How do you organize your bass tackle?

[ebry710]

I am setting up my Whaler for bass fishing. Most of my life I have been a fly fisherman for trout, but Lake Sonoma (No. Ca) is the closest lake and there are large and small mouth bass to be catch. With plastic worms, spinner-bait, jigs, plugs and live bait, along with casting and trolling equipment, I feel as though I need another boat to hold all the gear and extra rods.
How do you guys organize your bass tackle? Vests, tackle boxes, home made cabinet, throw it on the deck, hire a caddy or just bring what you think you will need and suffer because you don't have it?

 

[HAV2FISH]

Re: How do you organize your bass tackle?

I have just about everything known to man for bass fishing, and even some things I experiment with. I keep it all on the boat. All my plastic and soft baits I keep in a bag everything else goes into tackle boxes and on the boat. I also have twenty fishing poles all rigged differently (I know its over kill). The only time I remove any of it is when I?m replacing or re supplying my equipment.

My boat is also equipped with all the necessary safety equipment for everyone on it. Along with all the equipment to make it coast guard approved. I even have a small toolbox with basic tools for breakdowns. And don?t forget a 100ft-tow rope.

I never want to be unprepared for what the fish will be biting on or a condition that might come up.

 

[ebry710]

Re: How do you organize your bass tackle?

That is what I am afraid of. I am afraid that my boat will look like my garage, but at least my garage has rollaways and cabinets. So I figure I would find out if there are any cool boxes or cabinets that people use for bass fishing. Whalers are great boats, but they are not much for storage. Therefore I must buy or build live wells, leaning posts, tackle boxes, depth finders, add trolling motors etc. All I can do, but tackle access with plugs, spinnerbait, plastic critters, life critters and other stuff has to be well organized otherwise it ends up a tangle mess with mush worms and hook insertions.
So what do you do to keep it organized both while fishing and in transit?

 

[ebry710]

Re: How do you organize your bass tackle?

Maybe I am over thinking things. I went on eBay and saw a Plano 777 with drawers and a split lid with conventional storage and storage for spinnerbait. Is that the sort of boxes people are using? It even comes with a flashlight.

 

[HAV2FISH]

Re: How do you organize your bass tackle?

The tackle box I bought is customizable. It has individual compartments for everything. You can put crank baits, spinner baits, dive baits, and just about anything else you can think of in it. For all my plastic baits I put them in a bag. This bag has zip lock bags in it so I can see what?s inside of them.

I do just about all my shopping at Bass Pro shop, its 3min from my house. Their web sight is www.Bassproshop.com. You can get allot of good ideas just from browsing.

My boat is an Astro 17ft bass boat with lots of storage so everything goes in a compartment during road trips.

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: How do you organize your bass tackle?

i have 3 tackle boxes, salt water, fresh water panfish, and fresh water sport fish. i carry several different rods, but it depends on where i am going as to what i take with me. different tackle for different places.

 

[wildmaninal]

Re: How do you organize your bass tackle?

hire a caddy?

I like that idea but can't afford it lol. I mainly fish for bass and crappie. Until just recently I carried 2 tackle boxes, 1 for bass fishing and 1 for crappie. I recently just moved all the tackle into 1 big plano brand tackle box that I had laying around. Reason being is because I go fishing not only in my boat but in other relative's boats as well plus it doesn't take up as much room. I try not to make it a habbit to throw any lures on the deck, my bass reels are always laying near by or in hand either on the casting deck or lower main deck when fishing.

As for my rods and reels, I have a rod holder/locker in my bass boat so every once in a while I have me a spare rod in there and or a big game fish rod and reel stuck in there for when I feel like stripe fishing a catfishing.

My life vests, casting net, and other accessories stay in my built in storage box in my boat.

My rod and reels and tackle do not stay in the boat when the boat is parked, everything except the big game rod and reel come out. I've heard of people making a built in tackle box on there boat, and it sounds like a cool idea but I think it would be allot of work to come up with a good setup. Something along the lines of a metal bolt bin with the plastic pull out drawers would be idea for a built in tackle system on a boat I think.

 

[ebry710]

Re: How do you organize your bass tackle?

I am the same way. I pull my stuff off my boat so they don't become someone else s stuff.

I will start, like the rest of you, buying a large bass tackle box with a spinnerbait compartment (I won't cannibalize my fly fishing and trout boxes). Santa Rosa isn't big enough for a Bassproshop so I've have to deal with Sports Authority.

