• Help Support TNDeer:

Tackle gear set up?

moondawg

moondawg

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jun 19, 2002
Messages
25,290
Location
Millington, TN
What is your tackle gear setup? Old school tackle boxes, tackle bags, backpacks, sling bags?

I used to carry those old school plastic Plano tackle boxes that loaded to the gills and heavy to carry around. Then I switched to tackle bags, as they were quieter on the boat. They were easier to carry, but I still felt like I carried everything I owned.

Nowadays, I travel much lighter. I use sling bags and only carry a a couple of 3600 type utulity boxes. They're great for bank fishing and kayak fishing. I can carry the essentials and tailor each bag according to the type of fishing I do.

The brown one is an all purpose bag, and mostly my go to. The black one will be stashed in the truck for those impromptu on the spur of the moment fishing stops in town. The big green bag will be my bass bag. And the small one is my trout bag; it's great for wade fishing in the trout rivers and streams.
 

Attachments

  • 20230201_083606.jpg
    20230201_083606.jpg
    357.5 KB · Views: 75
This is a great topic, and one I can't offer advice to anyone on. My bass gear "system" is so screwed up it's pitiful. For crappie, I have a jigging tackle box and a trolling tackle box. Pretty simple and effective. For bass I have stacks and stacks of 3700 boxes. My boat has slots for 12 of these boxes. So when I'm going bass fishing I load the 12 boxes I'm most likely to use in the slots, plus a spinnerbait box, a buzzbait/chatterbait box, and a bag with a digital scale, pliers, clippers, hook removers, etc. It's ridiculous. I started last weekend trying to organize, condense down what I carry, and eliminate stuff I'm never going to tie on. I have to find a better way. If I ever get my shop built and can just leave everything in the boat it will be so much easier.
 
When we go to the creek we carry a backpack. They sure are a lot better than the plastic tackle boxes.
Got the boat pretty much setup & organized the way I like it.
 
Spurhunter said:
This is a great topic, and one I can't offer advice to anyone on. My bass gear "system" is so screwed up it's pitiful. For crappie, I have a jigging tackle box and a trolling tackle box. Pretty simple and effective. For bass I have stacks and stacks of 3700 boxes. My boat has slots for 12 of these boxes. So when I'm going bass fishing I load the 12 boxes I'm most likely to use in the slots, plus a spinnerbait box, a buzzbait/chatterbait box, and a bag with a digital scale, pliers, clippers, hook removers, etc. It's ridiculous. I started last weekend trying to organize, condense down what I carry, and eliminate stuff I'm never going to tie on. I have to find a better way. If I ever get my shop built and can just leave everything in the boat it will be so much easier.
Click to expand...
It's been a work in progress. I want options, but I don't want to carry everything including the kitchen sink. I want to be able to change up lures as needed. But we all have certain baits that are our go to, and certain baits that we rarely use. I started packing more of the stuff I use the most, and leaving the stuff I don't use behind.
 
moondawg said:
What is your tackle gear setup? Old school tackle boxes, tackle bags, backpacks, sling bags?

I used to carry those old school plastic Plano tackle boxes that loaded to the gills and heavy to carry around. Then I switched to tackle bags, as they were quieter on the boat. They were easier to carry, but I still felt like I carried everything I owned.

Nowadays, I travel much lighter. I use sling bags and only carry a a couple of 3600 type utulity boxes. They're great for bank fishing and kayak fishing. I can carry the essentials and tailor each bag according to the type of fishing I do.

The brown one is an all purpose bag, and mostly my go to. The black one will be stashed in the truck for those impromptu on the spur of the moment fishing stops in town. The big green bag will be my bass bag. And the small one is my trout bag; it's great for wade fishing in the trout rivers and streams.
Click to expand...
Looks like someone shops Amazon.😀
 
moondawg said:
It's been a work in progress. I want options, but I don't want to carry everything including the kitchen sink. I want to be able to change up lures as needed. But we all have certain baits that are our go to, and certain baits that we rarely use. I started packing more of the stuff I use the most, and leaving the stuff I don't use behind.
Click to expand...
That's exactly what I want/need to do.
 
recently swapped to flambeau zerust boxes for anything with a hook. standard boxes for plastic baits. i have a to go box that holds 3 3700's for bank fishing. all my stuff stays in the boat. im fairly effecient, a handfull of colors in different style baits. im not a tackle junky, i use what works and try to be a little different. if it doesnt work i toss it.
 
WTM said:
recently swapped to flambeau zerust boxes for anything with a hook. standard boxes for plastic baits. i have a to go box that holds 3 3700's for bank fishing. all my stuff stays in the boat. im fairly effecient, a handfull of colors in different style baits. im not a tackle junky, i use what works and try to be a little different. if it doesnt work i toss it.
Click to expand...
This is what I'm striving for. I am a tackle junkie. 😅
 
Spurhunter said:
My name is Spurhunter and I'm a tackle junky.
Click to expand...
My name is Jon and I'm a gear junky.

Tackle (bass/trout)
Backpacking/Hunting stoves (all kinds)
Cook sets
Fire starting "stuff"
Bags, packs, harnesses....etc.
Holsters (all configurations)

I like to tinker in the shop. It's how I unwind.
 
