I am in the process of designing and building a tackle storage bin
for the trunk of my auto...and I am using the general concepts of
the tackle tote bin as a reference.

I really like the concept of the tackle solutions tackle tote, but for
some reason, I really want to customize my own.

I was wondering if anyone has built such a bin, or had any design
ideas...or pics of their solutions. The bin I am building is specific to
surfcasting. I searched the forums but found slim pickings.

Building a plug storage bin - YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OIp8v2sCCII)

The above was posted some time ago and seems to be well thought
out, but I really like a hanger style storage over a tube and
something more enclosed/spill proof. Like...if the thing gets
knocked over...I am not going to be pissed.

I don't have a dedicated vehicle for fishing....so the storage needs
to be portable and durable. I am hoping to make something that I
can just throw in the trunk and have the confidence that I have
everything....including wading belt and plug bags.

Thanks.

I have toyed around with several different storage bins for my vehicles over the years. The thing I always end up back at is that the more gear I place in an easy-to-move bin, the easier it is for a would-be thief to steal all my stuff in one neat package. While I used to travel with a bin similar to the one shown there in my truck at all times "just in case", I now only travel with a small back-up surf bag of extra gear. I figure if I ever get broken into I will only lose a small piece of my gear.
However, for home storage of my gear I use a commercial fish tote with cut-up plastic drain pipes to hold the lures.

The thing I always end up back at is that the more gear I place in an easy-to-move bin, the easier it is for a would-be thief to steal all my stuff in one neat package.

Ah! Understood...and it makes a ton of sense.

The tricky thing for me, is that I tend to go on 3-4 day runs to
different locations. That is the primary purpose of the bin. Road
trips. On these trips I do not fish with a specific plan and improvise
as I go....so often the trip will be a bit of a wildcard. When I fish
my home area, I just bring whats on my belt.

I guess I am playing roulette, with having a big loss if I get my car
broken into. At the same time, I don't want to be out buying some
plug that I forgot to pack at home. But you bring up a good point.
Perhaps I can chain the thing to the car somehow....at least make
it more difficult for the casual crook.

I have several surf bags that I use as storage, but they are a pain
to locate in the trunk with the ton of other crap...and when it
comes to quick glance identification and access ...I am often on the
losing end of the memory game.

Puppet, if it's in a trunk and out of site, it's less likely someone will try to break into your car. Most break ins are crimes of opportunity because someone saw something through a vehicle window that's worth money. I leave a bunch of plano boxes filled with plugs in my trunk all season and have never worried about a break in. I like the idea of having something a little bigger that could hold everything, though. Maybe it's something I'll consider this year.

It would be a major bummer to have your gear lifted by some chump,but your auto insurance will cover it,not sure what your de ductable is....
But some comfort.
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Instead of the bin I use a half size white bucket. Ideally the ones that frosting comes in as they're square instead of round. Downspout pipe for the tubes. Doesn't spill everywhere if you tip it over (at least the plugs stay contained, will probably fall into the tubes) and no one can see what's inside. Best part is it's cheap.

I use the storage system for at home. Works great, easily stacked and placed out of sight.

For the truck I do what Toby does.

Plug bag filled then some back ups if the conditions change or I hit more than a few spots.

I made a small storage bin using a smaller bin and downspout, keep all my spools and rinds/jigs on one side and tubes on the other, only holds about 12 plugs, more than enough.

Best part is it comes out super easy and fast.

I have one for the surf and one that's mostly canal stuff.
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What does "organized" mean? I'm a slob...I hang all my extra plugs and jigs off the sides of trunk carpet and put my boots/waders/top in an open tote in the trunk. But all the plugs hang right there and never tangle so it works for me.

What does "organized" mean? I'm a slob...I hang all my extra plugs and jigs off the sides of trunk carpet and put my boots/waders/top in an open tote in the trunk. But all the plugs hang right there and never tangle so it works for me.

If I had a dedicated machine for fishing, I would probably do the
same thing....especially if it were a truck.

