I use to keep my cranks in any plastic tray I could find to not have a mess.
A few years ago I went with the “Special Mate” crank tackle boxes and man are they nice.
They make a 5″ model and a taller one for those larger stick baits.
If you are wondering how to store all those cranks in a nice orderly box, check them out.
One can arange your cranks by running depth or however you like.
I keep all my shad style baits in the 5″ box and all the stick baits in the taller one.
I agree with you on the special mate boxes. The only downfall is I can’t fit the larger box in any of the rear storage areas in boat
I saw on Linder’s Fishing Edge a couple weeks ago, where the guy wrapped a rubberband between the two hooks on the crankbait and then had them all in a tupperware container. It looked like there was no problem with tangles when they were taking them in and out.
I just saw on one of the latest in fisherman shows where the guy they were fishing with wrapped both hooks together with a rubber band and threw them all together in a Tupperware. The guy had to have at least 100 in there. Was easy to get them out but not so easy to get one ready quickly if you wanted to get one back down to the fish quickly. No pile of hooks to untangle though.
Yeah the special mates are very nice. I have 4 of them and like them alot 
. But if i had a boat with alot of storage i would prefer the plastic tray style because you can store them alot easier. Unless you had a huge storage compartment it would be hard to store the special mates.
Don’t know if anyone saw Linder’s Fishing show where they wrapped the hooks in rubber bands . . . 
I thought it was a great idea too. I also looked at the new Plano waterproof boxes. They look solid, but maybe not deep enough. Any other waterproof boxes out there for cranks.
What I like the most about the Special Mate boxs is that when I open it, they are all there and I can see each one to get the one I want. No digging through a pile of them.
I will say this, there have been a couple times when one or two did fall from the rack in the 1st row.
Might have been my fault for not hanging it properly.
I have approx 350 cranks and these boxs work great for storeing them and also finding which one I need.
The tape idea sounds good too. Nothing worse than having 5-6 cranks all messed up with the trebles.
I use B&B fishing boxes and they work great.
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Don’t know if anyone saw Linder’s Fishing show where they wrapped the hooks in rubber bands . . .
I saw that and thought it was a great idea, too . . .
If you have 250 of each style and size of cranks like that guy did. He had one box for #7 tail dancers, one for DT20’s, one for this, one for that, etc. He had one separate box for each style and size.
If it’s someone like me with only 50-75 total cranks and I throw them all in one box, I’m going to be searching for a week just to find that #5 countdown that I’m looking for.
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I agree with you on the special mate boxes. The only downfall is I can’t fit the larger box in any of the rear storage areas in boat
I saw on Linder’s Fishing Edge a couple weeks ago, where the guy wrapped a rubberband between the two hooks on the crankbait and then had them all in a tupperware container. It looked like there was no problem with tangles when they were taking them in and out.
I did see that show We were typing nearly the same thing at the same time. JINX!
BnB for me. Little more compact and one can flip upside down and on edge with out a mess.
BTW, did anyone see the latest In-Fisherman… Sorry, could not resist. Great idea though.
-Mark
I have yet to see these 1st hand, but testimonials look good.
See they are going to be at Northwest Sports show. May be worth taking a peek. If anyone deos, please post your thoughts.
I’m hooked on the Falcon crank boxes.They make them for all differant sizes and styles.Waterproof and strong.
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I have yet to see these 1st hand, but testimonials look good.
See they are going to be at Northwest Sports show. May be worth taking a peek. If anyone deos, please post your thoughts.
Those do look nice. But at those prices, I think I’ll just keep untangling my mess of crankbaits.
What I don’t like about them is if someone 5 figure discounts you then your out 600 to 900 bucks all at once. And with my luck…….. 
Does anyone worry about the hooks banging together and rubbing on other cranks, possibly getting dull?
I recently got a little soft tackle bag with 3700 plano’s in it, and some of the slots you can fit 3-5 crankbaits in, but I was worried about them rattling together so much.
I have some 3771 boxes, that are shorter and you can only fit one or two cranks per slot, so not so many baits knocking together and getting hooked.
Fill the Planos full of cranks & you wony have much for rubbing issues.The addition of rubber bands to the hooks will allow you to pick a individual lure from a full compartment.You can pack over 50 lures into a 3700 series box (depending on size). Put 4 or 5 planos in an open top bag like the special mate bag you could easily be holding 200+ cranks for a fraction of the cost. This has been a topic of conversation numerous times over the years. 
If you have a open style boat that doesnt have much for storage compartments some of the bigger boxes might be for you.If your looking to put your tackle in a storage compartment I highly doubt you will find anything that works or fits better than basic plano style boxes.Doing it at a fraction of the cost leaving more money to by more tackle. My .02 
I added a couple pics from previous posts for reference.
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I have yet to see these 1st hand, but testimonials look good.
