How do you organize your tackle?

[BigJohnny]

So as I'm starting to build up my tackle box, I'm wondering how everybody organizes theirs? I'm particularly interested in what people do with their crankbaits to make sure they don't forget what they are.

[Stasher1]

I keep just about all of my tackle in 3600-series Plano boxes. I typically fish from a kayak, and space is at a premium so I use a tackle bag that holds four 3600's, a small box of jigs, and 6-8 bags of soft plastics. I just swap out boxes based on weather and lake conditions.

As far as organizing crankbaits, I use an engraving pencil to mark the underside of the bill with the lure's diving depth along with brand/model if I think it's necessary.

[Blues19]

Dude, I sit in my basement at night trying to figure out how to organize mt tackle pretty much every night in the summer. I still dont have a lot of stuff yet, so its easier than when others have to do it.  I have a bass pro Extreme Qualifier 370 bag.  It comes with 4 3700 plano boxes.  I  went out and got a spinnerbait box the same size.  SO I have one for the spinner baits, use one for jigs, one for terminal tackle and one for crankbaits.  Jigs are sorted by color, crankbaits by depth.  I have the deep divers all together, mid divers together, shallow together and top water.  ON the very top of the lures, normally the darkest area on the back, I will write the depth they dive just to be more specific. Like I said, i dont have alot and I can keep pretty much all of my gear in this box.  I have my plastics in gallon size ziplock bags depending on type, worm, senko, creature, craw, tube, and brush hogs.  I have alot of brush hogs so they have their own bag.  Terminal is all in the one box, hooks by size, weight by size then I really like a new way I am keeping my shakey head jig heads.  I am an art major in college so I have used white foam core board.  You can get it at hobby lobby or michaels.  Even walmart i think.  Cut a small part off to fit in the box, then stick the hook in the foam part, then the eye will stick into the paper part.  It helps to write the size down, it helps me with organizing alot!

[ChazfromVA]

i also sit at home at night and mess around with my tackle out in the garage... essentially i have 10 3700 series boxes for various types of baits( cranks/ jerks/ traps, senko, fluke, floating worm, craw/ creature, worms, finesse, topwater, tubes, frogs).. then i have two smaller 2-sided plano boxes that use( one for hooks and shakey heads and the other for weights as well as swivels, pegs, and beads.) then i have two zip soft sided cases that i use( one for spinnerbait/ buzzbait and the other for Jig+pig). i store all of this in a BPS 370 bag. well technically not all because i never bring all 10 3700 boxes.. normally only six for the bodies of water i fish.. anyways i hope that helps ya!

[I.rar]

i dont have much , so i keep one double sided plano for terminal tackle , and a few of each plastic in separate bags. thats it.

id like to use another plano box ,since i have a couple more, for my plastics. but i worry about them drying out or bleeding into eachother. i keep my tackle bag inside if im not fishing. i shouldnt have a problem , right?

[The_Natural]

3700 boxes are the standard.  Just buy a bag that holds 3700 size boxes, and take which ones you need on that particular trip.  You can add boxes as you get more tackle, and keep them on a shelf.  

[Jig Man]

I have about 20 or so boxes categorized and labeled.

[Siebert Outdoors]

same as jigman

[bilgerat]

3700 boxes.

One for teminal tackle, one for topwaters, one for spinners, etc.

Plastics stay in their original bags, they go in their own pouch in the tackle bag or backpack.

[fishfordollars]

Plano boxes, sorted by design, size, and the time of year.

[EastTexasBassin]

plano boxes, sorted with everything I need for a certain presentation.  

i.e. a t-rig box, a c-rig box, a 'weightless' box, a drop shot box, a jig box, a spinnerbait box, a crankbait box, etc...

For plastics, I keep the hooks and weights with the plastics I mainly use for that presentation.  The drop shot box has drop shot weights, circle hooks, and a variety of roboworms, trickworms, and finesse worms.  The t-rig box has bullet weights, wide gap hooks, and creature/craw worms.  The weightless box has senkos, kreatures, and fat ikas with a variety of EWG gammies.  

This way, when i want to throw something I just grab one box, rig it up, and put that one box back.

[FD.]

3700 boxes.

One for teminal tackle, one for topwaters, one for spinners, etc.

Plastics stay in their original bags, they go in their own pouch in the tackle bag or backpack.

Same as bilgerat.  I also found several z-rust boxes the same length and width of the 3700 but deeper.  One is 3" deep with folding pages for cranks and one is 2" deep with folding pages for traps.  No more tangled treble hooks.

[ww2farmer]

Plano 3700 boxes, the larger Plano spinner bait boxes, and BPS Extreme Fineese Worm binder bags.