We have two cars and its often a coin toss which one I am taking.
Looking to make a container to wrangle the maddness. Sick of
wondering where a plug is...buried in a tube in one of the five plug
bags....or is it in the tangled ectoplasmic blob of lures that are in
that cardboard box that I toss plugs in.

Looks like I need two solutions...a better home storage...and a
better auto storage. I also need to stop buying plugs in general...I
have plugs I bought 4 years ago that have never seen water.

Perhaps I should just get a truck.

I've carried a good amount of stuff around with me the last two seasons in a milk crate setup like that only to come to the realization that I never used half of it. I never liked the thought of having hundreds of dollars in plugs sitting back in the truck so this year I intend to carry a lot less with me through the season.

Puppet, I built that to the exact specifications that Ron lists in the video. The staples crate is cool, but the middle of the bottom dips over time, causing the tubes to not sit flat... not a cool look. If you use that system (which I LOVE by the way) you should consider getting a crate a bit more substantial than the staples one.

If I had a dedicated machine for fishing, I would probably do the
same thing....especially if it were a truck.

We have two cars and its often a coin toss which one I am taking.

My car is a rat..and my wife won't even get in it during fishing season it usually smells so bad..she's not fond of eel stench , smelly fishing gear, and hooks everywhere so that works good for me! I do like the open tote to throw my waders and stuff in, I'm sure I could make something to keep them neat, my problem is I would never put the stuff back in the organizer and would have a big ball of tangled plugs on top of the organizer..I would think making a tote into an organizer would take a little creativity but wouldnt be bad to do.

My car is a rat..and my wife won't even get in it during fishing season it usually smells so bad..she's not fond of eel stench , smelly fishing gear, and hooks everywhere so that works good for me! I do like the open tote to throw my waders and stuff in, I'm sure I could make something to keep them neat, my problem is I would never put the stuff back in the organizer and would have a big ball of tangled plugs on top of the organizer..I would think making a tote into an organizer would take a little creativity but wouldnt be bad to do.

Sounds like you created the ideal briar patch.

For my waders, wetsuit, and boots....I have been using a cement
mixing tub with a metal grate set in about 2 inched from the
bottom. The metal grate keeps the contents from sitting in sand
and water...sometimes I will throw some plugs on it too , but its
primary purpose is to keep the items from draining saltwater and
sand into the carpet. I like it, because when not in use it has a
pretty low profile and I use it to dump all my bucktails and lures in
to rinse down and dry out in the garage.

http://www.harborfreight.com/media/catalog/product/cache/1/image/9df78eab33525d08d6e5fb8d27136e95/i/m/image_7525.jpg

Thanks all! ... for the responses. I think I am just gonna build the
thing. Worst case, I can always use it for home storage.

One thing I have been struggling to communicate is that the usage
of this bin is for road trips. Last year, most of my road trips were
solo and in foreign water, so often I had no prior knowledge of
presence of bait or even the type of water I would target.

I totally hear those of you going for less is more, and agree that
most of the time I just cycle through a half dozen lures. I mostly
chuck bucktails and softplastics, and would prefer not to bring the
kitchen sink with me on road trips. At the same time, I am still
learning, and part of the fun is learning how to be more versatile
with different approaches. I am still in the phase where I want to
have options.

Part of the intention of the bin...is also to cull down some of the
stuff that I will bring. Like...if it doesn't fit in the bin...it stays home.
As of last year...My limitation was pretty much the size of the cargo
area. Needless to say...I had a heap back there.

I used a tackle bag I got on sale from #^&#^&#^&#^&s. It held 3 plano boxes, and a small one on top for my squid jigs. I hear you about the road trips and not wanting to miss out because you forgot something. My bag had a couple pounds of lead weights, a bait knife, filet knife, 3 extra spools for my 3 rods, rags, all terminal tackle and hooks, as well as 2 spools of line, and 1 spool of flouro leader. I also kept a seperate plano box w/handle for my soft plastics. But, that carried all my stuff and was easy enough and didn't take up a ton of room. Something to think about.

