I sometimes think that February was created to give us fewer days deep in the heart of winter, and to help us realize that open water is not far off.

However, fisherman can still be put the shortest month to good use. And not necessarily ice fishing, which I’m sure a lot of open-water fishermen participate in.

I don’t ice fish. And I’m not crazy enough to locate a sharp-pointed shovel and hit the frozen yard, for exercise or any other reason. But there are other holes that all fishermen can fill instead. Notably: tackle boxes.

I used to consider doing that earlier in the offseason, but that got in the way of the holidays. Plus, I found my heart wasn’t in it after slinging baits all season. Letting the boxes set for a spell was decent therapy, and even brought back memories of the season past as I restocked my boxes.

We all have different ideas about how to fish and how to organize our tackle. I begin with the boxes I use the most and go from there.

When I start, I look at the box to see where the divots got whacked out of it. I focus on empty slots, or those close to it. From there, I look at where the slots are still close to full and decide if I need to add new stuff in place of the lures not used.

We all probably have different types of baits. I have several boxes, each covering a different type. Work out your restocking schedule based on how many different species you chase and how many boxes you put together.

Basically, I hunt largemouth and smallmouth bass. While there are a ton of different versions of the same bait types on the market, I don’t go hog-wild. I’m select in my choices.

I start with stick worms. Five-inch Yamamoto Senkos rank high. I go with black with blue flake. I also go with a few 4-inch MaxScent Generals in black and blue for finesse. I add a 5-inch green pumpkin for variance. And a Max Scent 4-inch Flat Worm for drop-shotting. If there’s room, I slide in several 5-inch white Senkos, which are good for skipping docks.

MaxScent also makes a Power Chunk that is very similar in size to the old Uncle Josh No. 11 pork frog. And there’s a larger trailer called the Meaty Chunk. Both work on the backs of jigs. MaxScent’s Creature Hawg is a larger, Beaver-styled bait that works on jigs or rigged on a no. 4/0 Texas rig. Weight is based on depth, so a variety of weights are always aboard.

Tubes play a big role for both species. A 4 1/4-inch Yum Vibra Tube rigged Texas-style works for largemouths, as it pushes water and more vibration due to its ribbed body. Green pumpkin or watermelon seed work here. I go with 2 1/2-inch MaxScent tubes for finesse and smallmouth, and 3 1/2-inch and 4-inch tubes as variations. Baitfish and crawfish colors work well for both species.

And I usually stock a small number of 7- and 10-inch PowerBait worms. The big ones are especially good for low-light and night presentations.

Space-wise, I carry Z-bend worm hooks from 1/0 to 5/0 sizes, and cone-shaped worm sinkers from 1/16- through 1/2-ounce sizes. I put in a few 1-ounce weights for punching. If your budget allows money for tungsten weights, I look at the 1/2-ounce size to give you weight delivered in a smaller size.

Jigworm heads allow you to fish worms along weed lines. I like to carry 90-degree-eye heads up to 1/2-ounce sizes for tubes. Also get some with a 60-degree hook eye angle. The angled hook is good for dragging tubes, while the 90-degree head pops up off bottom, then spirals back down, like the perfect injured baitfish.

I used my plastics box as an example here. Follow a similar process on the baits in your other boxes. I have boxes for jigs, shallow and deep crankbaits, jerkbaits, surface lures, and hooks and weights.

Looking at how you stock your most-used bait boxes provides a pattern to follow as you restock your other tackle holders for the coming season. Once you get in the habit, you should be able to just grab your boxes and hit the water. And more importantly, have the baits you have confidence in ready, as well as a few that you might work into the mix in the future.