What is your best Tackle Storage system??

I am sure like many of you, I find myself acquiring lots of tackle, now I am trying to organize it so I can find what I need when I need it and not have to carry 4 boxes/bags of “stuff”.

What have you found that seems to really work for you??

For the most part I use the soft side bags with several insert boxes. This is ok but have you found something that you would consider perfect?

ps. I primarily fish bass so it’s lots of plastics, spinner baits, and cranks. Or as my wife say’s, “You have WAY to much S#!T”

pss. this will not stop me from getting more!

I also like the soft side tackle box with several insert tackle tray boxes as I can change the tray boxes for my outings. For plastics I like the tupperware type containers and keep the ringworms and K-tails in the original press closing [reseal] package that they come in and store them in there. Works great.
Thanks, Bill

‘morning Haywood!
I bought a big Plano last year, a conventional tackle box. A couple people, Stillakid being one of them went fishing with me and brought along their soft sided ones.
As Bill said, you can leave at home the “stuff” you don’t need just by switching the plastic “tupperware” style boxes in side.

Although your wife may not like this idea, you aren’t limited to the physical size of your tackle box anymore. Leave your panfish lures at home and take along extra cranks ect. I did see that you can get hard sided boxes that have the plastic trays to. I guess the choice there would be if you do a lot of fishing out of someone elses boat or not. The soft sided ones generally have a shoulder strap.

My next tackle box will be a soft sided one.

I also use a soft sied tackle box. The only problem I’ve had is they are get wet inside if you fish in the rain. I use Scotchguard on mine. It seems to keep them a little drier.

I also use a lot of Zip-loc baggies for all my plastics.

Gator Hunter

Those soft-sided tackle boxes with the plastic plano utility boxes work best. Just get the type of boxes that fit the tackle you plan to store. I carry one bag just for my shad raps, another for other cranks. If I don’t plan to use them I leave them in the truck. I also use the soft-sided zip style tackle binders with the baggie inserts work great for pre-tied spinners and rigs for me.

I use the smaller plastic utility boxes and put components into them that are used for similar applications. Some you can size your own compartments for the tackle you carry. You can keep the most used utility boxes in your boats glove compartment.

The brand I use is Cabelas. My preference is to go with the simpler systems and not get carried away with to many pockets and such. Also I don’t like the bigger bags because I like to keep things easy and not have to sort past several boxes to ghet what I need. Smaller also works better because they store easier and don’t get in the way as much. If I get any more I plan to go with the Cabelas Quick Stow bags for the reasons I’ve mentioned.

I also us zip lock bags for my plastics, they work great. Plano has a new box out that is suppose to be water tight, I have not tried one yet, here’s a link.

Plano 3710 Water Tight StowAway Box 4 Pack

I have those Plano boxes that are “claimed” to keeps moisture out. They do stack on top of each other very nice and not slip around. They also keep moisture out – but forget it when it rains. After every rain I have to open all the boxes and air them out, or else the hooks will rust. Mine are a few years old so maybe they have improved some by now.

Dave Gulczinski

They had them on the Angling Edge this week and Dan Sura dipped one in the water full of cranks and supposedly they came out bone dry, and of course we can believe everything they tell us on TV right………

Haywood,

I don’t know what is the best system, but this one works well for me right now. I’m running my winter jon boat with no storage compartments. Everything goes on the floor of the boat!

I use a large Rubbermaid Roughneck box and lid as the main box.

It will hold 10 Plano 3600 boxes, plus the four other plastic boxes you see in these photos.

Plano 3600 boxes, one top up and one top down.

The big Roughneck is watertight, not water proof. But I have not had any problem with water getting into the box. It’s dryer than the soft sided bags I own. Plus, when it is sitting in the back of your pickup truck, it looks like laundry, not $500-$600 in tackle!!

Hope that helps give you some ideas.

Jon J.

Jon

I like the laundry box approach. Have you ever lost a lid when cruising down the river?

Gator Hunter

Nope. It snaps down pretty good!

J.

Jon;
When we (our group) used to do fly-ins, we used these religiously. For our cloths, food, everything. They work great. Never thought of your idea though. Good thinking.

As for tackle, you can’t go wrong with the plano trays. I have a walleye bag and a bass bag that are full of trays. Same thing with plastics: ziplocks!

Musky gear is different. The trays just don’t work that good. Not big enough for efficient storage.

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When we (our group) used to do fly-ins, we used these religiously. For our cloths, food, everything. They work great. Never thought of your idea though. Good thinking.

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You really can’t beat those boxes for road trips! I also use them for just about everything, food, clothes, tackle, tools… They stack up great in the back of a truck.

J.