I put my wet gear in bus buckets I get at work, boots, gloves and plug bag in one, wetsuit and jacket in the other. Cheap and easy
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For my waders, wetsuit, and boots....I have been using a cement
mixing tub with a metal grate set in about 2 inched from the
bottom.
I do something similar, but it's a lighter weight tub that Benny's sells for utility purposes. I had two but I used one to mix concrete :hihi:

I made two plug boxes this winter similar to the milk crate model. Used the jumbo Really Useful Box that Staples sells (they're really expensive but I've got a work discount that's pretty good) filled with sections of schedule 30 PVC. I used two lengths of the pipe and can set boxes or other stuff on top of the shorter plugs.

Plan to keep all my plugs in the two boxes and probably keep one in the car when fishing. No jokes :smash::rotf2:

-spence

I just put all my crap in a big tote, with a sticker on the top that reads "Job Applications". My truck has been broken into many times, in fact I don't even lock it anymore - noone has ever even opened the tote.
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...now where are those Bio Hazard stickers? He..he..he..

I picked up a couple of these at Wal-mart to put gear in. You can stand a bunch of large Plano boxes on there side in these.

http://i.walmartimages.com/i/p/11/13/00/02/24/1113000224855_500X500.jpg

I just put all my crap in a big tote, with a sticker on the top that reads "Job Applications". My truck has been broken into many times, in fact I don't even lock it anymore - noone has ever even opened the tote.
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:rotf2: good one!
used to keep mucho backup gear in my truck- no more with all the lowlifes breaking into vehicles.

If you build your own, look into central vacuum tubing. It can be found at Home Depot or Lowes. It is like regular plastic pipe, but much thinner walled, so it wastes less space in the box.

Only one solution...

Trunk Monkey 2 - YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xGPVD2Fdh0k)

you know that rubber crap that lines the trunk near the top? yea that where most of my shiz ends up hanging.

Also another advantage of having a crappy little car where you put the rods halfway through the back seat, reels are out of sight, out of mind to the would be theif.

No lie my fishing gear in there during the summer is worth at least 2x my car value :rotf2:

i just use the large blue bins (the ones that have the interlocking tops with the holes for zip ties) from rite aid with pvc inserts..use another one for my waders and boots...

The young man who makes the "tackle tote" box is going to have a booth at RISSA and is going to be discounting his product quite a bit from what he told me. I fish with him on the Vineyard, and had this conversation at the end of the derby. He doesn't advertise here, but is a derby sponser, and also helps with getting children fishing trips with the make-a-wish foundation. Good guy. I wont mention him by name or actual full-name of his product out of respect to our sponsers.

Plan to keep all my plugs in the two boxes and probably keep one in the car when fishing. No jokes :smash::rotf2:

-spence

Please? Please, just one joke? It's killing me.:devil2:

On a side note, for those with pick up trucks with a enclosed cap, how are you guys locking and securing the hitch and cap door? I bought a cap so I can store gear in the back, but now am not that convinced that it will be secure... Not sure i would want to keep a spare rod and reel in there... the handle has a lock, but you could easily pry the side of the cap door with a flat screw driver. I might drill and install a pad-lock hinge... doesnt look nice, but im after security, not looks.

Anyone have any solutions?

"Black Out" the cap windows with paint or fabric (curtains that can be pulled aside while diving if you choose). A co-worker of mine also attached magnetic contacts to the tailgate and cap and wired them to his alarm. If either one is opened, the truck's alarm goes off.

Google Lakewood products and checkout their saltwater storage locker been using one for 2 years best set up I've ever seen for plug storage on a road trip
A060 - Salt Water Fishing Locker [A060] - $179.99 : Lakewood Products, Cases for the Sportsman (http://www.lakewoodproducts.com/shop/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=4&products_id=41)
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Google Lakewood products and checkout their saltwater storage locker been using one for 2 years best set up I've ever seen for plug storage on a road trip

Cool. I looked at a similar one made by Flambeau.The Maximizer Bait Cube...
its a a little smaller and a few bucks cheaper. I think these are categorized as storage for muskie lures.
http://www.flambeauoutdoors.com/images/products/Fishing/full/2781-1.jpg

Both are good options, but I think I am going to steal ideas from all
the methods in the thread and build my own thing. I am going with
a bin style as the base....but it will have attributes of the others.

