Every professional angler has his gear, and tackle organized, and ready for action before he even walks out the front door to the river. Sometimes many hours are spent making sure his or her gear is properly stowed away, and ready for use, when he arrives at the river to fish. There is no wasted time and energy looking for lures, or any gear once he steps foot into the boat or walks the bank. Fortunately, there are great tackle companies on the market to help you maximize your time on the river.
TACKLE STORAGE
One of the tools of the trade is tackle storage. There are many types of storage units on the market, including and not limited to a tackle box. There are also many types of individual storage units and bags available if you prefer not to use a tackle box. The fishing organization business has come a long way since the old days, and fortunately now, there are many units available on the market. When fishing a river from the banks, I personally steer away from tackle boxes and here is why!
- Tackle boxes are plastic and have a handle to carry them around. Picking them up and putting them down wastes time and energy when walking the bank. You are constantly picking the tackle box up and putting it down every time you move into your next “10 yard swath”. This is a total time waster and unnecessary in today’s fishing applications.
- They are made from cheap plastics and usually break down often, causing you to spend more money. Money that can be better spent on more lures or spinners.
- It’s difficult to fit all the tackle you need into one small box. Tackle boxes do not hold all the baits I bring with me; therefore I do not use tackle boxes any longer, and have not for many years now for these reasons.
SO WHAT SHOULD I USE?
In place of the outdated tackle box, I prefer to use a backpack for all my storage needs. A backpack is far more versatile and lets you have it on your back as you walk up and down the river. You do not waste time picking up and putting down a backpack every time you move to your next “10 yard swath” of river. You move along and keep casting your lure, or spinner along the way, maximizing your time each outing. Your main goal is to make as many casts as possible in any given location of the river! Picking up and putting down a tackle box reduces the number of casts made every single trip, therefore reducing the amount of potential fish landed! You can also put additional items in the pockets of the backpack such as pliers, weights, sunglasses, hooks, and split rings which are all essential when fishing. Each piece of tackle, or tool, can be put in its own place for ease of access.
TACKLE TRAY’S
The effective tackle solution comes in the form of tackle trays, added into the main section of the backpack, and can be labeled with a black permanent marker to easily identify each and every tray. It is best to write on each tackle tray in bold writing, what the contents are in each tray. For example, you will place each Rapala Countdown lure in its single space within the tray, and then label the tray in bold lettering, (Robertson Tackle Raunchy Rainbows). Going one step further, you will add only Rainbow Trout patterns into one tray and then label that tray Robertson Tackle RT or RAINBOW TROUT. The next tray will hold ONLY Robertson Tackle in the brown trout pattern and are labeled as such. For your spinner baits you will use a larger tackle organizer that has smaller compartments to accommodate each single spinner you add to the box. These will separate each spinner into its on square space and help with the spinners hooking onto each other, creating a big mess in the tackle organizer. You will label these the same way as your lure boxes. Your BLUE FOX spinners will only be placed in one box and labeled accordingly, and then your PANTHER MARTIN spinners will all go into another separate box and labeled. You can also take your organized backpack with you in the boat. I simply remove a few of the trays, and tie hooks onto two rods that I am using to fish that day. The rest of the tackle organizers stay stowed away in the backpack and placed out of the way. I remove my pliers out of the pocket and place them close to me for easy removal of hooks once I land the fish in the net. The backpack solution is the one that works for both fishing the banks, and fishing from a boat!
LESS TIME WASTED EQUALS MORE FISH!
Remember, organization will always lead to less frustration while fishing your Local River or stream. The more time spent making casts and not fumbling with gear, the more successful you will be on the water. Have your gear ready to go before heading out the door on your next adventure including sharp hooks, re-spooled reels, extra split rings, pliers and a great selection of baits. Have your gear placed strategically for ease of access according to your fishing plan for the day. Clean off any line from your lures before you take a step into the boat, or onto the banks. You can burn the old line off, or use line clippers at home. These small organization tips will save you time, save you unnecessary frustration and maximize your fishing day each and every time. Remembering to do these things BEFORE heading out fishing is crucial.
Tight lines,
Mike Robertson.
