Question of the Day 2/2/11

[Redfish12]

Not sure if there has been one already, but it's groundhog's day, so just go with it!

How do you all store your tackle? How do you prepare what to bring before your trip?

I have been looking for a way to store my plugs so that I can see what I have and grab what I need depending on the conditions or location. I keep a box of rigged flukes and jigs ready to go, but the bulkier stuff is what I'm asking about. Right now I have some 50lb braid strung between two hooks holding loose lures and plugs, it stretched and now they are all sagged tougher. I tried Plano boxes but ended up with a bunch of stuff scattered and I was always looking for something else when I was on the water that I wish I had brought.

What do you all do?

[MetroMan]

On the kayak, I use small plano-type boxes that are organized based on my pre-trip planning. I am planning to upgrade to waterproof boxes though, as I often carry fish bites which need to be kept dry.

At home, my rods hang on the wall in the bedroom, and my lures stuff stay in plano boxes as well. The plano boxes stay in my gear bag that I carry when surf/pier fishing. Some rigs stay in ziplock bags. Some of the lures I have stay in their original packaging which makes things easier at times.

Treble hooks are a royal pain in my arse. They need to be secured & stored asap when not in use.

[mdmakaira410]

ditto to the small plano boxes. i put all my soft plastics, bkd's/ba's in small plastic snack bags or keep stuff like fish bites/gulp in their zippered bags and put them in a small plastic sandwich container. i have no idea what im going to do with big crankbaits like stretchs that wont fit in boxes and big spring tandem rigs/umbrellas/daisey chains.

[Memory Maker]

I have a ton of plano boxes for different purposes. However, they are a pain even in a PA. I'm going more with tackle binders with the plastic ziplock pages ......... I have rails on each side of the PA so I can clamp or tie the handles of the binders on the rail and I have everything at my fingertips. For the few plugs I will use ..... some small plano boxes. I don't like trebles, barbs or sharp teeth on the Yak so I tend to use single barbless hooks .......... would hate to keep balancing on a yak with a treble in my hand with a flopping big blue on the same lure ...........

Anyway, it's also a good place to keep some smaller tools too .......

[DOGFISH]

I use the waterproof plano boxes. I keep them oranized in the crate, easy enough to reach. I keep a tackle bag on the front deck of the kayak. It rides there nice. I keep all of my crankbaits in that. I can't set up boxes for each trip. I will pre-rig my rods, but not boxes. I take most of the boxes all of the time, otherwise I don't have what I need. Using mostly crankbaits to troll, I do not pre-rig many leaders. I can tie on a new leader, when needed, in quick fashion. I do have a couple of bucktail trolling rigs pre-rigged on small spools. I use a combination of the shallow plano boxes and the deeper boxes. They are organized by category, such as bottom fishing tackle, spoons, bucktails, jigs and others. The tackle bag has four plano and falcon boxes of cranks. The falcon boxes are nice, they are just for cranks and keep them untangled, but the falcons on will hold smaller cranks. I only take the largest of the cranks out during the spring season.

For fresh water, I use four or five softsided binder type bags and a regular tackle bag. That generally does the trick for fresh water, mostly bass, some walleye. The only prep I do it to swap out saltwater tackle boxes and/or freswater tackle bags from the large duffles, depending on where I am going.

I keep all of my gear in two large wheeled boat bags, those like the large ones from Bass Pro, yellow. I keep all of the kayak gear in one, anchor, life jacket, rod holders, anything just for the kayak. I keep the other loaded with fishing tackle, tackle boxes, fishgrippers, anything fishing. I have a rack and trailer platic large storage box for extra straps, spare tires and anything needed for carrying the kayak. When ready to go fishing, I only need to grab rods, bags and the box, with some other equipment, hookup and go. That way I don't forget anything, at least not regularly. There is sometimes something, like a camera or binos.

I keep my cooler, first aid kit, safety and other equipment inside the kayak in the large hatch just in front of me on the OK Big Game. Big man, big kayak, big rod.

[surfdog]

i keep pre rigged stuff in sandwich baggies and soft plastic are also in baggies which are in the deeper plano boxes that fit in the center hatch. hard baits are stored in double sided plano boxes and the big boys go on the rod that its going to be used on, all the rest of the stuff is in various planos and tackle bags. i usually determine what im going to use on the way to the launch then dig it out and i also use a fly vest which holds a ton of odds and ends another benefit of an inflatable belt pfd. those leader wallets are a good idea to keep per-rigged lures handy, i think i have one somewhere

[longislandtomd]

First, I wake up with my alarm clock set to Sonny and Cher. Then I walk downstairs and out the door. That’s where I bump into my friend Ned Reiserson. You know, old needle nose.

Oh, you are asking about something different.

Clear plastic plano boxes galore. Boat bags full of ‘em. A few five gallon buckets with notches cut in them. A plug bag or two.

It’s all there. Its all semi-organized and labeled, but I have no system that truly works.

[eastonkayaker]

Best system I have found is a tackle binder, can purchase different size zip lock plastic bags, see everything as you flip through. I set up rigs, one in each bag. Keeps everything straight. Covers are cloth, doesn't matter if they get wet. I use a ss clip, clip it right behind my seat.

Here is one from Cabela's, I bought mine at BPS for $8.

http://www.cabelas.com/tackle-binder...:referralID=NA

[surfdog]

brian, i was talking with a guy at the KI ffm that was selling charts of EB and the middle bay area that had all his personal honey holes on them and what to catch there and when and clairborne was heavily marked because of the sharp drop offs. definitely a place to concentrate on come spring/summer. nice charts but couldnt spend the cash for it.

[eastonkayaker]

brian, i was talking with a guy at the KI ffm that was selling charts of EB and the middle bay area that had all his personal honey holes on them and what to catch there and when and clairborne was heavily marked because of the sharp drop offs. definitely a place to concentrate on come spring/summer. nice charts but couldnt spend the cash for it.

I talked with with Ron, who is a fly fishing guide out of St. Michaels, he told me during the spring claiborne has really good fishing up against the rocks. I plan on making it out there.

http://www.chesapeakebayflyfishing.com/

[MetroMan]

brian, i was talking with a guy at the KI ffm that was selling charts of EB and the middle bay area that had all his personal honey holes on them and what to catch there and when and clairborne was heavily marked because of the sharp drop offs. definitely a place to concentrate on come spring/summer. nice charts but couldnt spend the cash for it.

Yeah that chart was nice but it cost like $19

[surfdog]

yeah i'll spend $19 on something else this weekend at tri-state marine hopefully some deer tails