Does anyone have a diagram for their storage bins? I am interested in vents.

 

[j_martin]

Re: How do you organize your bass tackle?

I mostly fish bass with plastics. I throw the latest "what I think will work today" in the top of the dry storage on the casting deck. If fishin' is tough, the storage gets "reorganized".


John

 

[ebry710]

Re: How do you organize your bass tackle?

You got to love it. I used goggle to search for the "best" bass lure. Plastics worms and spinner bait consistently headed the list, but after that I counted over a hundred proven bass killers. You know there are more.

So far the Plano 777 tackle box has two twin removable medium boxes, three small removable boxes, bait/spinnerbait removable box, storage and a built it spinner bait/plug bin. $69 though. Still it hold a lot.

Spinnerbait is a new thought for me. Who even came up with a jig on one side and a blade on the other? Storage of these little gems was a challenge.

 

[gonefishie]

Re: How do you organize your bass tackle?

Go to http://www.falconrods.com/productsFTO.php?CategoryID=19
Falcon tackle organizer, they are expensive but very well designed and don't take up lot of space. Get yourself a big tackle bag (sorta like a duffle bag) and keep all the boxes in it. By the time you have it filled, you won't have to worry about it staying in place while underway because it will weight a ton.

 

[ebry710]

Re: How do you organize your bass tackle?

So you stay with small boxes and the use the duffel bag system to store the boxes. When you use the boxes do you out them directly on the deck or do you have a seat/table to put them on?

 

[gonefishie]

Re: How do you organize your bass tackle?

All of my smaller boxes stay in the storage compartments. I use the duffle bag when I fish out of someone else's boat. You take out what you need, close the lid and put it back in the bag/storage. Some people label their boxes to help identifying them without pulling them out of the bag.

 

[ebry710]

Re: How do you organize your bass tackle?

Out fishing last weekend, I realized that a lot on plug and spinner bait boxes at my feet isn't too bad. I can see what I have. I have a plastic construction box that most boxes fit in, but a duffel bag and more lure boxes (and more lures) wouldn't hurt.

 

[torijake]

Re: How do you organize your bass tackle?

Hey ebry,Have you tried bringing along your fly rods?I am also a life long trout fisherman and in the last couple years been spending time on the lake chasing northerns and bass with a fly rod.Its a blast.All the bass guys here on Lake Champlain kind of chuckle at me,I bought a Skeeter bass boat all loaded with fly rods and boxes of flies.If you haven't tried it give it a shot its really a blast.
John...

 

[ebry710]

Re: How do you organize your bass tackle?

As a dry fisherman, I always bring my rod and a few flies. I have not as of yet noticed surface feeding. This lake is new. Doesn't have much on cover. Sunken trees, no vegetation and mostly steep shores.

I will start looking at wet flies next summer.

 

[koolerb]

Re: How do you organize your bass tackle?

I know a guy that went all out on a 17 ft Whaler. He turned it into a bass boat with livewells, storage, casting decks, the whole 9 yards. He even had a paint shop customize the Whaler logo, now it says "Boston Basser".

 

[Shizzy]

Re: How do you organize your bass tackle?

I use soft sided bags that hold the plastic Plano boxes. I also have a box for my spinner baits. I organize each box according to type of lure. Jigs in one, rapalas in the other, terminal tackle etc.. I prefer to have 2-3 smaller bags instead of one large one. Im the type of guy who will toss every lure I have in one outing so I need to have everything organized.

 

[ebry710]

Re: How do you organize your bass tackle?

I know a guy that went all out on a 17 ft Whaler. He turned it into a bass boat with livewells, storage, casting decks, the whole 9 yards. He even had a paint shop customize the Whaler logo, now it says "Boston Basser".

The whaler has a lot of deck space. I plan to reconfigure it. That is why all the questions about storage, depth finders and live wells.

If your friend has any tips for me I would greatly appreciate it.

The Montauk or 17' design is not that different then my Outrage. Especially since everything is custom anyway.

I like the Basser logo. But, for me I figure, when I catch my "whale" of a fish, I'd would have to rename it.

 

[koolerb]

Re: How do you organize your bass tackle?

He didn't fish with us this year so I haven't talked with him in a while, but I do have his email address. If you want to PM me your email address I'll forward .