3700's:

Box #1 T-rig, C-rig, and Flipping terminal tackle

#2 Shakey and tube jig Heads, drop shot weights and hooks, finesse terminal tackle

#3 Shallow Cranks

#4 Mid depth Cranks

#5 Deep Cranks

#6 Lipless Cranks

#7 Topwaters

#8 Jerkbaits

#9 Flipping jigs

#10 finnesse and football jigs

Spinnerbait boxes

#1 Buzzbaits

#2 1/8, 3/16, and 1/4 oz spinnerbaits

#3 3/8, 1/2, and larger spinnerbaits

BPS bags

#1 Big Flipping baits (4" + 5" tubes, beavers, super hogs, paca craws)

#2 Smaller versions of above flipping baits (3.5"tubes, smallie beavers, baby paca craws)

#3 Senkos

#4 Flukes

#5 Trick, Robo and Finesse Worms

#6 7.5" and 10" worms

#7 Frogs and Lizards

#8 Jig trailers/misc craws

#9 Soft swimbaits/misc

I also have 3 of the larger deep single compartment 3700's for all my Gulp, and power bait, I like to keep that stuff in there orginal bags. All of this stuff is usually on a shelf next to my boat in the garage, and is rotated out as needed. Some stuff always stays in the boat (terminal tackle, most often used soft plastics, jigs, favorite hard baits)

thats just my system

[Pantera61]

I am simply amazed at the amount of tackle.  By the time your finished deciding what you're going to throw, it must be time to leave the lake!

[SoFlaBassAddict]

Yeesh, that was the back of a car loaded up in one of the previous posts. As far as freshwater tackle goes...I've got a small Flambeau bag that I picked up at Wally World for like 15 bucks.  As much as I like Plano gear, I couldn't resist the price. Holds two larger plastic boxes and one smaller one. Pouch on the rear. I keep cranks/spinners/topwater lures in one. The other has some soft plastics in it for the time being. That'll probably change though as I like keeping them in the original bags stored in the pouch more. The small box holds terminal tackle like hooks/weights/beads etc. etc.

If we were talking saltwater tackle I could probably fill up a small warehouse with all the junk I've accumulated over the years...

The worst part is that I fish for bass almost on a daily basis...I don't think I've launched my saltwater boat for...four or five months?

[CatBassin]

I also sit and re-organize my tackle about every night and my wife just doesn't understand how I could do this over and over. Anyways, I have three 3700 Plano boxes, one with topwater, one with anything below water, and one with terminal tackle. I also have two worm binder wraps, one with worms and swimbaits, and the other with tubes, freakbaits, craws, and flukes. And one spinnerbait binder with spinnerbaits, buzzbaits, and jigs. All this is in a Plano Flipsider Base Station. The spinnerbait binder is in behind the 3700 boxes in the main compartment and the worm binders hang off the sides, one on each side, with carabiners. The back pouch holds my tools, one of the side pouches holds my porks, and the other side holds spools of lines. The front flip down is filled with my go to lures. Inside the main compartment I also have a can of bug spray, a lure retriever, and a poncho.

[Ehubb5951]

I have one tackle bag that carries 4 boxes.  1 box for jigs 1 for spinners/buzzbaits 1 for cranks and 1 for hooks and weights.  Then I put all my soft plastics in the side pockets.

[Big Tom]

3700 boxes are the standard. Just buy a bag that holds 3700 size boxes, and take which ones you need on that particular trip. You can add boxes as you get more tackle, and keep them on a shelf.

This is the best method I have found too.

Works great.

[Little Luey]

plano boxes, sorted with everything I need for a certain presentation.

i.e. a t-rig box, a c-rig box, a 'weightless' box, a drop shot box, a jig box, a spinnerbait box, a crankbait box, etc...

For plastics, I keep the hooks and weights with the plastics I mainly use for that presentation. The drop shot box has drop shot weights, circle hooks, and a variety of roboworms, trickworms, and finesse worms. The t-rig box has bullet weights, wide gap hooks, and creature/craw worms. The weightless box has senkos, kreatures, and fat ikas with a variety of EWG gammies.

This way, when i want to throw something I just grab one box, rig it up, and put that one box back.

I like your way of thinking. My boxes have been in the livingroom waiting for the perfect time to be rearenged.

[FishingPirate]

Ive got mine set up like most of yours'.

My main bag is a Okechobee bag that you can fit 10 3700 boxes in if you try and Ive also got two BPS double finesse binders and three rectangular boxes with spinners, chatters, and buzzbaits.

My 3700 boxes are as followed:

1. Lead stuff (sinkers, jigheads, swivels, snaps)

2. Hooks

3. Big Swimbaits

4. Paddle Tail swimbaits+weighted hooks

5. Jigs

6. Lippless cranks

7. SD Shallow cranks+hard stick/jerkbaits

8. MD Medium Diving Crankbaits

9. DD Deep Diving Crankbaits

10. TW Topwater

11. The box of misfit "toys"

[tritz18]

I seperate mine by

Crankbaits

Jerkbaits

Tackle (hooks, sinkers and stuff)

Spinnerbaits

Jigs

Topwater

Plastics

I also have one special box that I keep my top performing hard baits at that time in, just makes it easier when I am looking for something specific that has been working to throw