Tackle bag versatility

[Fir3hawk]

I fish from shore, boat and kayak. Majority of the time its from my boat (17.5’ deep V, not a ton of storage in the front deck)

 

Looking for ideas for tackle storage that is extremely versatile. Should I have dedicated tackle for each storage solution? 
 

Right now I use 3600’s and I keep the majority of them in a milk crate that I can strap on my kayak, toss in my boat or the bed of my truck. I also have a backpack that I can slide 2 3600’s in that is great for shore fishing. 2 3600s will also fit in compartments by the seat on my Vibe Sea Ghost kayak.

Then I have a small tackle bag stuffed with soft plastics. Often times I have to empty it out to find a certain color or style.

 

Should I go up to 3700’s? I’d kind of like to get a big bag but dont want it to be too heavy for shore fishing or to have to raid it and make a smaller setup for my kayak, etc.

 

Curious to hear what others who fish similar to me do. 

 

 

[MN Fisher]

For my shore-fishing trips I use this one

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B087684NHS/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&th=1

 

Holds 6-3600 boxes in the main compartment, 1-3600 box in the front pocket and 1-3600 box under the elastic cord on top - so 8 boxes.

 

4-5 boxes of lures/hooks/etc

3-4 3607-10 boxes (single compartment) of plastics still in their original bags.

 

One single pocket (shown) on one side, 2 half-size pockets on the other side, mesh pocket in back and MOLLE attachment system.

[OkobojiEagle]

Each of us has or will go down this same rabbit hole.  I've emerged deciding I only need to carry two 3600 boxes and a couple small pockets for plastic baits and tools.  I suggest you decide what you really WANT to catch your bass with and only carry those baits.  It will take you some time to get to this point, but I'll be here to pat you on the back when you climb back to the reality that bass can be caught with surprisingly few baits/techniques.

 

oe

[TOXIC]

Sorry, I can’t help much.  When in my boat I bring waaay too much and when going in my buddies boat I have a soft side that will hold 7-3700’s and a couple more small boxes.  It all fits in the rear box of a Ranger 20 footer.  No yak or shore fishing for me.  I will pack the soft sided bag with baits specific to the body of water we will be fishing.  

[Bankbeater]

I've been carrying one of the old blue BPS 3600 bags.  I fill up the 5 boxes with crankbaits, jigs, and tackle.  I stuff bags of plastics in the front and side pockets, 

[fin]

Bank fisherman here. I carry the bare minimum, and this time of year I may only throw one bait for several hours.

 

I hate the sound of lures rattling around in Plano boxes, so I just carry everything in plastic bags, even hard lures. I’ll keep like a maximum of five crank/jerk baits in a bag, and yeah, when I pull one out they usually all come out, like a Barrel Of (bait) Monkeys, that’s the downside. And sometimes they poke through the bag. I use the lightest backpack available. I’ll probably switch to a waist pack eventually.

 

Like @OkobojiEagle said, it may take you years to figure out the few lures you really need. When you have a lure you can rely on to catch fish consistently, you just need to find the right spot to throw it. Changing lures is just wasting time. If they’re feeding, they’re not that picky, in my experience. If they’re not feeding, they won’t be impressed by a prettier lure.

 

It’s nice to have options, but when those options start limiting your fishing, you’ve gone too far.

[Fir3hawk]

I know this question opens up Pandora’s box. I do take the “less is more approach” when kayak fishing and sometimes I’ll only take 2-3 3600 boxes, and a couple bags of plastics. 
 

My goal is to minimize the amount of prep between trips. IE:) I want my crankbaits and frogs today, etc. Maybe I need to consider duplicate boxes and for kayak & bank fishing maybe my box has a couple cranks or only certain hooks, to give me more variety of lures in same # of boxes.

[Mr. Aquarium]

I use a cheap Walmart backpack.  They are awesome. So many different compartments to hold line, tools, soft plastic bags, and tackle boxes.  It’s very portable. Great for long hikes and shore missions. Easy kayak and boat storage!   Costs a fraction of a tacklebag

[dgkasper58]

I have recently done this and for me my answer was the plano edge 3700 flex.

 

My backpack was too heavy and very cumbersome and wanted to downsize while keeping enough of what I "NEED".  Changing to 3700's helped me...

 

I now use a plano 3700 weekender for most of my trips now.

3x 3700's:

1x Terminal

1x Jig (with modified Spinnerbait harnesses)

1x Flex- This is the box that changes for me daily/seasonally/however you want.

 

These 3 boxes fit absolutely perfect in the case.

[OldManLure]

I use a single strap backpack for wading and bank fishing.  I use 4 of the small Ozark Trail bags for my 2 sit-in kayaks.  I have 2 large tackle bags for my sit-on.  And when I take out the boat, I use the bags from my sit-on  plus 2 additional tackle bags.  Except for numbers, there is not a lot of difference in the baits for each craft.  Yes I have duplicates of every

bait so it is represented in each set up.  The main difference as I go from wading to kayak to kayak to boat is that the choices for color and/or size increases.  The benefit for me is that there is virtually no risk of leaving a desired bait behind.  The cost is when I have success with a new bait, I end up buying at least two more so that it is added to each setup.  Since available space ia finite, I do find it necessary to cull baits once in awhile…sheer agony!

[FishTank]

When I am bank fishing and on the kayak,  I take a minimumal amount of tackle.   I usually don't know where a bank or kayak trip will take me sometimes and if it's off the beaten path,  I don't want a ton of gear.  So I have a sling pack with two, two side Plano 3600 boxes and two small two side boxes for terminal tackle.   Then I take, about 10-20 bags of soft plastic, pliers, rain jacket, a drink and snack,  a small first aid kit, sunscreen and a multi tool. 

