Combat Cabin Fever - Organize Your Tackle!
January 8, 2010
If you haven’t turned on the weather channel or stuck your head out the window lately, it's pretty cold over much of the country and even down here in South Carolina where I live. It's also that in- between time of year when previous year’s tournaments are over and a new season looms on the horizon. For me that spells one thing; getting all of my tackle organized for the new season. 
Over the last 25 years of doing this for a living I have tried every possible to manage all of the tackle I’ve accumulated and believe me, it does pile up. If you’re like me every bait, rod, reel and accessory has a place, even if it's been awhile since it's appeared in the line up. I still have stuff from 10 years ago that has yet to touch water, but knowing where it is presents the opportunity that some day I may need it and can find it quickly.
Here is my routine and if you follow these steps to become better organized, you will not only cool down the cabin fever a bit but also become better acquainted with your gear.
I have maintained a certain ritual: after every trip I will totally clear out my boat and move everything into my tackle storage area, put everything away and start over for the next trip. This benefits me a couple of ways. By building a specific arsenal and loading it in my Phoenix Bass Boat I can really eliminate a lot of weight by not carrying unwanted gear. This also helps me manage what I need to re-stock from the previous trip to make sure I have what I need on hand, and lastly helps me become intimate with specifically dialing into how I am going to be fishing an upcoming trip.
Once I have all my gear back in the tackle room I organize it so I know where everything is. I’ve tried a variety of systems from shelving units to those plastic rolling bins you can purchase at most department stores, and depending upon how much stuff you need to store these may work well. My problem has become the sheer amount of gear I need to organize so I now have all of my gear loaded on peg board on all four walls of my tackle room. This method has become a very simple way for me to know exactly what I have at a quick glance. I have everything organized about the room by type or category of tackle. It’s essentially a little tackle store! Additionally, all of my overstock and duplicate gear is stored and labeled in those plastic tubs so I can re-stock my main supply when needed.
I also maintain a place for all the staple gear that goes into my boat; clear plastic divider boxes with hard baits, hooks, heads, plastics, etc. The cool thing about my Phoenix Boat is that it has two large storage compartments in the front that will incorporate any combination of these boxes. The first compartment has a section that fits a variety of the larger boxes while an inside, smaller platform fits the smaller boxes and other items nicely. For extra boxes, the front most compartment has a cool concept called TRS - Tackle Rotating System. This system incorporates a Lazy Susan-type devise that holds al
l of my smaller boxes in place. When I need something I just give it a spin and find what I want with minimal effort.
Lastly, I use a label maker to identify all of my gear and help me keep it organized. I can get really detailed and use different color labels depending upon what the items are. Crankbaits get a certain color, top waters get another and so on. If I need to get something quickly I just grab for a color. I even color coordinate all of my excess stored tackle just to keep things consistent.
So there you have it - my prescription for cabin fever and becoming a more organized angler for 2010. Now get to it!