By: Nik Dimich & Becca Kent, Plano Pro Staff
Mark Twain once said, “The secret of getting ahead is getting started.” Planostrongly agrees. And when it comes to fishing, that’s the first step followed by the next cast. Before we can leap frog to the lake and hear the sounds of moving current and see ripples of the water as our hardware is cast with precision and retrieved with confidence anticipating a fish strike, we first have to get started by getting our fishing gear organized before we make our way to the lake, river or stream.
Taking the right steps before arriving at the landing will make your routine easier so you can get to fishtails slapping and lures jingling. It will also make your time on the water more efficient so you can spend more time fishing rather than searching for or forgetting valuable gear. If you want to receive the fruits of your labor for your passion of fishing and the great outdoors, preparation is paramount. Remember, it all starts with organization.
Take the time and organize your boats with “must haves” that we had stored away for the season. These “must haves” include such things as a fire extinguisher, safety paddle, extra dock rope, anchors, navigation lights, throw-able boat cushion, extra life jackets, medical kits and various other items needed for safety precautions.
After the “must haves” fall in line, we can move to the necessities that were once luxuries. These include multiple fishing rods and reels specific to multi-specie fishing where different techniques are required. An example would be a variety of lure presentations and rod and reel combinations with different line and rod/reel combinations. Having a variety of rods for casting, trolling, rigging, spinning, jigging will allow for a smooth transition when easing from jig fishing for crappies in the morning with a light action rod spooled with monofilament to pulling out a bait caster to pitch for bass by high noon or trolling for walleyes at sunset. If you caught my drift, multi-specie fishing requires changing presentations and this is best done by organizing your rod and reel combinations.
When you have your rods right, get your tackle in order by going through the old and new, sorting them according to what worked and which are in need of recycling last. Doing so will allow you to know what is in each Plano StowAway Utility. This organization will ensure you will know what tackle is where. Whether sorted by color, artificial plastic baits, spinner baits, buzz baits, crank baits, jerkbaits, swimbaits, jigs, various hardware weights and swivels when you need a specie-specific presentation you will know where it is. Other considerations could go to drop shot rigs, hardware for varying depths such as barrel swivels and bullet inline sinkers, a variety of different size hooks and color combinations, plastics and so on. If you want to go to the max in prep, you can even separate jigs into size and color combinations and categorize your crank baits by size used for certain depths. The list goes on.
Plano has also added to the meaning of “on board” which is: available or situated on a ship (boat), aircraft or other vehicle. This is precisely why Plano has introduced the3600 and 3700 On-Board Series Bag for the 2016 season. By having the ability to transfer 3600 or 3700 Plano organizing tackle boxes from your garage, house or from multiple in-boat storages will allow you to get your specific “go to” tackle for fishing a selected specie.
The On-Board series is highly portable and makes transportation to the lake a walk in the park. This series will definitely allow you to spend more time fishing as you won’t be searching for lures after jumping into a buddy’s boat, fishing from shore or heading to the cabin or resort for the a weekend on the water. All you have to do is grab your top lure boxes specific to your day of fishing and you will soon be saying, “Fish on!”
Be “On-Board” with Plano this season and your tackle will be as intertwined as braided line.
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