I’m all about tackle. I love it. It gives me great pleasure to look at it, hold it up to the light and show it to my friends. It’s almost sensual to play with it.
But the truth is that I have too much of it. I carry stuff I don’t need and will never use. This year will be different. I’m organizing everything and leaving behind a huge portion of what I own and usually carry with me.
Example: When I started this project I ran across a whole bunch of finesse worms, the short and thin type. Now, they’re great worms, made by one of the best manufacturers in the industry. They will catch bass. They are not, however, something I’ll ever use in a tournament. I’m not a light tackle, finesse kind of angler. I go with (and for) the big ones. That’s the world in which I live.
So why are they in my truck? I have no idea other than once upon a time I probably decided that someday, somewhere I might need one. That didn’t happen, and I knew it wouldn’t happen when I put them in my truck.
I took a number of photos for this column. Let’s talk about what they show.
This was my starting point. Tell me, how can anybody fish efficiently with that? They can’t. Even if you did need something you wouldn’t be able to find it.
And there’s even more over in the corner.
This is a part of what I removed.
This photo shows my jerkbait boxes. I fish with jerkbaits a lot so I carry several, but I don’t need all of those. I reduced everything to one bigger box. Carrying a dozen types in all sorts of different colors isn’t necessary. I know the schedule and I know what I’ll be throwing. “Just in case” isn’t a plan, and it won’t help me win.
When I’m done everything fits neatly into my truck and it’s organized so that I can find what I need.
The reason I’m taking the time to do this is because I carry way too much tackle. Having a collection of everything doesn’t help me catch bass. In fact, in most cases it’s just the opposite. Too much is confusing and causes you to overthink things. Catching bass is about finding them and then making them bite.
I removed at least a third of what I normally carry for the 2017 season and I still have more than I will ever use.
The message here is to not be afraid to downsize your fishing tackle inventory. It won’t make you less of an angler, or less of a man. Using one bait efficiently is much better than carrying around a dozen baits and throwing them mindlessly into the water.
I used myself as an example for this column because I didn’t want it to sound like I was picking on recreational or club anglers. It’s a universal problem that affects pros and amateurs alike.