Organizing Your Tackle
This week it was not a rainy day that kept me inside, but a nine-year old with a nasty case of the flu. After my second entire day indoors I began to get a little stir crazy and decided to bring ALL my tackle boxes into the kitchen for some much needed organization.
After going through all thirty-two of my tackle containers it became apparent that just a few days ago I had spent a completely unnecessary fifty-two dollars at Bass Pro Shops! Every single item that I had just purchased I was able to find in one of my many containers. If I had been just a little more organized I could have saved both my money and a shopping trip.
In addition to the savings your wallet will enjoy--making sure your tackle is well organized and accurately labeled can you save you valuable time on the water. This can be especially important if you fish tournaments. If your containers are not organized and labeled you will end up spending precious fishing time looking for and possibly untangling baits.
In today’s marketplace there are many more options available for tackle storage than the days of the old flip top tackle boxes. Of course you will miss pulling out 15 crank baits at one time……My number one goal when I get out all my tackle boxes is organization. I want to make sure that my like items are all stored together. Just like my wife does not want to see knives mixed in with her forks, I would not want to mix my crank baits with my spinner-baits. Of course no tackle box starts out that way-- but after a few trips on the water things just end up getting put back in the wrong place.
There are tackle containers available now that are customized for certain baits. Take advantage of these and keep as many like items separated as possible. Since boxes for crank baits are specifically designed with those in mind—they hold more than other containers would and are devised for easy and quick removal of that type of lure. There are special containers for spinner-baits, stick baits, crank baits, and terminal tackle.
Make sure that all your tackle containers are labeled. Label-makers work great or permanent markers will do as well. I keep sandwich bags on hand for separating and storing my extra plastics. These need to be sorted by both size and color. If you are lucky enough to have a spare wall in your garage think about putting up a simple peg board system to stock over-flow items. These keep your tackle easily organized, but mostly they keep them visible. This visibility should keep you from purchasing items you already have on hand.
Be sure to store line out of the sunlight in a closed area. Sunlight can cause irreparable damage to your line. If you are unsure of whether or not to toss line—wrap it around both fists and try to pop it. If it breaks too easily it needs to be thrown away. Also, do not store hooks with any type of plastics. Most plastics contain salt--which will damage your hooks.
For extra storage inside of your boat check out the Cook’s Tackle Organizer. It enables you to hang individual baits or small bags of baits inside the lids of your storage lockers. This is a great use of what is generally wasted space and your most used baits will be within easy reach when you are on the water. You can get more information on this system right here on the Bassedge website.
One last tip for your next organizing spree—take the items that you haven’t used in a while or items you are overstocked on and donate them to a local kids fishing club or scouting troop. The future fisherman of your area will put them to good use.
Contact Us About Bass Edge Advertising Opportunities Tech Support Customer Service