On the pro's and con's of decentralized fishing tackle storage

[Allen Morgan]

Many of you know I like to think "modular" in my fishing tackle storage.  I keep a selection of poles in my vehicle that fits most of the fishing situations I encounter.  I have both a soft-side tackle bag and a backpack that I use to store the plano boxes I frequently use the most.  I swap out plano boxes as needed for various bank-fishing and kayak-fishing expeditions.  I also have a lot of extra tackle at home, in case need arises.

I do this mainly because of theft.  The perps might get what's in my vehicle, but they didn't get what's at home.  I can restock and resupply fairly quickly.

I've been hit once.  About 3 years ago.  I was lucky enough to get everything back.  Then, I managed to LEAVE my tackle bag on a riverbank 2 hours from home, and I didn't realize until 24 hours AFTER I did it.  Gone.  POOF.

I'm still in the process of replacing "everything" that I lost, 2 years later.  Nothing really critical, though.

Well, yesterday, I was rifling through my soft-side tackle bag, looking for a spool of line.  I thought it was in my vehicle.  Sure enough, it wasn't, so I was checking all other possibly locations.  I opened up a side pocket on my tackle bag.  What do I see?  A small plastic tackle box, WITH LURES!  What the frak?!?!?!

I pulled it out, and realized it was a small box that I had put together with "tried and true" panfish lures, that I thought I had LOST WITH MY TACKLE BAG AT THE RIVER!  A couple Strike King Bitsy Minnows, a Rebel 77xx series crawfish crankbait, a Rapala X-Rap size 4 in Baby Bass, and a small Mepps spinner.

Now, if I could find the bag of various spools of line?  I hope I didn't leave it in OK when we moved.....

[jim cosgrove]

i have so much stuff allan that i open boxes fly boxes totes et and try to remember where i got it.i just found a garbage bag a third full of bags of plastics a bass tourney buddy gave me.all power bait worms tubes frogs crawws grubs .i go to local flea markets estate sales and buy things in lots or boxes.i may only want the one flyrod and reel but thats not the way it works.have to buy the whole lot.usually i can trade or sell off the stuff i dont want but it accumulates.i think i now have about 25 flyrods and god knows how many reels.thats just the fly gear

[Slip Sinker]

I collected tons of tackle ever since I was a teenager… mostly LMB, SMB, N.Pike and walleye gear. Hundreds of baits... I used to lug around in a large umco possum belly tackle box. It was a monstrosity. i now store all that gear in the 370 sized storage boxes.

Lately ive been on the small or micro jig kick catching everything on em and got it down to a handful of tackle to catch 90% of my fish the past few years. Jigs, drop shot and slip/float. That’s all I do. When kayaking I take 9 x 5 tackle boxes with me in my crate. Jigs and bodies, slip/float hardware and hooks. Just two basic boxes and im all set.

i over-all like the idea of modular storage. the kayak/crate goes with me on the jon boat and on the kayak. when shore fishing the modular boxes fit in my back pack.

[Mark Stine]

I hope to be moving soon and just downsized! sold two large yellow soft bags a huge tackle box with drawers, my 747 tackle box (resembles jet when opened out) and several smaller tackle boxes most of these were full of  tackle..  Replaced all that with the plano 3700 guide series bag its huge!  I would be lost if it got stolen as I consolidated all the good stuff!  It holds six large plano boxes.  with a bungee to strap another box to the top.  Also sold at least 10 rod and reel combos.  I can swap things around and use a backpack if  I go bank fishing mostly I fish from a boat though. Been fishing a long time there are some lures that are over 50 yrs old.

[Leo Nguyen]

Like Ken and yours, I like mine the same: modular but specific to targeted species. If I happen to hit other species using what I have, BONUS! However, the modular tackles are focused on for that specific outing, and maybe enough to cover several people that happen to join me. However, specific lures and tackles that I value (because they costed way too much to be replaced), they are with me always, and will only be used by me. With that being said, it never went the way I wanted. My valued lures and tackles get raided all the time. However, once the lures/tackles have been returned, I stored them back to their storage positions, and back into my carrier bag they went. Nothing, aside from the bait and fish basket, remained on the floor, unless it's among the picnic gears. I lost way too much gears in the past leaving them along the shoreline. For the past decade, they have been been and will always be attached to me, by mean of my hiking backpack, or my cart with rod holders.

[Allen Morgan]

I have a plano box that is "bluegill/trout", one that is "Crappie", one that is "spinners/spoons", one that is "minnow crankbaits", one that is "topwater plugs", and one that is Catfish.  I originally had a "Bass" plano box, but that got split into jigs/spinners and plugs several years ago.  Early this spring, I bought a SECOND soft-side tackle bag, that came with four empty plano boxes and room for at least 3 more.  "Jigs/"spinners" got split into "spinners/spoons", with the Bass-sized jigs getting merged with my "Crappie" box; the "plugs" box got split into "minnow cranks" and "topwater plugs".  I also had a "Striper" box and a "trolling" box.  The Striper box is currently in storage, and might get converted over to "Pike/Muskie".  The "trolling" box got converted over into a "Walleye" box.  My "Crappie" box might get renamed; many of the jigs are better suited for Smallies and/or Walleyes.  I might have to move some of those jigs over into the "Walleye" box, or start a second one :)

Like you, I just grab the box(es) that best suit what I'm targeting.  If I catch something else, it's a bonus!

[Bruce Tomaselli]

Me, too. I told my nephews not to buy anything. I have enough stuff in my possession to last 10 lifetimes.

[carl hendrix]

ALTHO MOST OF MY TACKLE;; IS MORE DIRECTED TO BLUE GILL AND CRAPPIE;; I STILL HAVE QUITE A FEW ASSORTED BAITS; FOR  SAUGER; WALLEYE; STRIPE; EVEN AN OCCASIONAL BASS . LATELY;; IVE FOUND A GUN AMMO BOX; IS WATER TIGHT; WILL HOLD SEVERAL PLASTIC BOXES OF GOODIES;; PLUS;; THEYRE STACKABLE IN MY BOAT !  JUST LABLE THE BOXES; OF WHAT IS INSIDE THEM.. SO FAR; I HAVE 4 OF THOSE; MIGHT GET MORE LATER;; PLUS;; I HAVE 2 SOFT SIDE TACKLE BAGS;; EACH HOLD A TON OF GOOD STUFF;; MY ONLY REAL PROBLEM IS;; I CAN ONLY USE ONE ROD AT A TIME !  AND EVEN IF I PIRAMID THE LURES;; LEGALLY;; I CAN ONLY USE 3  BAITS FROM ONE ROD !   AS FOR; GETTING MORE FISHING STUFF;;; HECK YES !!  I HAVE NO REAL PROBLEM; OF SPENDING MY KIDS INHERITANCE !!  I MADE IT FIRST !!  LOL