Categorization of Tackle

So I have a sickness where when I see deals on tackle I buy it and over my lifetime of doing this I have a good handful of 3700 storage boxes with crank baits. All the labels that were on the boxes are faded away and need to be replaced. I also have more baits to add in. I am thinking about categorizing them by body style (shad / stick), running depth, and type (floating / suspending / sinking). But this is becoming harder than I thought it would be. How do you guys label your boxes so you can find what you need quickly?

Another problem I have is I only have a 16’ boat and I can’t take all my tackle with me when I go out. So I have to grab the 3700 storage box that I think I am going to use.

With labels.

Seriously, are you having problems with how to categorize them or what?

I identify what’s in my 3700 boxes with a sharpie on the ends (#5 Shad Rap, #7 Flicker Shad, Jigs, Swimbaits, etc.) I have softsided tackle boxes that hold the 3700s standing on end and that way I can just pull out what I’m looking for. If I’m reorganizing my boxes for some reason, the identification can easily be removed with something like finger nail polish remover and renamed.
There are probably many ways to id them but the sharpies work for me.

Karry Kyllo wrote:

I identify what’s in my 3700 boxes with a sharpie on the ends. I have softsided tackle boxes that hold the 3700s standing on end and that way I can just pull out what I’m looking for. If I’m reorganizing my boxes for some reason, the identification can easily be removed with something like finger nail polish remover and renamed.

This is the same system I am using. What I am looking for is a good way to identify what is in the box since most of the boxes are not just one type / brand of bait.

Oh, OK. That makes it tougher all right. I run into that problem myself and still haven’t come up with a simple solution that I’m happy with.

I try to go by depths and profiles of lures.

Shad raps 7-10 feet is a big one for me and other lures are in that category Berkley Frenzy’s, Smash shad, Gapen shads etc. The that box is all one depth range with one type of body.

That works better for me than anything. Then I can target more of the depth and profile of the lure vs just a brand. I used to do it by brand lure Rapala Shad raps then shallow shad raps and scatter shad raps ended up in there.

Same goes with jig heads too. 1/32-1/4 in one box does not matter the profile then the next box is 3/8+

I think tackle storage is one of the hardest things to organize for me. I am an organized person but give me tackle and I have some serious ADD.

May have to try the depth organization – that makes a lot of sense. That’s how most of my fishing is done – I need to get down to 15 or 20 ft, open that box and now I have a variety of lures to use. Thanks.

My solution this winter when I was organizing was to buy enough of each kind to fill a 3700 either shallow or normal depth container.

I buy these labels and then make my combination of tackle work according to the number of 3700’s I need:

https://www.tacklewarehouse.com/Cal_Coast_Fishing_Tackle_Box_Labels/descpage-BAMLAB.html

Rodwork wrote:

Another problem I have is I only have a 16’ boat and I can’t take all my tackle with me when I go out. So I have to grab the 3700 storage box that I think I am going to use.

just thinking out loud here but a bigger boat!

I like the way Glenn57 thinks.

Also I agree with everyone on depth. When I get to the lake and ask the resort owner what depth everything is biting at I just grab those boxes and put them in my tackle bag.

OP — it sounds like your inventory is a lot bigger than mine, but I do use a similar system. For at-home, everything is in several 3700 boxes. There are some lures that will take up an entire box, but otherwise I sort them according to depth.

When I’m preparing for a trip I go “shopping” through my stock, pulling out the best sizes and colors of the baits I expect to use. I take an old school double-sided Plano box. One side is pretty much all cranks and spoons, the other side is jigs, topwater, terminal tackle, lead, and whatever odds and ends I think I need. Extra line, tools, and bulkier items go in a backpack. If it doesn’t fit in that Plano or in my bag, I probably don’t need it.

I prefer to live without labels.

I label them by size and type….ie, #5 flicker shade. I rearrange every winter so they are all sorted correctly.

Then, one color and type works so I buy 50 of those in the summer and disregard all the others that I have.

Or, nothing works and I try them all and they end up in a tangled mess in a random box.

It’s a sickness and it’s incurable. Or maybe it’s uncurable? Anybody wanna buy some gently used cranks?

I am glad to see my thought of how I planned to reorganize my tackle is on par with others. I started last night and almost got through:

STICK BAIT <5’ FLOATING
STICK BAIT <5’ SUSPENDING
STICK BAIT 4’-9’ FLOATING
STICK BAIT 4’-9’ SUSPENDING
STICK BAIT 8’+ FLOATING
STICK BAIT 8’+ SUSPENDING

It’s a step in the right direction and will be a whole lot easier to get what I need for my day on the water. Thanks everyone and my wife shot down the bigger boat idea.