I recently bought out a storage unit, in it were roughly 1000 packages of soft baits, many unopened, some opened but full, some were mixed ziplocs. I've donated all of the ziploc bags full to a local group that provides fishing events to kids. My question is, how do I even go about getting these things organized? Worms, lizards, crawl creatures etc etc. I've got about a dozen of the Liv pro softbait bags which I really like. Should I separate by color families, types, or what? It's overwhelming to say the least. Any ideas would be appreciated 

Howdy and welcome.

 

Sounds pretty awesome if you ask me.

 

I'd organize them into totes, then sub categorize them further. Each tote would be a style of lure, such as lizards, craw, worm. If there is sufficient of different types of worms I'd dedicate a tote just to each variety, such as ribbontail and trick worms. Gallon ziploc bags stuffed with bags of similar color/style plastics would be easy enough to sort through within the larger tote.

 

Use an index card in the ziploc bag to identify what each bag contains. Write on the index card in large letters with a sharpie LIZARD, WORM, ect, then in smaller letters in ink, details you might want to know quickly when filtering through that variety of plastic.

 

I'd also consider if I'd actually end up using a lot of it due to color and style, and probably make a swap/sell box.

I organize my soft plastics by bin but if you wanted to take the time putting up a peg board and hanging them by type and even color could be super helpful. the nly drawback to the pegboard is you will lose all of your wallspace and it will be pricey.

I separate by type; worms, creatures, craws, swim etc..

then by size, then subsets by color.

This way I can go to the box with the bait I want to use, pick the size then select the color(s).

I prefer organizing by brand and then by bait in the garage but by bait style in the boat.

 

I use a pegboard for all the stuff I use semi-consistently and tubs for the stuff I've acquired over the years but am unlikely to use. Each column of the peg board has a designated brand and then each peg has a type of bait. I don't have the space to do a peg for each color so they all go on one. The stuff I don't expect to use anytime soon goes in gallon bags sorted by specific baits and then thrown in a tub and on the shelf to be ignored for another 5 years.

 

In the boat I have zippered bags for each bait style; senkos, craws, finesse worms, flukes, etc. 

If you don’t use them sell them! I know this hard to do but necessary*.

I keep brands together sorted color in gallon zip lock bags for storage and use Plano 3600 trays marked brand, color and type up to 6”. Longer worms stay in zip lock original bags and same jig trailers.

 I keep my night soft plastics to minimum in 2 each gallon soft zip lock original bags.

When had my boat organized what I used in original bags clip onto a storage system to the locker covers easy to see. Bait Storage was 3700 Plano boxes for what I used and bins for everything else. 
When I sold the boat sold the bin storage soft plastics 1st that was saved for God knows why thousands of soft plastics! *If you can’t remember what you have you don’t need it!

Now a back seater it’s easier to stay organized keeping my custom soft plastics and a only the brands that work all the time. Should have done this decades ago!

Tom

 

Zip lock bags of various sizes.

Thank yall for all of the recommendations. Im going to combine different ideas yall have given me and will post pics when I get this monstrosity sorted out!