Configuring Your Boat for Optimal Fishing

One of the most revealing things about a fisherman and his angling style is his boat and how it’s been organized and configured for fishing. Here’s a war zone shot of a typical evening of rigging and prep work before a next morning trip. [Those of you wanting to see more, I will take more photos this spring]

Organizing my boat and gear is important to optimize time on the water, and to fish more efficiently. The most important thing is to know exactly where everything is stored at, from jigs and terminal tackle, plastics and cranks, spools of fluoro, catch and release tools, rods and reels. I’m picky and maintain organized standards, and each year I stay consistent with the way that I organize the boat, rig up my rods on deck, and prepare for the next day of fishing.

The biggest turnoff a fishing guide could do to potential customers is being messy and cluttered, with crap scattered all over the place, not having pride in the work-space and lack of organization. I don’t blame anyone for not hiring that guy. Don’t be that guy. I’ve fished with some messy folks who are like that, and it degraded my fishing experience. Guided anglers demand excellence. As your host, I demand excellence of myself, and organization/ tidiness of my boat.

I used to keep bags of soft plastics and organize them according to type, or simply stored them in soft tackle bags….. I used to bundle my bags of plastics by the dozens, which led to disarray. Now all I use for storage of plastics are Plano 3600 and 3700 clear boxes. I keep all my colors and baits separated, which prevents bleeding and deformities. The clear Planos are durable, and I can consolidate or remove/replace boxes whenever I want. I also don’t have to dig through my boat’s storage areas in order to find what I need. I label boxes according to lure type/ classification. Between my front deck and starboard storage compartments, I keep about 20 Plano 3700’s. Whatever not needed is either left behind in the garage or kept in vehicle. My system promotes easy access, and I can be back to fishing within seconds. Grab box, open box, take lure, return box where you found it.

As for my terminal tackle, which is the heaviest box in the boat filled with tungsten sinkers, Trokar and Eagle Claw Fishing hooks, jigs and more, all I use for storage is a Plano Double-Cover Lock Jaw box. It’s the red colored thing you see in the picture on my front deck. It’s large enough to fit all of my terminal tackle in one convenient place, and strong enough to support the heavy weight of jigs and sinkers. For $15, it’s the most affordable storage container you will find for this type of product and what it’s meant to do.

My two front main compartments, below front deck extension and starboard side, are filled with Plano utility boxes and soft tackle bags loaded with lures, soft plastics, and other terminal tackle. I also keep a few small boxes of spinnerbaits, spare spools of line, and other components and accessories. Beneath the deck extension storage, I also keep a few gallons of Amsoil HP marine oil, boat bumpers, and spare life jackets in a dry bag.

Port-side storage then is used as a rod locker. I keep up to 25 rods in the boat, and what’s not on deck and left unused are wrapped in THE ROD GLOVE, protected. This allows me to keep a lot of Vexan Fishing rods and Quantum Fishing rods and reels in the boat, free of tangles and mess.

The rear starboard compartment then is used as dry-storage for clothing, weather suit, or can be used as my boat’s cooler with ice for the day’s drinks and food.

Each compartment in my boat is packed with a specific purpose in mind. Throughout the season things will get out-of-place, but every so often I’ll revamp and make sure things are organized where they should be.

What I’m getting at with this post is not showing off my boat layout and how I like to care for it and keep it organized, but everybody’s boat and fishing configuration is different. Use your boat’s layout and storage to its fullest potential. Customize your layouts and storage space according to your needs, requirements, and preferred style of fishing. Be efficient with your angling and time spent on the water. Stay consistent in how storage is utilized annually, so you may easily remember the compartment or storage box your favorite lures are being kept at.

Freedom Tackle Corp. / Cortland Line / Dynamic Lures / The Stankxbaitco / Super K Fishing