just use a few different search baits to first find the fish,instead of throwing all your tackle to an area that isn't holding fish.Once you find some fish than break out all the tackle and see what the big girls want.

[NorthernBasser]

I carry so much tackle that it is probably close to putting me at max weight capacity for my boat. 

 

Is it necessary? No. Would I still catch as many fish without all of it? Probably.

 

Yet here I am checking the "latest sale" thread every day. I need help. 

[NorthernBasser]

On 3/16/2018 at 2:09 PM, desmobob said:

For me, half the fun of the sport is buying and trying new tackle.

 

This is a big part of it.

 

I'm a grown man. But when I get a new TW shipment in the mail I'm like a kid on Christmas morning. And I have to open up each lure right away and hold it and admire it. 

[burrows]

On 11/21/2017 at 6:10 PM, Team9nine said:

The more I fish (and learn), the less I need. Have no interest in stocking up with the latest tackle trends or hot baits. 

 

 

I agree but I feel it’s the marketing that gets me personally the nice looking paint jobs the shiny new baits!  this makes it difficult to stop collecting lures and tackle. It really is an addiction. A bad habit. You don’t need every color baby minus or every color s crank or every new shiny fancy Japanese topwater but something tells you get it!!! Add it to the collection because after a wile it no longer becomes tackle it truly becomes a collection because tackle is used like a tool for different situations but collecting just sits there looking pretty As your own personal novelty item, But I digress.

Since I seemed to have gotten completely gotten of course let me adress the topic. Personally I only take a few day boxes with me or if I’m going to the pond a pack of hooks and two bags of soft plastics in my back pocket.

[NYWayfarer]

This Saturday was a prime example of packing too much. I caught 11 fish in 3 hours using a Whopper Plopper and then a Ned Rig once the top water bite dried up.

 

 What I used: 2 rods and reel combos, 1 Whopper Plopper, 2 Shroomz Head jigs and 2 TRD's (2 because I lost a rig on a bad snag.)

 

What I carried:  A bag full of top waters (Lane Changer, Torpedo, PopMax)

Crankbaits (Squarebull, KVD squarebill, Rebel Bluegill, Red Eye Shad)

Soft Plastics (Flukes, Senkos, TRD Tubez)

Hooks, weights and bears oh my! 

[Black Hawk Basser]

Do I carry too much?  Usually.  Do I own too much?  No way!  I try to pack what I think I'll use, based on the time of year and body of water.  If I catch most of my fish on the first thing I tied on, then I brought too much.  If I have tried most of my options that I packed, then I didn't bring too much.  It's a question you'd have to ask after each day out and maybe tailor the choices based on that.

[Gundog]

[Derek1]

This is a great thread. This is my first year taking fishing serious, I started out this spring with a 5’6” spinning rod. I used to walk around the pond with that a pair of pliers and Scale in one back pocket. Knife clipped in my front pocket, a Plano 4”x9” with 3ot and4ot hooks some bullet weights and about 20 worms in 4 colors and shapes and that fit in my other back pocket. I would spend three hours walking around the pond and catch 20 fish from dinks -3#’ers. Now I have a 50# backpack and three rods. I certainly don’t catch more fish. But I would be lying if I said I didn’t have almost as much Fun at the store as I do the pond, ( bait monkey has me bad) I miss the good old days of June lol. 

[the reel ess]

Well, I carry 6 or 7 combos every time I go fishing. I usually catch most or all my fish on one or two of them. I'm going to do what I want to do at some point during the trip. Then, if fish aren't really into that, I'll try other lures. I won't try every topwater or every lipless crank in my box before I conclude they aren't going to bite one. It's more like, OK, they don't want a couple of different hardbait topwaters, I'll switch to a lipless crank or regular crank for a while. They don't want that, I'll put that rod down and go in a different direction.

 

On another rod, I might start with a buzzbait and switch over to a spinnerbait after a while with no action. Sure, I have more baits than I actually catch fish on, but try not to let colors and options paralyze me.