For many anglers, getting through winter can be tough. I see it all the time in my various social media feeds: “I can’t wait to go fishing this summer!” For many of us, we take this time to clean and maintain our gear. Another task to consider doing during the off-season is to get organized. One of the worst things that can happen (well at least to a fellow OCD angler) is to know you have a certain bait, but not be able to find it prior to a trip.
A great place to start is with your soft plastics. This article from Wired2Fish offers a systematic way to get yourself organized.
This system has given me 5 major advantages since implementing it.
Find what you need in a hurry—Fishing is a time-sensitive sport. When a group of bass gets fired up, you need to be able to re-rig and continue casting within a few seconds. Your preparedness often correlates directly to your success.
Lighten your load—There’s no sense in carrying hundreds of extra pounds in soft plastic baits when you’re bass fishing. It slows down your boat, hurts your fuel mileage and negatively impacts your ride in rough water. If you have the bass dialed in, grab the baits you know they’re eating and get out there.
Portability—If you fish team tournaments with a partner and alternate boat use between tournaments or lakes, you don’t have to dig through all of your compartments when transferring your gear into another boat. Simply grab what you think you might need and get it done in less than five minutes.
Easy inventory—We all do it. Every bass angler buys multiple packs of the same baits that they don’t really need. Over time, you’ll probably find ten full packs of identical baits and colors. That wastes money and space and this system helps you keep an eye on your spending habits.
Affordable—I organized all of my soft plastics for under $10. No expensive, bulky, space-wasting plastic totes. Just one inexpensive trip to the grocery store will take care of it.
Photo credits: Wired2Fish
