How to Make the Most with Your Boat Storage Capacity

Have you ever found yourself without the one piece of tackle you absolutely needed to cash in on a hot bite? Do you spend an inordinate amount of time going through your boat’s compartments just to swap lures? If the answer to either of those questions is “yes,” it’s probably time for you to inventory your tackle and adopt an onboard storage system that will keep it all tidy and handy.

Except for my last 3 years on the pro redfish tour (when I ran bay boats to extend my range), I’ve always owned flats skiffs under 19 feet in length. Sight-fishing the shallows is my jam, so skiffs designed to float and stalk fish in skinny water have been my rides of choice. Of course, fishing from a skiff comes with a few tradeoffs, one of them being somewhat limited storage space, a shortcoming many other small-boat owners also deal with.

DEDICATED SPACE

During my tourney days, I always carried a substantial amount of tackle to cover every possible eventuality, so it wasn’t easy to pare down when I gave up competitive angling. But with the goal of making it easier to keep track of my tackle supply and to swiftly locate whatever I might need to rig next, I chose to constrain my tackle storage to a single boat compartment located portside in the aft deck.

I then tasked myself with finding a suitable way to fit—in organized fashion—a wide range of lures and terminal gear in the limited real estate, an undertaking made even more challenging by my need to protect every item from the harsh saltwater environs I often frequent.

I began the process by measuring the dimensions of the chosen compartment. Then, I made a list of the types of tackle I hoped to keep in separate containers, before moving on to looking for tackle storage options that would allow me to do just that.

CHOICES, CHOICES

The vast selection of tackle management systems available from brands like Plano, Flambeau, T-H Marine, Beyond Fishing, Reaction Tackle, KastKing and others prolonged my search, as I closely examined their features and sizes, and gauged their likely durability. After weighing my options, I eventually decided the versatility of tackle trays and the fact that they enabled me to make the most of my storage space trumped the neatness of racks and tackle organizers.

Plano’s EDGE series, offering an incredible array of feature-rich specialty boxes to house all kinds of lures and hardware, was tempting. However, I eventually settled for the more budget-friendly Waterproof Stowaway series from Plano ($12-$18; planooutdoors.com) and Flambeau’s Ultimate Tuff Tainers ($14-$17; flambeauoutdoors.com). I knew both to be pretty durable, and they come in a variety of standard sizes, depths and configurations, all with an O-ring seal in the lid that delivers my desired waterproofing.

MAKING ROOM

Combining three of the deep 3700-size trays and 9 of the slim ones, I managed to provide individual housing for my topwaters, lipless crankbaits, square-bill cranks and wakers, spinnerbaits, bladed jigs, spoons, hard jerkbaits, soft jerkbaits, swimbaits, paddle-tail grubs, curly-tail grubs and shrimp lures.

In order to fit all those tackle trays, they were placed standing on end, one group facing fore and another facing starboard. I inserted two 1/4-inch-thick polyethylene cutting boards into the compartment to serve as dividers, which keep the rest of the trays in place when I pull one out and provide gaps on the sides for more stuff.

Taking advantage of said gaps, four 3600-size trays were added to store jig heads, hooks and swivels, sinkers, and spare spinner blades and skirts, while a pair of 10-inch mesh pouches with hook-and-loop closure that I found on eBay hold plastic worms and frogs.

To top it all off, I bought a storage pocket from TackleWebs (tacklewebs.com) with marine-grade, hook-and-loop backing to mount on the inside of the compartment hatch, where my fishing pliers, leader material and a fillet knife now reside. To identify the contents of every tackle tray, I simply printed clear labels for each and stuck them where I can easily see them when I open the compartment.

ON THE ROAD

Since I sometimes travel to fish waters far from home and my boat is left unattended overnight, I found a clear-plastic storage container with dimensions similar to my boat compartment’s that lets me stash all my gear—in the right order—in my hotel room. The next morning, I quickly transfer it all back to the boat. Said container came with a lid that I rarely use but comes in handy when I’m forced to transfer my tackle while it’s raining or if the hotel room is small and I need to stack things in a corner.

GET INSPIRED

Obviously, the dimensions and configurations of boats differ greatly, as do anglers’ intended targets and tackle needs. My hope is that my system will motivate you to finally take stock and do away with the tackle chaos that can rob you of precious fishing time and opportunities. If you have the space and the budget, the fix should be an easy one. Otherwise, a little creativity can provide excellent alternatives that will make your time on the water more efficient and productive.

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• This article was featured in the June/July 2025 issue of Game & Fish magazine. Click to subscribe.

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