I need help (like that's a surprise)...

[Cheetam]

Ok...those of you that know me know that I have a little problem with my tackle bag.  Actually, it's a big problem...the bag that is.  I cannot for the life of me get my tackle down to 4 or 5 3700 boxes.  I tend to carry around a HUGE tackle bag that holds somewhere in the neighborhood of 10-12 3700s, plus two big soft plastic binders, plus all the other peripheral garbage I can fit in all the nooks, crannies and pockets.  I just KNOW that if I leave something behind, I will need it when I'm out on the water...My question to my brethren:

What do you carry in your tackle bags (or what do you bring when fishing out of someone else's boat instead of yours)?  What do you consider to be the bare essentials?  What is it that you could NEVER EVER leave the dock without?  Any tips and/or suggestions on how to condense my tackle to one small, manageable bag are greatly appreciated...

[bshaner]

Simplest solution would be to raffle it all off to forum members.  You could probably afford a boat with the proceeds. 

B

[Revtro]

When I fish on someone else's boat I take less of everything.  In other words, I still bring 'some' of everything instead of large quantities of everything. (if that makes any sense)  Just bringing a half dozen St. Clair Goby tubes instead of the normal 25 or more that I usually have in the 3700 box gives me room to pack in some other plastics in the same box usually reserved for only tubes.  I also shorten the selection of colors and skip bringing certain baits if I know what kind of water I'll be fishing.  Rather than have a seperate box for weights and a seperate box for hooks, I shorten the supply of those as well and whittle it down to hooks, weights, swivels, etc. in one box instead of several.  That's how I approach it.  I usually get it down to 7 boxes.  Oh yeah, I bought one of those double layer boxes too which helps me get more baits in less space.  It's a little smaller, so it actually fits in the outer pouch of my bag.  That helps.

[gr@ssmonkey]

  ....sorry jcheetam can't help u i just had to buy a 200 hp to haul all of my tackle,the 150 hp just coudn't do it anymore...lol..lol ...all kidding aside(not really kidding about that though) it sounds like your ready for another tackle box,then just take what you think you need for that trip(easier said then done i know)

[Dan]

I don't do a lot of fishing out of other peoples boats, about 4-7 times a year and I always have the same problem you are talking about. One thing that has really helped and has been the best organizational money saving idea came from Scott S. off this board. He uses prescription bottles to put hooks, swivels, weights, jigs, etc. in and in each bottle of hooks he puts in a small silica packet. On the top of each plastic pill container you can mark with permanent marker what you have inside. You can get about 30 of these in a plano. They all stand with the tops showing and you have at a glance all of your terminal tackle at your fingertips. When it's damp out and you need a hook you can open your box, pull out the particular vial, and  get a hook out without getting any moisture in your vial or in any other vial. Also, if you are going to fish in someone elses boat and you know what type of hooks and weights you need you can just pick out those particular vials. If you are in a snaggy area you just keep those vials of hooks and weights in your pocket and it saves a ton of time. You really can get a good number of hooks in a vial probably at least 30.  It really helps me keep better inventory control as well. Can't tell you how many times I have bought hooks thinking I was short of a given size only to find a couple more packs here or there. When I buy hooks, jigs, weights, etc. they go in the vials instead of tossed here or there in a bag. I did not have one hook rust this year!!  I went to my local pharmacy and they were very good about giving me a number of vials in a variety of sizes. Scott gave me a whole bag full of the silica packets. I bet if you ask your pharmacy that they would have a bunch of these that they would give you as well.

[dartag]

you don't need a smaller bag i need a BIGGER boat..  got to admit that baby is huge.    you could switch to the baits i use and keep them in your pocket.

ss

[Skip Johnson]

Jeff you just need to fish with me you know I always save that huge storage box for my co angler

[Cheetam]

Jeff you just need to fish with me you know I always save that huge storage box for my co angler

That box was so big, I was actually considering taking a nap in it!  Anytime you need some company, let me know...

you don't need a smaller bag i need a BIGGER boat..  got to admit that baby is huge.    you could switch to the baits i use and keep them in your pocket.

ss

522 w/ a 250xs?   Actually, my bag is so big you might not be able to get the bow down with a 250...might need to go with the 300xs 

Pill bottles, double layer boxes, consolidating terminal tackle...Some good stuff so far!  Any other suggestions?

[Revtro]

Cut your gear in half and give me the excess.  I forgot about that one. 

[djkimmel]

About every time I've 'pared down' I've regretted it somehow (besides, I get bored easy). I like always keeping a few extra empty Plano's around to move tackle in and out of as I get into other angler's boats and back into mine. It would be easier just to pack mine with everything and only use mine, but no one ever said life would be easy (a 'Momism').