These will be the features of the bin

1. Storage for about 30-40 plugs - linear hanger style
2. Storage for soft plastics and bucktails - tray style
3. Storage for duplicate plugs - container style
4. Storage/access points for tools...bolt cutters, scissors, screwdrivers, tape...
5. Leader and line dispensers
6. Storage for surf belt and plug bag
7. Illuminated interior
8. Spill proof...as...if I knock it over everything stays put.
9. Latching lid and possibly some lock down method
10. Self contained wash down....gonna fit it with a drain plug

The idea being that it is a sort of mini workstation module that is a
one stop location where I can find everything and quickly prep or
modify my surf bag on an outing or between locations. One thing I
don't like about the tube style storage methods...is that it is
natural to have the tendency to over pack them. In doing so... its
impossible to quickly locate a plug and extract it....so the primary
method of storage will be a linear hanger style. It may limit the
amount of lures I bring, but I consider it a feature. If I can't cover
the bases with 30-40 plugs for a 4 day outing...then there is
probably something wrong. I use either a 2 or 3 tube plug bag
when I fish....and like to fish light. 30 plugs is typically what I bring
on a 4 day outing and up until this point they have been tucked
into different plug bags and boxes. I am hoping this bin will help to
centralize things....and cut down on my fumbling around in a dark
trunk.

Nothing is safe...remember that.
A friend of mine has (had) a dedicated fishing truck. He had nearly all his gear stored in there. hundreds of plugs, reels rods you name it it was in his truck. I asked him about it and he said, I don't have to think about where anything is, if it is fishing related it is in my truck. Well, one day while fishing and driving on the beach his truck caught fire. It got out of hand and he started tossing gear from his truck to the sand...well it exploded and sent a ball of fire to the gear he tossed to the side. He lost everything. it melted or burned everything, he showed me a hopkins that he found in the sand post burn...it was a heat-treated purple . If you go to the site today (years after the incident) you can still see the black burn mark (true story)

I have plug and tackle bins all started out very organized in hopes of making things simpler...the fact is they all end up a jumbled disaster of disorganized mess all stuffed into one container after multiple outings... Accept it... you'll be more content

Only one solution...

Trunk Monkey 2 - YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xGPVD2Fdh0k)
:biglaugh:
I needed that, thanks Mat

Puppet,,, 5 gal. Bucket, or two 2 1/2

On back with sciatic, Gup

I have plug and tackle bins all started out very organized in hopes of making things simpler...the fact is they all end up a jumbled disaster of disorganized mess all stuffed into one container after multiple outings... Accept it... you'll be more content


I have to agree. I Just keep a tote for wet stuff and a tote for dry stuff and accept the chaos.
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i just use the large blue bins (the ones that have the interlocking tops with the holes for zip ties) from rite aid with pvc inserts..use another one for my waders and boots...

Exactly what I use. Uniform interior dimensions, and you can't lose the lids :)

Everyone has different needs....whatever works for you and your style is best. I have 6 bags from cabala's that hold about 6 or so plano 3700 boxes each. I have the bags broken down by style of the plugs I am most likely to use during the season.. I also keep a bucket with a base that prevent flipping in the truck for loose crap that gets created during each trip. I re-org the bucket and bags as needed from time to time. I only take my plug bag with about 6-8 plugs with me when I leave the truck. (I have over 100 plano boxes stored in closets at home for back up)
The cabala bags are relatively inexpensive and are easy to put in and take out of the vehicle and prevent plastic boxes from flying all over the place. For waders and wetsuit I use a laundry basket.
Not the ideal system for everyone but it works for me. I take stuff in and out of the vehicle all the time. Most times I only take a few bags depending on where I go.

On the boat I keep all the boat tackle stuff in drawers and storage lockers. I rarely remove it during the season. (except for rods and reels which always go home get cleaned and are stored in a rack in the garage in the summer and in an attic in the winter.