Jigs (bucktails and metals) allow anglers to work the entire water column for a multitude of species in freshwater and saltwater. Their versatility is virtually un-matched. Fishing them is easy. Storing them is not so easy. Hence, my inspiration to develop a jig crate.

Making your own jig crate is easy. The only materials you need are 1.5″ diameter SDR PVC pipe and a milk crate. The tools you need are a miter saw, a tape measure, and a pair of safety glasses.

The first step is to cut the jig tubes. The length of the jig tubes depends on the type of jigs you want to store. I use 4.5″ lengths for my bucktail jigs and 6″ and 8″ lengths for my metal jigs. A milk create will store 49 1.5″ diameter jig tubes evenly. That’s 49 cuts! I use a piece of 2″ x 4″ stock as a guide/stop so that I cut the jig tubes at the respective length and save time measuring.

Once all the jig tubes are cut, insert them into the milk create. You can use a 11.5″ long piece of plexiglas to sub-divide and organize the jigs, like you would sub-divide a Plano box. I like to separate my surf bucktails from my canal buck tails.

Alternatively, you can use a jig crate specifically for surf bucktails (1/2 oz to 4 oz) and thin profile jigs using 1″ diameter SDR PVC pipe. A milk create will store 81 1″ diameter tubes evenly! That’s 81 cuts!! Use a piece of 2″ x 4″ stock as a guide/stop!!!

Building your own low-cost jig crate gives you a versatile storage solution. You can organize you jigs by size, color, type, or application. You can also stack your jig crates to minimize their foot print. Your jigs are versatile. Your jig storage should also be versatile! 😉

I target fish via fly in freshwater and saltwater. In calm and in gear-breaking conditions. I cast small and BIG flies. Hence, I created my own fly box.

Making your own fly box is easy. All you need is:

1. Plano water-proof box without any internal dividers
2. Styrofoam (recycled or from a craft store like Michael’s)
3. Ruler
4. Permanent Marker
5. Scissors

Measure the interior width and length of the Plano box. Mark the styrofoam with the measured width and length via permanent marker. Using the scissors, cut the styrofoam outside the lines. Insert the styrofoam rectangle inside the box and trim as required. The styrofoam needs to be slightly wider and longer than the interior of the Plano box so that it pushes against the sides and thus does not fall out when you open the box.  For additional security, use super glue or epoxy to permanently mount the styrofoam to the bottom of the Plano box.

This inexpensive fly box is feature rich. It can hold more flies than I can fish in a single trip or tide. The internal volume allows for flies with big hooks. The hard outer shell can take abuse from extreme conditions. The rubber gasket and three latches keep my flies dry. Now that’s fishconomic!