How do you organize your jerkbaits?

[newapti5]

As I have tried out different jerkbaits over the years, now I have boxes of different ones. I find myself in a dilemma: what is the most effective and efficient way to organize them? By buoyancy - float vs. suspend vs. sink? By size and weight? By diving depth? By colors and patterns? By brands? All the above? ....  I'd like to know how you organize yours. Thanks! 

[GRiver]

Thought my prayers were answered when I saw your post…. Shoot, your in the same boat I am.

Tying to figure out how to sort them.

If I try to separate by size , type, depth, weight I just have too many boxes. Well I simply don’t have the room.

[Justin Collier]

I usually put them together in a few boxes then I take about 5 with me for what will cover the need for the day. If I sorted them all I would not have room. Anywhere 

[Dwight Hottle]

I have a lot of jerk baits. More than @A-Jay I think. I use to store them by manufacture. Multiple 3700 boxes of the same manufacturer. At least a dozen different companies. Now I just store them by depth types. I also will store a few favorite boxes which always travel with me.  The hardest job I have to deal  with is selecting just four boxes to take to Erie when I fly up there which is all the time now since I reside in FL. The selection process for those 4 boxes is always fun but I labor over it for days rechecking my selections. The dilemma grows with your level of obsession. 

[LrgmouthShad]

4 minutes ago, Dwight Hottle said:

I have a lot of jerk baits. More than @A-Jay I think

@A-Jay, he’s telling you that you need to step up your game

[A-Jay]

1 hour ago, Dwight Hottle said:

I have a lot of jerk baits. More than @A-Jay I think. I use to store them by manufacture. Multiple 3700 boxes of the same manufacturer. At least a dozen different companies. Now I just store them by depth types. I also will store a few favorite boxes which always travel with me.  The hardest job I have to deal  with is selecting just four boxes to take to Erie when I fly up there which is all the time now since I reside in FL. The selection process for those 4 boxes is always fun but I labor over it for days rechecking my selections. The dilemma grows with your level of obsession. 

 

1 hour ago, LrgmouthShad said:

@A-Jay, he’s telling you that you need to step up your game

No question @Dwight Hottle  jerkbait selection dwarfs my own.

I also made a concerted effort to narrow my own collection down a bit.

Megabass (of course), Strike King, and a few special Lucky Craft baits, make up most of it. 

Personally, I still have way too many and although I try to fight the urge to do so,

I'll still pick up a new color or pattern on occasion.

But I'm better than I was. 

 

For the OP ~  I store all my hard baits in some type of Plano Hard box.

Mostly 3700 size - some deep and some thin.

Boxes are stored in the Pro-V bass side by side and on their ends.

So labels go face up for easy ID.

Baits are indexed all by type (silent) Running Depth (Reg or Deep) and each brand get's it's own box. (for the most part)

****Important tip - consider positioning all the baits that have plastic lips/bills (like jerkbaits), so that they ride around with the BILLS UP.

Rattling down the highway & slamming across the lake takes a toll.

When ALL the baits are positioned bottoms down in the box,

and the bait's bills are not taking the load, they will last longer.

If the boxes are stored "Flat" it may not matter all that much.

That's my story and I'm sticking to it. 

This may or may not be all of it

😎

A-Jay

[OkobojiEagle]

11 hours ago, newapti5 said:

As I have tried out different jerkbaits over the years, now I have boxes of different ones. I find myself in a dilemma: what is the most effective and efficient way to organize them? 

Those jerkbaits I fish regularly reside in 1/2 of a 3600 plano box and they come fishing with me.   Duplicates to those I keep in a 3700 box in my tackle room.  Periodically those I haven't fished in a couple of years I give away.   Much easier to store in someone else's tackle room...

 

oe

[BayouSlide]

Two Plano boxes: one for 0 - 6 ft depth, the other for 6+ depth, with labels on each compartment slot showing brand, weight and depth for each jerkbait.

[MN Fisher]

Three boxes

1: My 110 clones

2: Floaters and sinkers

3: Non 110-clone suspenders

[J._Bricker]

@newapti5 on jerkbaits I have gone the route of make and color with each group of thoroughbreds having their own storage box. Granted, 16 baits per box might not be optimal for some, it saves some boat storage space while helping with my idea of organization and most importantly works for me.
 

*This was a break from using 3700 series boxes.

[MediumMouthBass]

I pick up the 3700 Planos Pro Latch Stowaways sold at Walmart for $5, they are different than most 3700 Planos in their sections, Instead of all going horizontal for all rows these go horizontal the first 2 rows and then vertical on the last. It works great for holding jerkbaits and crankbaits.

So long jerkbaits go up top, and the shorter ones go on the bottom, it works great for me.

 

I have 4 different 3700 trays with jerkbaits (im fishing on a kayak or from the bank most of the time so i cant bring dozens of trays with me like i could if i was using the boat) and i have to keep it simple and smaller in selection.

 

Tray 1 is only for regular jerkbaits, different brands, colors, sizes, some float and others suspend.

Tray 2 is for deep diving ones. Tray 1 and 2 are only filled with ones i think i might actually catch a bass on, ones i have confidence in or the more expensive ones that others have had good results with.

 

Tray 3 and 4 are a mix of various lures including some jerkbaits for days i want to only take 1-3 trays and not only use 1 technique. I have several of the same lures so ill put my favorites in these.

 

Even if you took a hundred different jerkbaits, spend days organizing them by color, brand, etc....

do you think youll fish all 100 jerkbaits on a few hour trip? If a jerkbaits your #1 lure then sure go for it, but if you fish other lures more or equal just put your favorites in a box or 2 and go fishing.

[Mbirdsley]

by depth, size, and by mfg. 

[rangerjockey]

I have one of the old Shimano boxes that goes in the boat. Those are the best ever for stickbaits but unfortunately, they stopped making them. That holds a dozen or, so the rest are in the man cave in 3700s

I take visions and +1's and some Mc Sticks and a pointer or 2 and of course an old RC STX. If them wont bite one of those, heck with em.

[Phelptwan]

Boxes for Depth, boxes for rattles/silent, then color in the boxes.  Ones I don't end up liking or using get thrown into the "here's the baits I don't like box".  I honestly could probably cull the vast majority at this point and just keep Stunna's and Vision 110's and 110 Jr's.  Right now the ones I commonly use are in 6th Sense Jerkbait Chambers, but the foam is wearing out pretty quick and I feel I'm going to need to replace them soon with something different.  Maybe time to try out the new plano Jerkbait boxes.

[detroit1]

I only have about a dozen in the boat, floating/ suspending/deep in a few different colors. The other 3 or so dozen stay at home in a 370. I don't need every color in the catalog, in every size or depth. My best catcher last year was a 1/2 oz. Lucky Craft SP in chartruese w/ purple back that i got at our annual lure swap, and paid $3. I never would have bought that lure at a store price because it just doesn't seem to make sense fishing it my clear lakes. Silly me.  

[wvhunt]

I carry one 3700 box with floaters and another 3700 with sinking and suspending.

[Munkin]

Sorted by floating and suspending then by running depth. 

 

Allen

[Bankbeater]

I organize by lure size and by diving depth.  I may have more than one size of baits in a box, but I always keep different divers in different boxes.

[dgkasper58]

Don't waste your money on the plano edge box.  I hate it.

• Hooks get stuck in the plastic dividers
• some fit- some don't
• Difficult to fit 3 rows of a 110 sized bait
• Some hooks don't fit in the dividers