So if you’ve been following Wired2Fish.com for a while, you’ve been watching our man cave videos about tackle preparation, boat maintenance, casting practice, lure creation and more. Several folks have commented about wanting to see more of our actual “caves”, so we thought we’d share a little more of what we think makes for a great man cave for an avid angler.
First thing is storage space. You’ve got to have places to store all your great gear when it’s not in the boat or when you have more than a person or boat can physically carry. We use everything from Plano storage boxes and bags to Rubbermaid totes to pegboard and hooks to wire shelving.
First you need places to store your bulk plastics. Some guys hang them on pegboard, but I personally prefer to keep it somewhat out of site in my man cave with large Rubbermaid totes. Then the stuff I’m going to be using during a season might travel with me in the truck with Plano XL boxes and in Plano bags in the boat.
Next I’ll store excess hard baits and terminal tackle on my pegboard. I try to organize by brand, bait and color. Baits that I’ve had a lot of success on in the past, I make a point to stock up on. I can’t tell you how many baits over the years were producers for me only to find out they quit making them and I ran out. Now I try to keep several on pegs and the rest in my Plano boxes.
My boat baits stay in Plano boxes, but I keep a storage area on my workbench just for my boat Plano boxes. That way I can reorganize boxes, leave boxes I know I won’t need for certain fisheries or seasons on the bench and keep my fishing simple and weight reduced in the boat.
The other necessisty is a place to store your rods. I opted to store mine over head and out of sight. I can store nearly 30 combos on the hanging rack that is nothing more than a couple 1x2s with hooks on them hanging from chain. It cost me about $15 to make. Now I don’t have rods cluttering up a wall or corner in the garage.
The last thing a mancave needs is a big surface to work on. I pour jigs, tie skirts, paint lures, swap hooks, die plastics, tinker with rigs, spool reels, clean and maintain tackle, etc.
Some other great options are comfortable chairs, couches or places to chill. A refrigerator with some “man beverages” is a nice addition and I’ve even seen a couple with small flat screen TV’s to watch the game while you work on tackle.
One of the best ones I ever saw was in Rogers, Ark. This avid angler could fit his truck and boat in there. The building was a seperate shop from his house. He had a wall for hanging rods. A wall for peg board and baits. One side of the shop had a couch, refrigerator, a giant flat screen TV, a leather couch, and bunk beds. He said some weekends he slept out there and just played with tackle all weekend.
I haven’t been forced to sleep in my man cave yet, but I like the idea of having my home away from home out in the MAN CAVE.
Now ladies I know the man cave moniker might sound a bit sexist. Lady anglers are more than welcome in the man cave. But it is nice to have a place where I can go and clear my head for a few minutes while I dream about days of yanking on big bass again.
