I'm wondering how much tackle other kayakers bring on the water. I'm on a quest to pare down. My previous load out consisted of four 3700 trays that I store next to my seat in my AP. In my YakAttack crate I had two extra large, double side trays and five speed bags filled to the brim with soft plastics. I also had two small trays for various jig heads. Come tournament time I also carry two tubs of hard and soft baits in my Bronco if I want to swap things out.

 

The soft plastics were the worst at taking up space and weight as I would carry multiple colors of worms, soft jerk baits, minnows, and creature baits. The same could be said for some hard baits like bladed jigs and crankbaits. I never wanted to be caught short by not having the right color or size.

 

But with winter approaching and the water getting colder I want to lighten the load on my kayak. I tried this before, but tackle creep happened again. So now I'm back at it. I've cut it down to four of the 3700 trays and swapped out my 100Ah electronics battery for a 36Ah battery. Next is to pare down the soft plastics. I'll still use 5 speed bags to keep them sorted, but the goal is to remove 50% of the baits in each. If I run out of something and need it that bad I'll head back to the ramp.

 

Just for fun, I may weigh my crate before and after I pare down.

 

So, how much tackle do you guys and gals bring on your kayaks?

 

 

 

 

I use the 16x16 Blackpak Pro. It is very full between tackle trays and one larger Plano EDGE plastics storage box. If I can’t fit it in the Blackpak Pro I leave it behind, otherwise I over-pack and too many things cluttering up the deck. 

Crate with 4x3700's, 1 spinnerbait box, 1 med. terminal box.  Soft plastics in B.A.S.S. Member bag stowed in compartment in front of seat.

Depending on the year, I was using the Plano guide series tackle bags.  The smaller of the two was 4x 3700+1x 3600 plus 2 side pockets for soft plastics (the side pockets are almost exactly right for almost all plastics).  I started throwing in a speed bag of worms/craws/beavers and occasionally a loose 3600 with my frogs/toads/weedless spoons.  I had 2 spare 3700s so I would swap things around depending on the season (early season would see crankbaits in the boat, but never after June).  I'd use 1 3700 for the plastics that I knew I used year round (rage bug, keitechs, senko, spunk shad) and put them into mixed color compartments.  Not a whole bag, but 2-3 of each so just enough that I wouldn't run out on an evening or morning trip.  

 

For the last 2 years of the kayak I moved to the XL version which is 7x3700 + 3x3600.  I was tired of swapping things in and out depending on lake and time of year.  I still had 2 speedbags for plastics.  I still kept the 3700 of mixed plastics.  When I added the extra space that allowed me to make 1 3600 dedicated for terminal tackle (hooks, jigheads, etc) instead of a more loose wallet approach.

Koz, I'm pleading the fifth.  Tournament load out is 15 combos, nuff said. Too much.

FM

12' Old Town Vapor XT sit in - 1 Plano Guide bag holding 5 3600 cases. 2 additional 3600 cases behind the seat. One rod.

 

Too much.  I've got 1 3700 two tier, 1 3600 two tier and 2 3600 cases.  A few fly boxes.  Plastics in a pouch hanging off my crate.  All that to use mostly the same 5-6 lures that I usually do.  I really need to go through (again) and slim down my selection.

2 hours ago, Crow Horse said:

12' Old Town Vapor XT sit in - 1 Plano Guide bag holding 5 3600 cases. 2 additional 3600 cases behind the seat. One rod.

 

 

One rod? Blasphemy!

 

3 hours ago, Fishingmickey said:

Koz, I'm pleading the fifth.  Tournament load out is 15 combos, nuff said. Too much.

FM

 

That's a LOT of combos. I usually load up with 8. If I'm feeling frisky - or indecisive - I'll take 9.

One tackle box , a dry bag, 2-3 poles 

1 hour ago, Kayak Koz said:

One rod? Blasphemy!

Yep! Color me an infidel, heretic, renegade, rogue, or that I've just lost the plot......😁 

I have a milk crate and stick with that.  

5 combos.

 

kayak box lightly packed..

 

and I still usually use one rod, one presentation.  

How much tackle?

As a recreational angler; my kayak is light enough to throw on top of my car and my tackle is "just enough".

I try to be as minimalist and efficient as possible. In my case, two rods and three 3600 sized boxes that have different baits in a storage tote-like container. 

I’ve pared down to a Plano Guide Series 3500 bag and two Arsenal zippered plastic worm bags.

The Guide bag holds three single 3500 size boxes and one double sided 3500. I stack two small pocket sized double sided terminal boxes on top of them. Side pockets are three small spools of  leader line, pliers, tape and essential repair stuff. Front pocket is first aid and personal items (keys, wallet).

Inside one box is jigs, one crank’s, one top water and a double sided with spinnerblades and chatterbaits. Three of the boxes had dividers but I cut them out to make a flat open carry box which makes more room. 
 

The Arsenal bags are clear so I can see what’s inside easily. One carries solely worms and the other any swimming, paddle, trailer or craw plastics. When possible since most plastics are compatible I mix different sizes and colors into one bag in order to carry an assortment. I see no need to carry a 10 bag of several different colors and sizes each just to use two or three during the day.

I carry six rigs, two spinning and four casting set ups but usually only take four (three and one) unless tournament fishing.

