Ok, I am getting to the point where I need to find a better system to organize my tackle boxes and lures. I have some of the Plano boxes, some 8" and some 10" long, 2 cases with the binder pouches for plastics and the second one for spinnerbaits and spoons.

On the plano boxes I have one with small diving crankbaits, one with the cigar type like the x-rap, one with crankbaits like the ratle-trap.

I like to be able to have a little of everything on my boxes but I am not sure that is a good idea. Another option is to carry with me 4 boxes everytime I go fishing so I can carry a lot of the stuff I have.

How do you guys do it?

I need to add that I fish out of a one man pontoon, it has two bags to store tackle but I can only have 4 8" boxes and my two binders, anything else will need to go outside on the back, if I ever get a milk crate to put my stuff in there.

Thanks for the help.

i have a plano tackle bag that fits 5 14 in storage boxes...1 has cranks 1 has jigs another spinners 1 has all topwaters and the 5th is just extra for hooks and extra lures...the bag has a huge pouch in the front where i keep my plastics and 1 littel pouch on each side where i keep camera pliers nippers etc

I have a crapload of Plano 3700's, but I keep 6-8 of them empty.  When I am heading to a body of water, I make selections based on what I am faced with, and put them in my empty boxes.  I refer to these boxes as 'On Deck' plastics.  When I get back from my trip, I stock them back in.  Works well with me...

I have a crapload of Plano 3700's, but I keep 6-8 of them empty. When I am heading to a body of water, I make selections based on what I am faced with, and put them in my empty boxes. I refer to these boxes as 'On Deck' plastics. When I get back from my trip, I stock them back in. Works well with me...

+1.  

This is also a great way to do it if you are wanting to learn a specific technique.  Just take those lures you want to learn and nothing else.  You'll either learn them or not fish.  

Micro and Natural are dead on.  I also fish from a kayak so I understand the need to be set up just right with your pontoon.  I have used the milk crate for a long time on the kayak and I am starting to carry that over to the bass boat.  I also own a ton of the plano boxes, and I usually keep one of them loaded with cranks (each slot, not just one crank to a slot, but one slot holds all deep divers, one holds all shallow, etc.).

Another box has all of my topwaters.  I also use hook bonnets on the trebles to keep everything from tangling, and yet letting me save space for all my junk.  

I'm really bad about wanting to take some of everything with me, so this method works well.  I also keep most of my soft plastics in their original pouches, and just throw them in a plastic bag.  That way I can carry the bag into the house at the end of a trip instead of leaving them in the boat to melt and bleed.

Backpack, take your run of the mill 15$ back pack from walmart and just fill it with plano boxes,that way you have what you want, when you want it. They can hold a ton of bait and its easy to carry, exspecially on a kayak

I do carry a backpack, but like someone mention they can get heavy. I think the idea of having spare boxes and fill them before my outing is probably what I have to try, I am not the most organized person in the world but I need to try something.

Thanks for the ideas and replies.

Backpack, take your run of the mill 15$ back pack from walmart and just fill it with plano boxes,that way you have what you want, when you want it. They can hold a ton of bait and its easy to carry, exspecially on a kayak

That is what I do except I have an old Marine Corps ruck sack. The inside has this handy little pocket on the inside. If you put cranks in a box about 4x8 inch boxes it can hold about 4-5 boxes.

                            -searoach

Micro and Natural are dead on.

Really, it's just Natural.  I picked up tips from him.  He is the Martha Stewart of tackle organization.  

I fish from shore and out of a float tube. I limit my fishing to relatively similar waters: strip pits and small reservoirs.

I have a huge possum belly box, an over-sized (saltwater/muskie) lures box, several large compartment boxes and bags for soft plastics. These stay home.

I use compartment boxes on the water. These are stocked with the basic tools I need for the techniques I like, and are adjusted each trip for season and for particular water bodies -first by water body type if I don't know them well (key parameters are depth, water color, cover type, and fish size), then more specifically as I get to know them.

I too keep empty boxes, for new waters. But I do keep my shore fishing pack and my float tube already stocked with the essentials -I have almost duplicate tackle in each, ready to go. I can't spend my valuable fishing time choosing lures and rigging. I consider versatility essential.

I try to carry two basic colors for each lure: a dark for dark conditions and a light/translucent for brighter conditions. I carry extra spools for my reels for line adjustments. My tube is rigged to carry four rods.

With the limited space of a pack or float tube I need to be both smart and ruthless.

Smart:

I don't want to be without something important so I make sure I have the basics covered (adjusted somewhat each trip as above):

Topwater -popper, walker, twitcher, buzzbait, weedless topwaters.

Cranks: -super-shallow, shallow, med, deep (shape and size depends on water I'm visiting), jerks, lipless.

Jigs: Weight, dark/light, trailers. Style dependent on water.

Spinnerbaits: Single, tandem -dark and light. Extra blades, and trailer hooks.

Worm box and bags: Sticks, straight tail, swimming tail, finesse. T-rig, Carolina, drop-shot, split-shot, wacky, flick-shake -rigging materials not all that much in a small box.

Tubes/grubs/creatures: Light and dark.

Big Lures: Swimbaits, big plugs, 10-13inch worms. Optional box, since big fish are mutually exclusive to much of the above, requiring more time than tackle.

Marker buoys: made from large floats.

Hook file, leader material, nippers, hemostats, pliers, extra spools are in/on my compartmented flotation vest, or backpack.

Ruthless:

I'm careful not to get caught up in the hype. I try not to be lure crazy. Lures are tools -not magic. But I value versatility. In the course of a trip I may only use 4 or 6 different options, but over the course of a month I'll go through them all. I trade lure count for versatility; I don't have space for too many duplicates, except for certain lures that I tend to GoTo in a given water body. Except for soft plastics I carry one or two of each lure type. If I lose a lure I may have to simply make do with something else. Most water bodies allow for that.

All lures are pre-configured, tested and ready to fish, so I don't have dead weight with me. I bring trailers, jigheads, stick-on lead, spinner blades, etc... to adjust basic controls on the water.

Thanks Paul, that is very informative since on your tube you would have the same space restrictions I have and I always want to have what I need in any body of water.

I think I am going to have something like you describe, for instance, I know I will always use a Texas rigged worm and a dropshot, all the weights and hooks can go on one box and keep the plastics on my binder, then have a few cranks and plugs on different boxes according to where I go, and different sizes on another box.

Here in Az it is sunny basically year round so I don't have to have "cloudy lures" with me. A pond I go to is only 10' depth and stained water, no need to bring the deep diving cranks, and need bright lures; while I can use those at the Colorado river.

Thanks again everyone for the help.