Soft plastic baits can be a great way to catch fish and if you are anything like me you have a ton of them laying around. With so many different type of baits in our tackle collections it can be hard to figure out a good way to store and organize your soft plastics.
Over the years I have experimented and tried some different soft bait storage methods and thought it would be helpful to all of you if I shared some of the best soft plastic storage solutions and ideas that I have come across.
In this post you’ll learn some great ways to store your soft plastic baits regardless if you are fishing from the shore, a boat or in a kayak. We will also share some tips and tricks that will help make your baits last longer and stay protected.
Let’s get started.
Storing and Organizing Soft Plastics
One of the first things I learned about storing plastic baits is that there is a ton of different ways to go about it. Each anglers seems to have his or her own preferred method.
There isn’t a right or wrong way to do it. The most important thing is that you find a storage system that works best for you in your situation.
Regardless of how you store your soft plastic baits, I believe you should select a system and method that will help you accomplish the following things:
- Bait protection
- Quick access
- Easily organized
- Fits your space
- Can be easily transported
Here are some of the best soft plastic storage system ideas that will help you stay organized and keep your soft plastics protected:
5 Soft Plastic Bait Storage Ideas
Soft Bait Organizer
The soft bait plastic organizer is fantastic way to organize and store your soft plastic baits. I’ve recently switched from storing all of my soft plastic baits in Ziplock bags to storing them in these soft bait organizers and it’s made a big difference.
What I like about this storage system is that I get to keep all of my baits in their original packaging. This helps contain the baits scent and salt, keeping them nice and fresh. I also like the file drawer design with removable dividers that make it easy to separate and organize my plastics into different categories.
These plastic storage bins are also easy to carry to carry, they can hold a lot of baits and are stackable. Making them a great soft bait storage system for boats, kayaks and other situations.
If you are looking for a new way to store you soft plastic baits than these storage organizers are a great option. You can view this on Amazon by clicking here.
Soft Bait Binder
The soft bait binder is an excellent way to easily access your soft plastic baits and keep them organized and protected.
These tackle bags are a great way to manage your soft plastics and are perfect for a quick trip to the river, pond, out on your kayak or when fishing in your buddy’s boat.
If you are the type of angler that is always on the go and traveling this is a great system for you. This system is light, easy to carry and a great way to stay organized and efficient.
Most of the soft bait binders come with plenty of space to store all of your plastics in and have additional room to store terminal tackle as well.
The light weight, flexibility, and ability to be easily be transported is what makes these bait binders a solid storage method for your soft plastic baits.
Here are a few of the best soft bait binders out there:
- Most Affordable: Berkley Soft Bait Binder
- Mid Range: Reaction Tackle Deluxe Tackle Binder
- High End: KastKing Bait Storage Bag
- Best for Storing Z-Man Products: Z-MAN Binder
Ziploc Freezer Bags
I’ve used Ziploc freezer bags to store my soft plastic baits in their original packaging for years and it works great. It’s cheap, simple and makes things easy to organize.
There are a few ways to approach this method, feel free to adjust this to fit your needs.
For me, I keep my soft plastics in their original packaging and add them to a quality Ziploc freezer bag, the ordinary Ziploc bags don’t’ last as long. keeping the baits in their original packaging helps keep the plastic fresh and contains the scent and salt.
It also helps me remember the name, size and color of the bait I was using incase I wanted to load up on some more later.
I prefer to organize my soft plastics by technique. For example, I have a drop shot specific bag, that I place all of my drop shot style baits in. I also have a bag specialized for jig trailers, swimbaits, flukes, senkos, creature baits and so on and so forth.
I also know a lot of anglers that will organize their plastic by color and size, but there are a ton different ways you could approach this storage method.
I used to write the label directly onto the bag, but the marker would fade fast making it unreadable over time. To address this issue I started putting a piece of duct tape on the bag and writing the label there. This seems to last longer and hold up better.
Overall using Ziploc bags is a solid option for storing your soft plastic baits. It’s easy, affordable and they can be easily organized and transported. If you haven’t tried this one already this could be a great system for you.
You can pick these pretty much anywhere, I like the ones that have zipper the best. Here is a link on amazon if you wanna check them out: Ziplock Freezer Bags.
Cheap Plastic Bins
Another solid idea is to keep your soft plastics in their original packaging and organize and store them into plastic bins.
This is a simple and affordable way to organized and protect your soft plastics. You can find plastic bins in all shapes and sizes at Walmart and Amazon to fit your specific needs.
In my experience a clear shoe box sized box is a perfect fit for storing your soft plastic baits in. You can pick these up super cheap and it’s a great way to stay organized.
Another approach that I’ll take is to put all of my baits in a Ziploc bag and then put all of these bags into a big plastic bin. This adds more protection and allows me to quickly take it in and out of my boat if needed.
All in all, finding some cheap plastic bins can be a great way to keep yourself organized and your baits protected. Give this method a try, I would highly recommend this approach. Here is a solid option on Amazon.
Plastic Utility Box
Using a plastic utility box is another way I have stored my soft plastic baits over there years. I still use this method a lot when I am in a kayak or fishing from the bank. This also works great in fishing tournament situations when you need to be able to access your baits quickly.
For this storage method, I’ll take out all of my soft plastics out of their packaging and put them in their own section of the utility box. Most of the utility boxes out there come with adjustable dividers, allowing you to customize the different compartments.
For this method it’s important to point out that the baits tend to not last as long from what I have experienced. The scent of each bait seems to mix together, some lose their saltiness and the boxes retain water and heat causing potential issues.
However, overall this can be a solid option in certain situations and is a great way to easily store and access your plastic baits.
Here are some recommendations if you decide to go this route:
- Kast King Tackle Box
- Plano Storaway Box Pack
- Plano Worm Stowaway (best for storing them in their packages)
Make sure to check out My Recommended Bass Fishing Gear and Tackle Guide to ensure you have the right gear for your next fishing adventure.
FAQ Soft Plastic Fishing Baits
How Long Do Soft Plastic Baits Last?
Many anglers often wonder how long do plastic fishing baits last? The answer to this question is pretty simple. As long as your plastic baits don’t melt and aren’t scented they can last a very long time.
However, if you are using scented baits or leave your baits out in the sun they won’t last as long. A great way to recycle your old plastic baits is to melt them down and mold them into new baits.
Here is a great article that shows you how to recycle your old soft plastic baits: Recycling your Ripped Plastics
Final Thoughts
A big part of maximizing your time out on the water is tackle organization. When the fish are biting the last thing you want to be doing is fumbling around wondering where that bag of soft plastic baits went.
I hope this post has given you some ideas of some of the best ways to store your own collection of soft plastic baits and that you use this information to help protect your baits and keep yourself better organized. In doing so you’ll be able to be more efficient and maximize your fishing time out on the water.
Tight Lines
Aaron