I have tried many different ways of storing soft plastic baits - taking them out of their package and putting them in divided plastic boxes, using soft side wraps and leaving them in their original package, and putting packages in a couple of  plano 3731. How would be the best way to categorize and store in your tackle bag?

Eric

Life Member - NAFC. Come check out what I do for extra fishing money

I have all my soft plastics in there original packaging inside a tackle bag. My tackle bag is more like a binder with pages. Each page has 2 zipper compartments to keep the bait seperate. I seperate them by size and type. All the same size worm in one zipper, lizzards in one, tubes in one, and so on. This works okay for me.
Lifer! Fred NKy

I use three ring notebook binders, the wide, large capacity ones. Then fill them with the clear plastic sleeves used to protect paper pages. Place soft plastics in their packages into the plastic sleeves. This works great and is easy to page through to find what you want.     Happy fishing.

Phoenix Arizona

~N.A.F.C.~B.A.S.S.~BoatU.S.~N.R.A.~A.M.A.~

I always felt that keeping artificials in their original package(providing it can be re-sealed)is the best way to retain any scent they may have. I like the 3 ring idea for organizing them.

Tom

Fishin' fool in NE Illinois

I use the binder bags. I usually take the bait out and but it into the bags that come with the binder. I have a bunch of binder bags that I label with a sharpie marker with their contents, and then I put them all in a cooler to keep them dry in the boat. 

The only thing I don't but into the binder bags it the heavily scented stuff like power bait, and chompers products. I keep those in the original packaging, and in a separate rubbermaid box of their own.

 

 

Angry Bob NAFC Life Member Registered Smallie Fanatic SE WI

Bob:

Thanks for the tip, it's worth a try. I just started fishing soft plastics heavily last year, so I am still experimenting.

We ought to try and get together this season. I am at the State line almost every weekend and by necessity always buy a Wi. ticket. We fish out of Northpoint and it is just to close to the line to risk not having both licenses.

Tom

Fishin' fool in NE Illinois

We'll see what we can do Tom. I don't go south too much. I fish Beulah pretty much, but mostly at night to avoid the crowds. As far as the plastics go, I have them coming out of my ears. I like to fish jigworms alot, along with senkos, and superflukes. I'm gonna try to fish jigs more this year.

 

 

Angry Bob NAFC Life Member Registered Smallie Fanatic SE WI

Here's a bag I put together years ago. I don't care for the way that the various plastic's fumes are interacting with each other...or the boxes themselves...but the general layout still is working in my head though

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I'm going to end up putting much of this stuff into ziploc baggies...to keep the various plastics from eating away at each other.

But I hope you guys can see the "multi-species" angle of the whole bag.

Life Member David BB Linkmeister US Army '78-'85 West Central Wisconsin

Keep them all in there original packaging and then just keep them sorted into different categories from there, by mixing brands of plastics even colors within the same brand you cause mixing of coloring, some plastics react with eachother the same way a twister tail reacts with a cork foam bobber. they eat eachother, its just by far easier to keep them in the original packaging everyone knows I use strictly artificials for my targeting my eyes and I have over 200 packages of different types of plastics in my one "jigging" bag, they are all kept in original packaging from experience there is no better alternative they dont dry out they dont stick together and they dont mix coloring. My 2 cents.  I  also for damn sure dont stick painted heads in the same box with any plastics cause some of them that still use laquer paints will eat your plastics as well and dont mix brands either on your jig heads some of the paints have a chemical reaction with eachother as well.
Its easier to Judge then be Judged, Its better to be Judged and Learn from it. Holdrege, Nebraska

Ya, I don't store painted heads with soft plastics either, or soft plastics with anything else for that matter.  Some of them plastics will eat the finish right off of spoons and crankbaits...

 

 

LM since 2005 Bushwacker Deputy Sherif from S.E. Pa.

Thanks everyone for your input, I will use this info to make up my plastic storage bags and boxes.
Life Member - NAFC. Come check out what I do for extra fishing money

Gee Dave, If I send you a grocery bag of stuff, will you organize it for me??
I can only dream of being so well organized!
               Prober

LOL prober  but if you saw just how much stuff I have here...you'd be AFRAID of your stuff getting lost here

 

I can relate to the "bag" thing though....there's been a few times when I went and bought a bunch of stuff...then had to integrate those bags of STUFF into what I already had. In fact....I recently unboxed some lures that I had bought over 3 years ago....and that ended up in a BAG shoved off into a corner

 

I will say this though....that once you go through and organize....it's easy to keep it that way....plus...you have a feeling of satisfaction once the task is done.

 

Eric...once you get set up...take a couple of pics and let us see what you did ...and how you went about it

 

 

Life Member David BB Linkmeister US Army '78-'85 West Central Wisconsin

The trick to being organized is to get there and STAY there. Once you have your stuff organized, don't buy something and just throw it in a pile, put whatever you buy with other like items so that when you want it, it is where you can find it. It doesn't help to own a piece of tackle or package of baits that you can't find! Tom
Fishin' fool in NE Illinois

I keep plastics in their original bags. I have a few zip lock sandwich bags for some that no longer have bags. The bags are in boxes by type (worms, creatures, grubs, tubes) and the boxes are in tackle bags.

I'll agree with Hoss...the best thing to keep them in is that bag they come in. It is already labeled with the contents, plus it contains whatever "juice" the manufacturer uses. Then you can store the bags in whatever tackle box or bag you choose.

worm binders or zip lock bags scented ones i keep in the original bag in the worm binder or zip lock .
You can also add a bit of attractant to the bag and seal it up the attractant will seep into the plastic bait given time.