 

On a boat,  I bring two BPS large bag,  one with 7 Plano Egde boxes and the other has soft plastic,  terminal tackle, and swimbaits.   It's too much but I always feel I will need something.  

 

[Holetail]

  Been working on this lately and have started carrying less and less on my bank and kayak trips. Only get a few hours per trip max so I try to maximize actual fishing time. This requires more prep at home, but I enjoy it so don’t mind. 
  I’ve started storing all hard baits, jigs, and terminal in 3700 boxes and plastics sorted by type in cheap plastic shoe totes at home. Once I decide how / what I want to fish, I load up 1-2 3600 boxes and plastics in a bait binder for the kayak or 1 3600 and plastics get tossed into a backpack for bank fishing. If I have really limited time, I have a small Fanny pack I can carry just what I need. 
  I do have 3 sets of pliers, grippers, and a scale in each setup so I always have them. 
  Typically take 1-3 rods bank fishing and up to 5 on the kayak. If I don’t catch anything on what I have rigged up, I chalk the day up to learning a new technique or casting practice. Used to carry all sorts of stuff “just in case”, but that got old fast. 

[Team9nine]

The answer is never ‘more tackle,’ but instead, more discipline.

 

[PourMyOwn]

25 minutes ago, Team9nine said:

The answer is never ‘more tackle,’ but instead, more discipline.

 

So I should be patient and fish with live grasshoppers?

[Team9nine]

56 minutes ago, PourMyOwn said:

So I should be patient and fish with live grasshoppers?

Got to love Google translate ?

[NYWayfarer]

I travel light on my kayak fishing sessions.

 

3 rods, 1 topwater lure, 1 Texas rig and usually 1 dedicated to panfishing or a wacky worm rig.

 

3 bags of soft plastics and 1 small tackle box full of terminal tackle. All of that fits in my fishing PFD pockets.

 

[schplurg]

Backpack carries:

 

- up to two 3600s, with a little bit of everything in them.

- one very small double sided terminal box.

- water, multitool, some food, scale, GoPro accessories. Napkins for whatever. Sunscreen.

- some plastics.

- I bring one or two rods. Sometimes my telescopic rod is my 2nd, since it fits in the backpack.

 

Kayak I often bring the same 2 boxes, though maybe swap out some baits depending on where I'm going. But I can put 5 Planos in there and it adds virtually nothing to the weight, so no reason not to. Depends on the situation. More food, more water. I have plenty of space leftover.

 

 

[zpelletier]

Do you guys mix plastics together to carry less bags when bank fishing? If not, what do you do with 10+ bags of plastics

[scaleface]

On 12/8/2021 at 11:15 PM, MN Fisher said:

For my shore-fishing trips I use this one

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B087684NHS/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&th=1

 

Holds 6-3600 boxes in the main compartment, 1-3600 box in the front pocket and 1-3600 box under the elastic cord on top - so 8 boxes.

 

4-5 boxes of lures/hooks/etc

3-4 3607-10 boxes (single compartment) of plastics still in their original bags.

 

One single pocket (shown) on one side, 2 half-size pockets on the other side, mesh pocket in back and MOLLE attachment system.

I need a new bag and this  one looks pretty decent .

[Bird]

I'm gung-ho on organization and having everything needed for a given scenario.

What this mindset does is create the need for a large tackle bag.

[Team9nine]

3 hours ago, zpelletier said:

Do you guys mix plastics together to carry less bags when bank fishing? If not, what do you do with 10+ bags of plastics

First, I’d never carry 10+ bags from the bank, but if I did, I’d go this route (and it would be my only tackle bag):

 

 

Here’s what I do carry all my plastics in when walking the bank:

 

 

 

[Heron]

When you know your waters well, and you know your fish even more.....you may find yourself packing less and less to take to the shoreline.

7 hours ago, zpelletier said:

Do you guys mix plastics together to carry less bags when bank fishing? If not, what do you do with 10+ bags of plastics

I keep my stock of plastics at home, and take from there what I need.

 

there have been times where I would pack a handful of different items into a single ziploc bag.  Thus creating a mixed bag.  Otherwise I would use a spare box 

[LCG]

I am a kayak and bank angler for the most part. Used to carry a tackle box, Plano 3600 bag, then a backpack. Finally learned that simplicity is key.

 

Now I carry a Plano 3500 bag with one double sided 3500 box. One side plastics, the other hard baits.

 

Just enough variety without overly complicating things. Even that is really too much, but covers any type of fishing I would encounter.

[imarazorbackfan]

I use a plano a series 2.0 backpack. It comes with/holds 5 plano 3650s ,which I believe are the same dimensions as the 3600s, plus room for more. I fish from a friends ranger, canoe, and bank/wade and love it

[zpelletier]

5 hours ago, Team9nine said:

First, I’d never carry 10+ bags from the bank, but if I did, I’d go this route (and it would be my only tackle bag):

I certainly don’t want to carry 10 bags. I’m going to try jigs for the first time, so I have a few different trailers in a few different colors so I can try to figure it out. 

 

1 hour ago, Heron said:

When you know your waters well, and you know your fish even more.....you may find yourself packing less and less to take to the shoreline.

I’m trying to take the minimum. It’s mostly ponds around here, and I haven’t seen a lot of consistency from pond to pond. That could also be my lack of skill in finding the fish