Cleaning and Organizing Fishing Gear Storage on Your Bass Boat
Getting organized may be hard, but dealing with the consequences of a disorganized bass boat is even harder. Maybe you’re heading out early in the morning to a great fishing spot to catch some largemouth bass. When you arrive at the lake, you realize you left your lures at home, your reel is corroded and won’t move freely, and your line has frays and kinks.
At this point, you would have no choice but to turn around and either go home or to the nearest pro shop. But you can avoid this scenario! With a single session of preparation, you can organize and clean all your fishing gear so that you’ll be prepared whenever you want to get out on the water.
Getting and Staying Organized
When done correctly, organizing your gear is, for the most part, a one-time event. And with a little maintenance and regular cleaning, you can make sure your boat stays ready for your next adventure.
Organization may take a bit of effort, but by following these straightforward tips, you can essentially set it and forget it.
Determine What Kind of Fisherman You Are
Are you a saltwater angler? Will you be spending your time looking for bass underneath logjams? Whether you’re a weekend warrior or a year-round angler, your gear and even your boat will be drastically different depending on what kind of fisherman you are.
For example, saltwater corrodes metals up to 10 times as fast as freshwater, so your cleaning habits will be different depending on which you prefer.
Clean Your Boat
It can be tough to understand how dirty a boat can get until you clean it. With the right supplies, such as wash mitts, brushes, and wash and wax soap, you can make sure saltwater doesn’t pit your hull, dirt and grime won’t build up, and mold won’t form.
You can also prevent microorganisms from latching onto your boat and contaminating different waterways. Make it a habit to rinse down your boat after being out on the water, and give it a thorough wash every 4 to 12 weeks, depending on how much time your boat spends in saltwater.
A clean, organized boat is a boat you’ll want to go fishing in. A little organization goes a long way!
Spread Everything Out
You can’t organize gear if you don’t know what you have. If you have a large, empty, flat floor in an area with no traffic, you can start there or set out a tarp. Wherever you spread your gear out, the area should be clean and have no chance of kids or pets coming through.
Associate the Types of Similar Gear
Putting the same types of gear together is organization 101. Put rods with rods, reels with reels, and lures with lures. It might be tempting to put rigs together, such as your deep-sea rig or your shallow freshwater rig. But that’s something you can determine as you go out on those particular fishing trips.
Keeping all your similar gear together saves a lot of space and means you always know where to find it.
Clean and Prepare All of Your Equipment for Storage
All sinkers, hooks, leaders, and swivels need to get a good cleaning after using them. After drying them, apply some lubricant. This keeps them from getting rusty. Remember, some hooks rust and degrade on purpose so that they don’t stay in a fish forever should your line snap. Cleaning your hooks will keep them from rusting prematurely.
Rinse your rods and reels from top to bottom back home to get rid of dirt, salt, and other substances that can lead to rust. Dry everything off with a microfiber cloth, and inspect your equipment for rust or corrosion.
Make sure your fishing line gets a thorough inspection to see if there are any kinks or frays before storage as well. Also, if you use monofilament, you need to let it rest and untwist every now and then with a slow and easy reel while it’s in the water.
This is a good idea if you use fluorocarbon lines, too. You can keep spare spools of line in a compartment on your boat as well.
Organize Tackle By Species
If you fish for different species of fish, you’ll want to organize your tackle according to species. Plastic utility boxes are great for this and are inexpensive, but you need to make sure you get waterproof ones. Use individual compartments to hold your lures, and ensure they’re clearly labeled.
You might even have a dedicated storage area in your bass boat that can easily fit the boxes. Place it right next to your boat cleaning kit. You can also repurpose plastic containers for DIY tackle storage, such as medicine bottles or film canisters, or buy new ones that fit in the compartments of your utility boxes.
You will want to measure the boxes and your storage compartment to verify that they’re compatible. If not, then you may want to create a storage area on your boat, such as by installing a waterproof storage compartment in an out-of-the-way location.
Label Everything
If you’re the kind of angler who likes to use live bait or natural bait, set aside a spot in your fridge with clear labeling. You’ll also want to label all of your lines, reels, and rods clearly for easy access.
Similarly, if you use soft bait, keep it in the original package and place those packages in larger plastic bags grouped according to type. You can label the larger bags to keep them organized.
Create a Dedicated Spot for Fishing Gear Storage
Since constant direct sunlight isn’t good for fishing gear, set aside a location that’s shady and temperature-controlled. This location will be your fishing gear storage spot. There should be a rack for rods, a padded and waterproof storage container for reels, and any lures not already on the boat.
Ideally, this location should be on the way to your vehicle or boat so that you can’t miss it as you walk past.
Enjoy Your Boat and Fishing Gear
Don’t let organization and cleaning prevent you from enjoying your time fishing. With these simple tips, you can stay ready for the water anytime. A little time and effort up front will go a long way in helping you enjoy a better fishing experience all around, no matter what type of fisherman you are.
Author Bio:Nick Heisler is the Customer Service Manager at Captains Preferred Products. Nick has over 15 years of experience in the fishing industry. From off-shore fishing to commercial boat services, he has worked with Major boating brands and prestigious boats. His experience assists with Captains Preferred Products marine customers. CPP specializes in bringing high-grade marine products to everyday consumers.
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Wesley Anderson
Wesley lives in Georgia and has spent the last 30 years hiking, camping, and fishing. Wesley has been in the fishing online industry since 2011 and loves sharing his knowledge of fishing products and fishing techniques. In order to give readers hands on knowledge, we've put hundreds on products to the test.
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