Crankbait organization

[BigBassin144]

I know most of you guys organize your cranks by depth. That's what I'm trying to do. What do you consider shallow, medium, and deep?

Since I don't have many cranks deeper than 10', I've got mine set up like this so far:

0-5 = shallow
6-9 = medium
10+ = deep

And one more thing, if you set yours up like my example, what would you do with a crank that dives 4-7'?

Thanks,
BB

[Gbassman]

thats my basic set-up also, as for the 4-7 footer, i would put it in the medium range section.it takes a while to get it just like you like it, but when you do, you'll be happy.

[Bassboss]

Well, I don't have enough cranks to do that, but if I did, than I would do what you're doing, sounds like a great idea to me! To place the 4-7, I would have to know what lb test you're using! If you're using like 12, I would but it in the 0-5, but any thing less than that, go with 5-9!

[Mac2]

If your storage box has separate compartments, use a fine point sharpie marker to mark the numbers on the bottom of the diving lip or belly of the plug. You can also do this for plugs kept in larger compartments meaning several plugs put in together, just keep the shallower ones to the left and getting deeper to the right. You can also change colors of the sharpies.....red for shallow, blue for medium, black for deep ranges.

[JB]

I've got mine divided by depth, the manns minus one type baits I have in 0-1 foot, another plano with bandits or bombers that go about 2-4 feet, then another tray with cranks that go 5-7, then another with anything over that depth and all the lipless traps that can sink to any depth. Within that storage pattern I like to keep similiar colors together.

[zooker]

actaully mine gets pretty messed up thru use.. but i basicly put same baits togather..dt6 in one compartment, shad raps in one, jointed shad raps in another, bandit 100 by them selfs..

here this should give ya an idea..of how i got mine set up... these are workin boxes








oh parden the oak pollen on the tonka toy hood..

zooker

[Lancer6]

Speaking of organizing...
My main complaint is that, unless there's a make, model, depth printed or otherwise indicated on the lure, once I toss the package it came in I immediately forget those bits of data.
For example, the other day I was gifted with all the Strike King cranks in Sexy Shad (so well as the Diamond Shad and topwater popper.) I opened the blister packs, added hook bonnets (See: "Stab wounds" below.) changed to pear-shaped split rings (a "must" for me,) and tried to etch the depth range in tiny characters, underneath and behind the lip on each one. I used a fine pointed black pen and all looked great.
As I was trying to stuff the new toys into the box I noted that the ink, though given plenty of time to dry, was smearing AND the pen had not made sufficient impressions on the paint to make the info decipherable...Oh well.
About those hook bonnets...They do reduce the available space in whatever you store your hard baits in BUT...they DO make it easy to paw through a pod of lures and extract the lure of choice without "Selecting" maybe six more with it or being treated for multiple stab wounds. Further, keeping a bonnet on trebles when a lure is rigged prevents engagement of line/lures on other rods...and multiple stab wounds.
Of course, NO ONE should leave a lure a-dangle at the tip of a rod; That's what lure keepers are for; This cute litte add-ons at or near the foregrip.
Not sold on keepers and bonnets? Try this little test: The next time you are out, put bonnets on HALF the lures that have trebles, except for the rearmost treble...attach that to the lure keeper. Leave the lures, regardless of type, a-droop from the rod tips.
As you fish through the day you'll find you're often compelled to separate rigs from other rigs before you can react to sudden burst of schooling activity; nicking line (which, hopefully, you'll detect and waste more time correcting via retying, and, especially with T-rigs, knocking the guide insert out of the rod tip. You won't have these issues with the rigs you've added bonnets to and secured via use of the lure keeper.
Keep a little mental tally of the time wasted with the unsecured and bonnetless rigs versus the "time on target" efficiency of the others; You'll get the picture.
You'll REALLY learn a lesson re unsecured lures if one rod gets kicked or bounced over the side and takes three more with it. Yes, it DOES happen.
Well, you say, "Wot about T-rigs and other single hook rigs?" OK, easy...A spinner bait, jig, or even a T-rig can be secured at the keeper. For T-rigs just expose the hook a bit, the rebury the point and straighten the lure before casting...get it? Or...you can buy or make little Velcro(TM) strap thingies that wrap around, just behind the foregrip, that can secure the T-rigs w/o messing up the rig...just slip the Velcro tab through the belly of the hook and secure.
Reb will tell you that, more than once, when fishing in the dark, I've tossed a lure with the bonnet(s) still attached. Well, that will happen now and then but I won't let that outweigh the benefits of bonnets.
(Yeah, I know, another thread wandering off-topic.)
Lastly, it only takes a couple of seconds to release a lure from the keeper, remove the bonnet(s) and stuff them in a pocket and it takes very little time to reverse the process before you pick up another rod. Above all, it takes FAR less time to manage the those rigs than it does to untangle the others.