1 small tackle bag with 4 small plastic divided boxes within. Trade out 2 saltwater boxes for 1 bass box and 1 crappie box when I fish freshwater. Don't carry a lot of stuff, don't need it. I have plenty of redundant/replacement stuff I keep at the house, and top off the boxes I carry as needed. Basically about 6 or 7 jigheads in 1/4 and 3/8oz, soft plastics for the jigs. some egw hooks and soft plastic flukes, a couple chatterbaits, a spinnerbait, 2 jerkbaits, 3 or 4 crankbaits, 2 topwater plugs. But I always carry spare line in the tackle bag just in case. Space is at a premium on my new skiff, and I'd rather carry a larger cooler for the fish than a larger tacklebox.
 
megalomaniac said:
Basically about 6 or 7 jigheads in 1/4 and 3/8oz, soft plastics for the jigs. some egw hooks and soft plastic flukes, a couple chatterbaits, a spinnerbait, 2 jerkbaits, 3 or 4 crankbaits, 2 topwater plugs.
Click to expand...

You mentioned cranks but you didn't specify wake baits, square bills, medium divers, deep divers, and lipless cranks all in several color patterns. I'm assuming when you say soft plastics you have worms, lizards, and creature baits in all different colors, styles, and sizes. What about the frogs, wacky rigs, Ned rigs, Drop shots, shaky heads, buzzbaits, Carolina rigs, Texas rigs, alabama rigs, swimbaits, swim jigs, flippin jigs, and football heads???
 
Spurhunter said:
You mentioned cranks but you didn't specify wake baits, square bills, medium divers, deep divers, and lipless cranks all in several color patterns. I'm assuming when you say soft plastics you have worms, lizards, and creature baits in all different colors, styles, and sizes. What about the frogs, wacky rigs, Ned rigs, Drop shots, shaky heads, buzzbaits, Carolina rigs, Texas rigs, alabama rigs, swimbaits, swim jigs, flippin jigs, and football heads???
Click to expand...
NO!!! That's too much for me!!!

I USED to do all that once upon a time.... change lures a million times during a terrible trip... can't say I've ever found a magical bait that instantly turned a bad day around. I'm sure it's possible, just not for me, so I gave up.

Soft bait for jig... 3.5 in paddle tail. 3 colors. Dark (some type of greenish), pink, light (off white)
Soft fluke bait... 3 colors. Dark, pink, light
Crankbait. 4-6ft diver... gold chrome (redfish CANDY!!!!)
Jerkbait. 3-5ft suspending, 6-9ft suspending. don't care about color
Spinnerbait. don't care about color.

If I can't catch fish in the marsh with the above, God didn't mean for me to catch any that day :)
 
I've worked on my tackle/gear a ton over the winter. If it goes in the boat, it's in a 3700 box. Peg board in the garage for spare plastics/hooks/etc.

I keep a couple of extra 3700 boxes for tossing random things into when I'm going to a pond or getting in the boat with someone else.

Last thing I worked on was getting my soft plastics organized. I don't keep all of these in the boat at the same time, but I don't like fooling with bags & packs. Been there, done that.. can't keep track of what I have and what I don't.

Also got hooks (except swimbait and shakey heads) organized into a couple of different boxes.

Last picture of the wall was actually before I started doing more organizing. Probably have another 20-25 3700 boxes that are full now.
 

Attachments

  • 3700.jpg
    3700.jpg
    141.1 KB · Views: 74
  • hooks1.jpg
    hooks1.jpg
    107.9 KB · Views: 79
  • hooks2.jpg
    hooks2.jpg
    137.1 KB · Views: 81
  • wall.jpg
    wall.jpg
    362 KB · Views: 76
Last edited:
I seem to be transitioning as a fisherman. Two years ago I had 3 huge backpacks stuffed to the bursting point of soft plastics. Had probably 10 3600 size cases of just Bandit 200/300s for crappie trolling. Another 10 of lipless and square bill cranks. Another 5+ for Bobby Garland shad style baits of all colors. Two or three for spoons and blade baits. It went on and on. I went through and cleaned my boat out.

I now have one 3600 for topwater, one for lipless AND square bills, and one for spoons. One for the Bobby Garland ones and jig heads. That's it. I never really bass fished with soft plastics...never learned how. So I ridded the boat of all those, and all the crank baits, etc that I never used. These days I actually am transitioning more to live bait anyway.
 
Crow Terminator said:
I never really bass fished with soft plastics...never learned how.
Click to expand...

Try my method!
  • Step 1
    Tie any worm/lizard/brush hog/etc on a hook.

  • Step 2
    Cast it randomly in the lake

  • Step 3
    Slowly drag it back

  • Step 4
    Repeat Step 3

  • Step 5
    Complain. "Man.. nothing is biting today. This lake sucks!"

  • Step 6
    Repeat Steps 3 and 5.

  • Step 7
    Buy a new pack of plastics in a different color and say "I bet THIS will work!"

  • Step 8
    Repeat entire process.
 

Latest posts

Back
Top