Anyone who reads the columns and articles on this site gets lots of information about how to pack tackle and how to pack that tackle in your boat. It’s good information and it’ll give you ideas that’ll help increase your fishing efficiency. But, it’s still your tackle and your boat. In many cases you’ll be better off doing things your way.
The best example of what I’m talking about is Mike Iaconelli and his hand throttle. He might be one of only a couple of pros who use one on his outboard. His thinking is that he likes to sit up in the seat when he prefishes or scouts new water. He also likes the run his outboard at a fast idle when he does this.
The hand throttle lets him do both things. He can watch his electronics, the water and the surrounding terrain without worrying about trying to stretch his leg to operate a Hot Foot.
What he does is different and it wouldn’t work for most of the rest of us. But that’s not the point. It works for him. And, given his record, it works well.
With that in mind I’m going to talk a little about how I pack tackle in my boat. Maybe it’ll give you some ideas that’ll work for you.
One thing I do is pack my terminal tackle in small Plano plastic boxes and then put them in a Tupperware tub in my front locker. I put specific items such as long shank hooks, short shank hooks, light sinkers, heavy sinkers and stuff like that by themselves so that I can just reach in and grab whatever I need quickly. I mark the boxes clearly and with big lettering to make that process even easier. I’ve sent in a picture to better show you what I’m talking about.
I know a lot of guys put them in bigger boxes and sort them differently. That’s OK. It’s not about right or wrong. It’s about developing a system that works for me.
Another thing is that I like to put my plastic lures in thin Plano boxes. I put each specific design in one box and then use the individual compartments in the box to sort them by color. This works better for me than the plastic bags that many anglers like. I’ve sent in a picture of how I do that, too.
The final thing I want to mention will probably be a little controversial. I know that you read all the time about weight distribution in your boat and how it affects performance. Unless I’m going to make an unbelievably long run I don’t pay any attention to it.
My Legend boat is huge and my Mercury outboard is powerful. I get where I’m going fast enough. When I come up short at a weigh-in it’s not because my boat needed to be 2 mph faster. Speed and fuel efficiency matter, but knowing where to go and how to catch them when you get there matter more. Like everything else I’ve said, however, it’s up to you.
It’s your boat. Pack it your way.