 

And it all fits in my Decked Drawer system in the truck bed.

Admittedly, I do have to shuffle contents now and then for different lakes but nothing major. I have my gear narrowed down to what and where I fish trying to be efficient.

I normally take 5-8 rods with me but not very many baits.

 

If I break off or if somethings not working I just grab a different rod.

 

I just take a smallish bag with me that holds my pliers, scale, etc. and toss some baits in.

 

I mostly fish a couple small local lakes no longer than half of a day so I can get away with this method.

 

If I tried a different lake that required a decent amount of travel I'd have to pack a bunch more stuff.

4 rods and 4 Ozark Trail 3500 bags for the river whether I’m in my 9.5’ or 11.5’ sit-in.

1 bag w/ 3 boxes of lures (top, shallow and medium depth).  I have duplicates of my ‘best’ topwater, cranks and jerkbaits.
1 bag w/ a box of bladed jigs and a box of spinnerbaits.  I include a small travel box for bar soap to hold 4 or 5 blade baits.  The remaining space is stuffed with bags of plastic trailers.  
1 bag w/ 2 boxes of jigs, jig heads, weighted hooks, etc.  In the remaining space is several sandwich bags of skirts I’ve tied.  
And a final bag, no boxes, filled with packages of plastics…worms, neds, flukes, tubes, and creatures.

I keep two filler spools of line and a spool of leader line in the front pockets of three of the bags, and an assortment of stuff in the pocket of the 4th one.

And behind the seat of my truck is a tackle store in case I need to replace anything lost to rocks or laydowns on the previous trip.

It has been years since I wanted to tie on something and not have it. 

Not as much as I want to, but way more than I need.

I put together a 6 gallon rectangle milk crate with 3 dividers.  There are 3 slots for 3700 tackle boxes and a larger selection of for odds and ends.  Usually large soft plastic swim baits in their clam shells and a smaller terminal tackle box. I have : Rod holds mounted to it and can take 7 rods.
and there are the tools in the front hatch bin too. 

 I am wondering why a take so much when never use most of it.  

3700 with my terminal tackle... 3700 full of Keitech swing fat impact and frogs... Small tray with various dbls of hard baits... A few bags of soft plastics... I rarely change out my hard baits unless I lose them but do go thru a bunch of soft plastics... Most of my full planos stay home... 

This is what the cargo area of my Bronco looks like when I head out for a week of pre-fishing for a tournament. I definitely don't ring all of this when I head out for one day. The red tub is hard baits and then four of the Flambeau's for the soft baits. Rods are in a rod box up top.

 

I tell myself it's because I don't want to run out and buy anything while I'm there and miss time on the lake. But it might be that I have a problem.

 

During this entire season I been doing the same and reducing all tackle including the number of combos I carry with me. I figured that every trip I do, I kinda know what I'll be using in a given place and weather conditions. there is no real reason to carry all that crap. I used to carry tons of plastics too but why?? I'm not going to use 98% of them!! 

Now the day before the trip select what I want to use that day and that is it.. one speed bag with the everyday essentials (like greenpumpkin senkos) and whatever other baits I think will work or just want to try

I have been applying the same minimalist approach to my purchases too. I do not buy the same speed worm in 12 different colors.. 

Same thing on rods, 3 rods (4 in frogging season) it has made my trips more enjoyable. 

 

The boat still has more than it should, but i have been removing the extras during the year. I'm sure I got rid of bunch of bags of plastics and hardbaits that I carried for ages and never used once. 

 

I have run the gamut for taking tackle in a kayak. I am a 

firm believer in minimalism...mostly. I've done the gallon

ziplocks with bags of soft plastics in a good size plastic

container. I've used the blue Plano guide box (still use it),

and am currently using 4-5 3500 size boxes for various 

lures, terminal tackle, etc. I sit on an elavated seat on my

Native Ultimate 12, and I have a mod'd milk crate zip-tied

underneath it and it can handle 6 boxes. 

 

For me it is a constant journey of trying ideas out I find

online, or in my own mind. I doubt I'll ever settle on a

specific "always used" setup for how much tackle I take

on a particular outing. Or how I take that tackle - as in,

in boxes or bags or tackle boxes, etc.

 

Part of the fun is trying new ways of doing things.

Man most yall have more tackle in your kayaks than I have in my boat. 

Usually just a small tackle bag and four 3500 boxes.  The bag has plastics in the main compartment, and some spinnerbaits/buzzbaits in a zippered side pocket.  The boxes have terminal tackle, several jigs, and few hard topwaters, frogs, crankbaits, that sort of thing. All fit easily in a crate behind my seat. 

 

However, I am fishing mostly small waters for just 3-4 hours at a time, and I do spend a lot of time before each trip selecting what to bring and what to leave at home, based on where I'm going.  Occasionally I wish I had brought something different, but I never really feel like I needed to bring more.  

It all depends on where I'm fishing.

Deep clear reservoirs, I'm bringing my dropshot stuff in addition to my boxes of plastics, jerk baits and top waters.

River fishing depending on the river just plastics, jerk baits and topwaters and spinner baits.

Shallow lakes pretty much plastics and top waters.

Saltwater depends on what I'm fishing for, stripers it's plugs and jigs, fluke jigs, tog is just rigs and crabs.

The most rods I bring are 4, again depending on where I'm fishing.