[Cheetam]

About every time I've 'pared down' I've regretted it somehow (besides, I get bored easy). I like always keeping a few extra empty Plano's around to move tackle in and out of as I get into other angler's boats and back into mine. It would be easier just to pack mine with everything and only use mine, but no one ever said life would be easy (a 'Momism').

When you pare down, what do you decide to bring?  Are you taking, for instance, 3 shad color cranks (shallow, mid, deep), 3 bright color cranks, etc?  I guess I'm too hung up on having "everything" for every possible (potential) situation.  And by everything, I mean EVERYTHING...two or three of every lure (never know when you will break off), in every color (never know when the water may get muddied up or clear up), in every size (never know when you need to downsize or upsize).  Yes, I'm a tackle junkie...I know that (admission is the first step to recovery, isn't it?)...

[Revtro]

Yeah, that's kind of how I approach it.  But sometimes, I'll leave entire boxes behind say if we're fishing St. Clair and it's forecasted to be kind of rough... I'll leave the topwater box home.  In my two layer crankbait box, I have shallow, mid, and deep cranks in a few basic colors only and layer of lipless cranks.  Same for jerkbaits.  I just take a few of my favorite Pointers and TD minnows, and leave the rest.  I figure I should be able to make it work with a half dozen jerkbaits intead of my normal box full. 

Plus I'm a scrounge.  If you're catching fish on something I don't have, I'll cry and whine until you loan me one of yours.    I'm not proud.  he he

[bshaner]

Why recover?  the bait monkey always wins in the end anyway.  

Are you strictly talking fun fishing with a buddy or co-angler in tournaments?

You cant possibly account for every situation.  I dont have to tell you how to prepare for a tournament, you already know that.  So do your preparation, know what your predicted patterns are going to be and pack your gear accordingly.  

In a perfect scenerio you should know by the time tournament day comes what size/color/speed presentation the fish want based on your practice.  3 and 4 day tourneys would be harder to prepare for because conditions change over those 3 to 4 days obviously.

Get one big tackle bag that has pockets all over it so you can store extra spools pre spooled with line sizes according to what you believe the conditions will warrant.  Above all, pack your confidence baits first... you know it's all about the confidence baits, I dont have to tell you that either.  Pack a couple of primary colors of baits that fit the conditions, etc.  Just cull your gear out from there.  No really simple solution.


B

[Team houston]

I made up one box with a little of everything. Beavers and other assorted plastics. A couple topwaters, some rattletraps and diving baits. senkos, jig spoons,jerkbaits,plastic worms and anything else you can think of. Now say I am going to fish St. Clair and my partner says we will be tube fishing all day. I leave the topwater box, crankbait box home. If he changes his mind or conditions dictate I still have a couple of topwaters and cranks with me in that Misc box. So you pack for where you are going and what you will be doing but by bringing your Misc box you will always have 2 or 3 baits in your favorite colors with you. If all of this fails and you get caught without, I don't think I ever had a partner that refused to lend me something.

[djkimmel]

I take my confidence baits always. I may not take them all. I'll take more of the ones I'm pretty sure that time of year on that lake I'll need.

I like crankbaits and spinnerbaits, so I take a good selection of those, but again extra of the ones that run where I think I'll spend most of my time, and less to none of the ones I don't expect to use.

I may be infamous for my tackle, but like I say, I get bored easy and we have some really varied bodies of water. So there are many times I don't get into several bags or boxes. You never know completely for sure as conditions can even change hour to hour. Minute to minute sometimes.

I don't worry so much if I'm going somewhere I'm used to. It still takes me a while to pull out what I want, but that is part of my ritual for getting in the zone... okay... I've been around the zone more than in it lately... but this too shall pass.

It might actually be easier on new water for me now that I think about it. I tend to take more tried and true baits, looking at them more as tools. I may leave a category of baits home, but like Team houston, I always have a few odds and ends representing the 'what if' classes in my misc holes.

I actually think my real challenge is more remembering all the accessories and carrying them - hooks, jigs, sinkers, skirts, blades, swivels, split rings, rattles and so many more things that allow a lot of different techniques.

[cwinsiii]

As long as no one has been injured because of the bag I would keep doing the same thing, anytime I leave something home that's what my partner catches everything on.

[Cheetam]

As long as no one has been injured because of the bag I would keep doing the same thing...

Never thought of it in those terms...

[225XS4Garza200PXL]

I always tell my partners to bring the essentials...

If we're fishing tubes on St. Clair... bring a bunch of tubes and soe jigheads... maybe some dropshot stuff... and a few odds and ends...

If you don't have something the fish are biting... and I do... then use my stuff...

If anything I always tell my partners to not bring anything except a couple rods... because I usually have everything we'll need for that day...

[djkimmel]

I meant, I don't like using other guy's fishing tackle...

[bshaner]

Risque'

B