For those of you who tournament fish and don't leave all of your gear in the boat, how do you stay organized and prepared?

I have to unload and reload my boat every trip, so carrying 25 rods and 25 tackle boxes back and forth isn't practical. I'm trying to figure out the best way to condense my setup without leaving myself unprepared during tournaments.

Do most anglers simplify things into categories like one crankbait box, one terminal tackle box, and a few essential soft plastic colors? Or is there another system that works better?

I'd love to hear how you approach packing efficiently while still having what you need to compete.

I had the same problem, and have been working on thinning it down.

I go through a few days before and eliminate stuff that I know I’m not going to use, and colors that aren’t appropriate for conditions. I have it down to a big Plano satchel, my rigging box and 2 small bags of plastics. As far as rods go, I usually have 6 rigged on the deck and 3 in the box for spares.

I carry a lot of tackle in the truck. When I get to the lake I consider water level, water color, water temp, time of year. and put what I think will work in one box. I use a tiny boat so I hope to chose wisely.

Once I start fishing my head tells me, "Dang, why didn't you bring that purple metalflake Golly Plopper..."

It's a mental thing!

While I no longer tournament fish, I do spend a lot of time on the rear deck of my fishing partners boat. As has been said, I rig for the time of year, current conditions and body of water we will be fishing. I carry a Plano soft sided bag that holds all of my tackle and 6 rods (4 spinning, 2 casting). It is sized to fit in one of the rear compartments easily. My tackle consists of a terminal tackle box, Senko box, Ned box, dropshot box, and a box that contains all hardbaits and moving baits topwater, cranks, spinnerbaits, rattle traps, jerkbaits. I can switch in specific boxes for current conditions like a DShad box or a blade bait box.

I can't keep my stuff in my kayak, and have to pack my kayak box according to what I feel like I might encounter during a day on the water. I have a terminal box, 1 box of hard baits, 1 box of jigs/wire baits, and then a few bags of assorted plastics. Some of the plastics really never leave the box like my trailers, but I have a bag of what I call my "finesse" baits and another bag that is my basically all creature baits, and a bag that is all TPE baits that can't be mixed with regular baits. I'll swap stuff in and out of the bags as I see fit or leave entire bags out if I don't feel like I'll need them. I pack the stuff I know I'm likely to use instead of the "what if" baits. I'll just dump the entire bag out and run through it real quickly to see what I have and add/subtract as I see fit. Helps a lot with clutter and it keeps the bags stocked with fresh baits and typically prevents me from running out of something I use a lot of.

I have space for about 10 rods and I rarely feel like I'm going to want more than that in a normal tournament day.

When I used to do kayak tournaments, everything that I needed was in my Yak Attack black box and on my kayak seat. My seat has quick access front and rear storage bins attached. If I have to unload for any reason, it’s only those two main items that have to worry about, my seat as one complete unit and my black box as one complete unit, which also holds the rods. Very efficient, which is what it’s all about on a kayak.

I have a small aluminum boat. And used to kayak/canoe fish. So I keep it really simple and don’t leave anything in my boat either. So I’ve used a Plano sportsman tub and a flambeau soft plastics tub. And some hard boxes.

Flambeau tub for plastics and trailers

1 3600 for Jigs and blades jigs

1 3700 for hard baits and buzzbaits and spinnerbaits.

1 small gamakatsu folding box for my terminal tackle

And a small tub for my scale and tools and a spare reel and such.

I can pick it up set it in the boat and off I go.

Usually bring 4 rods that are versatile in use and I’m goood to go.

Sometimes a more limited, simpler approach is better. Pick a few techniques you excel at and stick with those.

25 setups is ridiculous. That can be cut down about 1/5 of the number.

11 hours ago, gim said:

Sometimes a more limited, simpler approach is better. Pick a few techniques you excel at and stick with those.

25 setups is ridiculous. That can be cut down about 1/5 of the number.

Well said. My boat used to look like a tackle shop exploded in it, and I spent more time looking for stuff than actually fishing.

For the normal Tuesday nighter or Saturday morning ‘derb, I rarely open the rod locker or get into the hard baits. For a bigger one or away from the home pond, I’ll add more stuff accordingly.

I fish out of a kayak, so it might be a little different. In my Bronco I bring two 27 gallon storage tubs. One contains some tackle trays and an array of soft plastics. The other carries a tool bag, jack stands (if my trailer gets a flat), and miscellaneous spare wiring and parts.

In my Yakima rod box I bring 9 rods, but when I'm on the water I bring between 5 and 7 rods.

On my kayak I have 4 tackle trays in the storage next to my seat. In my BlackPak crate I have 5 speed bags and maybe one additional tackle tray. These are set up with what my experience or research says I need for that lake. After the first day of practice I may swap out some baits with what is in my truck. That continues on subsequent practice days.

For me, bringing too many baits or too many rods can lead to "paralysis of analysis." By tournament day I really want to narrow things down to as little gear as possible.

I'm either fishing from the bank or from a smaller size boat. I have to load up and unload each trip. The first thing I check is the weather forecast. The bait and rigs I bring depends on wind, rain, sun, or clouds, I worry about the specific presentation when I get on the water.

I couldn't find a picture of my kayak loaded, but this picture will give you an idea of what my prep. work is like.

On 6/17/2026 at 8:13 AM, gim said:

25 setups is ridiculous. That can be cut down about 1/5 of the number.

I disagree, Gim. If I could, I would take 25 setups. It's hard to retire in a small solo canoe or kayak and being nearly 70, I'm stiff, so twisting to extract my tackle box isn't easy. If the wind is blowing or the light is low, it becomes even harder for my old eyes and arthritic hands to tie a knot. I would love to have every possible lure available to cast, along with backups for when pickerels cut the line.

Kayak fishing really does teach you how to simplify your trips no matter the circumstances. I use carry all kinds of junk in my boat just in case.. but kayaking has taught me that I really don't need to carry a full rod locker and a Plano box with jitterbugs every time I hit the lake and be successful.

Simpler is better, easier and more fun.