Ignore my advice at your own peril

L6

[carolina-rig-01]

lancer, the pharmacist my wife used to work for gave her an ultra fine point permanent marker that has some kind of use in the field of developing film (really not sure why a pharmacist would have such a creature but anyways) this marker is what i use to mark the depth on my crankbaits and it doesn't smear or wear off. all the marker says on it is illustrator photo-graphic. i don't know if you can find on or not but it would be worth a try.

bb i have my crankbaits divided into 2 catagories. less than 10' and 10'+. i have several boxes for both catagories and try to take it a step further by dividing my crankbaits by model and color as well. i use crankbaits a ton but usually i only use crankbaits in a few models and colors. for example i use bomber 7a in firetiger and brown crawdad, bomber fat a in firetiger and red crawdad, spro little john in spooky shad, strike king series 4,5,and 6 in sexy shad so i keep all of these crankbaits seperated by models and colors as well as the 10' deal i mentioned earlier. it makes it a lot easier to find what i am after this way, plus i have probably at least 20 of the bombers in all the colors and models i mentioned and probably at least 7 of each of the sexy shad crankbaits in each series i mentioned as well so this way they all have their own boxes. all my other crankbaits that i don't have mass amounts of just get seperated by diving depth like i talked about earler. on a side note i mainly stick to these crankbait models and colors because i think that a lot of guys overwhelm themselves by having too many different crankbaits in too many colors.

you need to find a system that works well for you and stick with it. it is hard to keep things organized and be able to find them quickly and what works for one guy may not work for another.

[BigBassin144]

I've gotten to the point where I can't remember how deep all my baits dive. So I too have started marking most of them w/ a fine tip sharpie. The few I don't mark are the ones I use all the time that I have memorized. Like the Bandit 100's. I do like the Rapala DT series because they all have the diving depth on the lip.

Right now, I've got all my cranks in 3 Falcon FTO boxes. I did change the depths a bit though. I've got a shallow, with 0-4' divers. The medium with 5-9' Divers. and the Deep with 10+ and ones that don't fit in the other boxes (like the DT FAT 3).

BB

[zooker]

the bottom picture has some truly massive cranks in it.. to compare them the bottom row has a dt 16 on the left side..

zooker

[BigBassin144]

Holy crap Zook, that mustard colored one is a DT16?! wow, some of those are big.

BB

Oh yeah I'll try to get some pictures tomarrow.

[bamabassman]

still trying to figure out a way to organize, hahahahahaha.

[3dkicker]

Two choices
Topwater, Very Shallow (baby 1 or footloose), Shallow (to 4'), Medium (to 8'), Deep (to 12'), and Very Deep (12'+). One more box is just for proven warriors and depth doesn't matter.
or
Have a box for each brand and put the shallow ones up front and the deep ones in the back (or reverse it).

[basstech]

I keep mine organized by manufacturer, then depth, and then color selection. It makes it easier to remember the patterns doing it that way. Say for the DT series, you know basically they have the 3's and 7's which are coffin billed baits, then the 4's, 6's, 10's, and 16's. not to mention those are printed on the bills. But it's a pattern to go by with bomber's, Rapala Shad raps, strike king/bandits, and so on. You can also use those little file stickers to label that particular section of your box as well or just use a sharpy on it, although either way the info. is likely to peel or rub off. I used to use a good fresh sharpy to mark it on the bill.

[zooker]

Originally Posted by BigBassin144

Holy crap Zook, that mustard colored one is a DT16?! wow, some of those are big.

BB

Oh yeah I'll try to get some pictures tomarrow.

wait till i let ya take a look at it in person...


zooker

[Rebbasser]

Reb will tell you that, more than once, when fishing in the dark, I've tossed a lure with the bonnet(s) still attached.

He has, but it only takes one cast to discover the error.

I have them separated by depth-shallow, medium, deep, etc. I used to separate by color but depth works better.

[CCbass]

I got known as a shallow cranker, to me that means 4-7 feet, medium 8-12 feet, deep 15+ feet. I always want to fish my crank above the fish or at there actual level. Between 4 feet and the surface I use surface lures for that area of water.