12 step tackle rehab challenge

[Big Mike]

With the cold blustery days ahead I decided it was time to try and rehab my soft plastic tackle management skills. They say the first step is to admit that you have a problem. So I took a picture to remind myself of what I have become, an out of control tackle hoarder who frequently has to buy new because I can't find old (but is that really a problem?). Going cold turkey seems to be the best way to try and do this. Wish me luck.

[JohnE]

Oh man, you would not even believe the tackle I have accumulated if I spread it out and took a pic. I hope to get to organizing a little bit at some point before I start going out fishing again, but it is really just an ongoing process and I have so much other stuff going on that takes priority.

[J.A. Veil]

That is the joy of fishing flea markets, like the one tomorrow. I inventory my tackle collection several times a year and decide what I am realistically going to use and what is excess. I try to sell the excess, either through the Tackle Shop forum or save it up for a flea market table.

If you are a tackle collector or hoarder, good luck -- you have a challenge ahead of you as you try to decide what to dispose of. I have a friend in his 60s who has bought fishing tackle all his life. He has more tackle in his large garage than some tackle shops I have visited. I encouraged him several times to get a table at a flea market, but he can't bring himself to let any of it go.

[Turtle135]

Good luck!

I now have three distinct spots in my place where "over-flow" soft plastics have taken over. One spot has a distinct "smallmouth bass" flavor, another spot is decidedly "striper" related, largemouth over-flow is seasonally related to cold water vs warm water needs.

There is no cure for this disease.

[Pc4sun]

With the cold blustery days ahead I decided it was time to try and rehab my soft plastic tackle management skills. They say the first step is to admit that you have a problem.

Good luck Mike. Your post made me laugh
I am going to buy one of those plastic set of drawers sold at Target/WalMart/ Home Depot and organize my plastics and other lures. My cache is building quickly. And the thing is, I don't NEED more, but just the act of buying it brings me closer to fishing, so I suppose that is why we all collect so much of it.

[JohnE]

I have a bunch of stanley sortmaster boxes and a bunch of large plano boxes to store most of the tackle and then I have various waterproof plano boxes to take out on the yak with me. I get it all relatively organized periodically, but throughout the year it gets to be a real mess again. Pretty much all the stuff is put up for winter and somewhat disorganized...I probably won't get excited about organizing it again until fishing starts getting good again. Should not be too long...hope to go out for tog within the next month or so. Good luck with the addiction.

[dsiekman]

Sorry, I must have missed something. I'm not seeing a problem....

[JohnE]

Yeah, well I guess if you really want to see a problem...I will try to take a pic of my mess of tackle at some point...it would be a lot to fit in one picture though to see the assortment in any detail.

[DaveO]

what are these "excess", "too much", "oveour flow", and other terms of which you speak regarding tackle?!!!

[Memory Maker]

With the cold blustery days ahead I decided it was time to try and rehab my soft plastic tackle management skills. They say the first step is to admit that you have a problem. So I took a picture to remind myself of what I have become, an out of control tackle hoarder who frequently has to buy new because I can't find old (but is that really a problem?). Going cold turkey seems to be the best way to try and do this. Wish me luck.

......... I'm glad you're getting a handle on this before it becomes an addiction .......... Take it from me !!!!!!!

It reminds me of the boy that ran screaming away from the strip show because his mother told him that if he ever saw something like that he'd turn to stone and ..... Well you know the rest ...... I agree ........ There should be a temperance league for fishing tackle to help hoarders like me .........

[JohnE]

I am starting to miss fishing and thinking about spring already. So I actually started pulling a bunch of my tackle and stuff out earlier this afternoon in some attempt to start organizing after having not touched any of it for about 2 months. I will admit I have a problem...it would seem a little out of control and sort of ridiculous to the average person, but I just don't think I will ever have enough and I doubt I am going to get rid of any of it anytime soon. I find large clear plastic storage boxes are the best for all this type of gear and I am running out--the clear plano boxes and clear smaller storage boxes go inside the large boxes. No more solid color boxes for this stuff--I can't stand not being able to see what's inside when I am trying to locate something quickly. My goal for the upcoming year is to keep track and set a limit on how much I will spend on tackle.

[Jaspratt]

Besides the giant mess you have there, you may not have as much as you think once you organize your baits. But that may be a good think on your side, i bought abunch of plastic drawer type bins to organize all my plastics by type, and now when i look at the over stuffing of some drawers conpared to others makes me feel like i need to buy more. Lol i have everything serparated from lizards/brushhogs to crawfish style baits to worms and minnow style plastics.. Panfish.. Fly fish.. Various spools of line.. I dont even want to talk about all those hard baits...And never enough room to hang all my rods.. My tackle is starting to over flow into my garage now.. And i still feel i never have enough...

[Big Mike]

Really didn't help my cause when I visited Dick's 50 percent off sale. Thanks for all the organizing suggestions, wish I could say I followed thru but ended up just dumping all the new stuff into the tackle "pile". Decided that a pile was a form of organization and that half the fun was digging through it and being delightfully surprised when I came across a long lost bait. Who knows, maybe American Pickers might visit me someday and find "rusty gold".

[JohnE]

I spent about 6 hours on organizing yesterday and it does not feel like quite as much now. The bulk of my gear is now in various sized clear plastic boxes and I feel less overwhelmed by it. I have some T shaped racks that you can mount on the ceiling for rod storage which I got at home depot a long time ago. You can fit a lot of rods up on those things. Have also hit up the Dick's Sporting Goods tackle sales in the past...found some of my receipts from that store stuck in with all my gear and I can't believe how much money I spend at that place.