Storing Soft Plastics. To bag or box....

[Matt Hardwick]

What are yalls thoughts.... 

I go back and forth between storing and categorizing my soft plastics in Plano boxes and keeping them in their original bags in a tackle bag all organized.  I like the tackle bag because its compact and unzip and file through bags to find what you want, but also I like the Plano boxes with all the baits organized by color and style and type to where you just boom pop t open and it's there ie: straight tail worms box, craw box, stick bait box ect..... if I use boxes I literally organize my worms by style then my creatures by style and craws ect..... but going back and forth gets annoying at times.  How do yall store them? What do you prefer.... I only bank fish and kayak so no boat or big storage options here. Either way both options work... 

[Bluebasser86]

I keep them in their bags. Putting them in boxes just seems like such a hassle and that's when the problems seem to start with colors bleeding, baits melting together or to boxes, and getting bent in the boxes. 

[Hammer 4]

I usually keep mine in a zip lock baggie, as I normally don't take the whole bag, depending on the bait and if I'm shore fishing. Never store them in a box.

[ww2farmer]

I keep mine in their packaging until it's time to use them. Then I put them in boxes, but only enough for a trip or two.

[Hook2Jaw]

I keep them in their original bags and store them by type in large size KVD Speed Bags, and it's been one of the best investments I've made.  One bag holds worms, be they trick, stick, or ribbon.  Another bag has all my dropshot baits, Ned plastics, and flukes in it.  The last has all my trailers, those being my craws, creatures, and swimbaits.

[LCG]

 

I use a Plano double sided box and keep senkos, trick worms, curly tail grubs, beaver baits, and creature baits in one side. The other side has Frogs, spinnerbaits, chatterbaits, inline spinners, spoons, and jigs. 

 

I keep my Ned rig stuff in a smaller box, same with terminal tackle. 

 

I downsized what I take out with me quite a bit and still have more than I would ever use is a single outing. My main supply of plastics is kept in their original bags in a 3 drawer stand. 

[CountryboyinDC]

I keep most all of the soft plastics I own in original bags in a bait binder.  I'm in a kayak, so I put this binder of baits I'm not fishing at the moment in the front hatch to keep them out of the sun.  If I had a boat with all the covered storage, I'd probably keep them in the Plano boxes with the terminal tackle I intended to use them with.  Would be great to have the worms, hooks, weights, etc. in the same box.  

[Cgolf]

90% of my plastics are in Plano 4700 boxes. This way I can put them in there so they don't take a funky set and are ruined for fishing that day till I can do the boiling water trick to straighten them out.

 

The baits packaged nicely like Rage or many ned baits are stored in the new KVD worm bags.

[BlackwaterPark10]

I buy the Bass Mafia body bags and sort by bait type in their original bags

[OnthePotomac]

This is another subject that depends entirely on personal preferences.  Mine are in 3600 boxes labeled for the type in the box.  I only take on the water what is the choice for the season and conditions.

[moguy1973]

Original bags, and then put in big gallon sized ziploc bags sorted by type (worms, craws, tubes, toads, etc.).  I also have a kayak bag with some of everything I typically use when I'm on the river in my kayak so I can quickly grab that bag and throw it in my milk crate in the back.

[Grim_Reaver]

1 hour ago, moguy1973 said:

Original bags, and then put in big gallon sized ziploc bags sorted by type (worms, craws, tubes, toads, etc.).  I also have a kayak bag with some of everything I typically use when I'm on the river in my kayak so I can quickly grab that bag and throw it in my milk crate in the back.

x2

[Dens228]

Fishing from a kayak I don't have easy access if I keep all my plastics in their bags.   Like said above I take enough plastics to last two or three trips.  I don't have a a huge variety of plastics, and within that small variety I usually only have three colors of each.  Therefore I'm able to keep them in one Plano box.  

[MN Fisher]

Original bags - if I still have them, 4mil Plymor bags if I don't.

 

Bags in Plano Open Compartment (3607) boxes - separated by type.

 

Boxes in my Advanced Angler II Bag - I can get 7 boxes in that thing.

[A-Jay]

Original Bags in Speed Bags ~

A-Jay 

[Jig Man]

I make most of my own so there is no bag.  In their own bags Elaztech baits got flat and stuck to each other so they go in boxes also.

[Fishes in trees]

I like the original packaging stored in like groups in speed bags.   Should anyone be interested in a thrifty option to the KVD speed bags, Harbor Freight carries 12" and 15" canvas tool bags.   Frequently they have a coupon so that the bags come out to a little less than $5 each.  Just as well made as the KVD speed bags with the heavy duty zipper, the 15" bags have an additional pouch on the outside of the bag.  Say you ride like A-Jay and have 10 bags, that's slightly less than $50 for quite a bit of storage.  Only down side is that the canvas bags weigh slightly more than whatever fabric the KVD bags are made of.

[Vilas15]

I've got all mine in a single speed bag in original bags. If I had a ton of different colors of a single type of bait, say tubes or grubs, then I'd probably give them their own Plano. But right now the speed bag holds a pack or two of everything I've got from swimbaits to tubes to grubs to flukes.

[Cgolf]

22 hours ago, A-Jay said:

Original Bags in Speed Bags ~

A-Jay 

Do you carry that all in the boat? My wife complains I take too much tackle on a week vacation, and it is less than you have in the picture lol. She doesn't believe me when I tell her a lot of folks take more for 2 hours than I do for a week!

[Guitarfish]

I too keep them in boxes.  I do salt water pours more than fresh so no bags.  I pour a dozen of each color I want and then store them in big Plano's.  Then I grab a few and throw them into a smaller box each fishing trip.

 

 

[A-Jay]

34 minutes ago, cgolf said:

Do you carry that all in the boat? My wife complains I take too much tackle on a week vacation, and it is less than you have in the picture lol. She doesn't believe me when I tell her a lot of folks take more for 2 hours than I do for a week!

Whatever does or does not go in the boat only benefits me on the water.  I prescribe to the mantra "Always Ready".  Very hard to accomplish really but it starts with the tools.

Plus, Pro-V Bass swallows my gear up and the ProXS totes it along with little effort.  

 

To answer your question Yes

A-Jay 

[Wildbillb]

Original bags.  Otherwise how do I remember who made what and the exact color name and size when I need more.

[5/0]

1 hour ago, Vilas15 said:

I've got all mine in a single speed bag in original bags. If I had a ton of different colors of a single type of bait, say tubes or grubs, then I'd probably give them their own Plano. But right now the speed bag holds a pack or two of everything I've got from swimbaits to tubes to grubs to flukes.

This is an interesting idea! I currently use a wallet for ALL my soft plastics. It gets pretty stuffed and working through all the sleeves to find something can be a PIA.

The speed bag looks to be a better option if it can hold up to 30 bags of various types of baits. I’ve seen claims ranging from 20-40.

[Fishingmickey]

On 5/18/2020 at 8:51 AM, moguy1973 said:

Original bags, and then put in big gallon sized ziploc bags sorted by type (worms, craws, tubes, toads, etc.).  I also have a kayak bag with some of everything I typically use when I'm on the river in my kayak so I can quickly grab that bag and throw it in my milk crate in the back.

x3 Gallon bags into coated reusable grocery sack for storage in the front hatch. Have a small Cabales bag for under the seat immediate usage storage.

FM

[RoLo]

 

I try to tinker as little as possible

My high-use soft plastics are fully exposed and quick-grab ready,

in their respective tackle box trays. My spare soft-plastics supply is out of sight,

and stored in plastic bags in the bottom compartment of my tackle box.

 

Roger