See they are going to be at Northwest Sports show. May be worth taking a peek. If anyone deos, please post your thoughts.
Saw these at the show today. Interesting idea.
untangling treble hook baits is a part of fishing. The more the better. throw in girlfriend,cold beer and leftover chicken and your all set… throw everything in the boat and go…
No need to untangle treble hooks with the correct storage system.
I use to hate doing that and that is why I went with the Special mate boxs.
I did a complete switch over to the Falcon boxes as well last year. So far so good for me. Not having any second thoughts yet. Time will tell.
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I have yet to see these 1st hand, but testimonials look good.
See they are going to be at Northwest Sports show. May be worth taking a peek. If anyone deos, please post your thoughts.
Those do look nice. But at those prices, I think I’ll just keep untangling my mess of crankbaits.
Saw the Crank Caddy booth at the Sportshow. Nice looking product and idea, but it’s $20 for just one container (“show special”), let alone their costs for a pack of them.
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Fill the Planos full of cranks & you wony have much for rubbing issues.The addition of rubber bands to the hooks will allow you to pick a individual lure from a full compartment.You can pack over 50 lures into a 3700 series box (depending on size). Put 4 or 5 planos in an open top bag like the special mate bag you could easily be holding 200+ cranks for a fraction of the cost. This has been a topic of conversation numerous times over the years.
I can’t believe I’ve never thought of putting rubber bands on the treble hooks of my crank baits before. I already have a pile of these plano boxes and I don’t see any sense in changing over to another system. Adding rubber bands though, that’s definitely going to happen real soon.
Thanks White Tip!
Will they still run true with the rubber bands on there? How is the hook setting percentage?
Joel, like you, at the time I first heard of rubber banding treble hooks, I was so deep in plano boxes that I didn’t want to invest in a whole new system. It was the perfect solution for my current predicament. I’ve been doing this now for….about 8 years and the only downside is that the bands will age and dry out so after awhile, keeping a small, 50 cent bag of fresh bands on hand becomes necessary, unless you’re sharp enough to remember to reband that lure when you get back home. I’ve actually turned this into a spring prep tradition. I go through all the tackle….about this time of year, and replace all the bands that are going bad. Sit down with a movie or a couple of fishing DVD’s and it’s no big deal at all.
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I did a complete switch over to the Falcon boxes as well last year. So far so good for me. Not having any second thoughts yet. Time will tell.
I have had some going on 4 yrs and have NO complaints the latches work great in the cold and dont snap off like the Plano boxes are prone to do.
That is good to hear Stuart!
Got a few hundie in them! 
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I did a complete switch over to the Falcon boxes as well last year. So far so good for me. Not having any second thoughts yet. Time will tell.
I have had some going on 4 yrs and have NO complaints the latches work great in the cold and dont snap off like the Plano boxes are prone to do.
I won’t say this has never happened to me, but it hasn’t happened in a long, long time. And for the price of a plano box, a guy could afford to snap off a few and you would still be money ahead.
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Will they still run true with the rubber bands on there? How is the hook setting percentage?
When you get use to the method it works pretty simple & fast. I found it much easier than grab for 1 & get a big handfull all tangled together & shake while getting poked in the process. Getting the right size of rubber band to match lures length when stretched so you might not need to double wrap will also make it easier. Natural colored rubber seems to last longer than colors,but they all will dry rot over time. You might be surprised how many cranks you can fit in a 1 1/2″-2″ deep 3700 series type box.You can get 50-60 4-7cm shad style cranks to easily fit or 40-50 deep tail dancers depending on size. If you have small stickbaits 7 – 9cm you will fit probably 80+. I tried some of the other big box options & they worked ok when I didnt have much for storage compartments.Then I was looking down inside the big box & had to pull a few different lures until I found the right color or size,which I got tired of.When I got a boat that had ample storage the big boxes became a thing of the past as they took up floor space & wouldnt fit in compartments. It seems now a couple extra tackle bags with planos filled that gap. Heres a few pics 1st is 80 small 5-9cm stickbaits with room for more & its a thinner model only about 1 1/2″ thick.2nd photo has 59 GSR & RSR’s with room for a handfull more.Third pic has 55 lures 28 Deep TD’s & 27 DHJ’s it near full.Last pic is a tool bag of my (go to)stuff depending on location which gets loaded for the days outing & stuffed under my counsel for ease of use.No need to open compartments & dig.I try to utilize space as much as possible & the rubber band trick has maximized my crank storage. If I see a better space saving system without breaking the bank I will jump ship! Until then my gazillion plano style boxes & bag of rubber bands work for me.
I wasn’t bothered by the difference in the dollars between Plane and Falcon. What I saw was the detangling ability and the ease that one could get to the baits individually. Other products could work as well like the big flip box that others have mentioned but, then it doesn’t fit into my bag. I try to shorten my load when I go out a bit. I’ve got a way too much stuff to drag the whole Navy! 
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