Whether you live on a boat—or just love to boat, you know that space is always a premium on your vessel, especially on center consoles and other boats designed for serious fishing. But finding the perfect spot for your fishing gear shouldn’t be harder than finding that perfect fishing spot. By learning a few tricks to get you organized, your next story won’t be about the one that got away, but about all the space you freed. Here’s 5 steps you can take to help you take less space.

1. Stuff Less Stuff.

Every fishing trip calls for its own unique gear, but that doesn’t mean you need to give every rod, reel and tackle box you own permission to board. Consider what kinds of gear make sense for which types of trips, and organize them into sets that are ready to grab-and-go. To maximize your boat storage, consider stowing gear in the back of your vehicle, so that you always have your land yacht ready if you need to come back to shore to quickly change out your inventory.

2. Create More Space Out Of Thin Air.

Use the same vacuum sealer you save food in your kitchen with to save space on your boat. Storing gear in bags is a great way to keep things organized, but it’s the extra air in those bags that take up all the room. With a vacuum sealer, you can use less space for your bagged items, or you can bag more items. And vacuum sealing your gear not only creates more space, it creates safer space, as this shrinking effect also creates a waterproof seal.

3. Get More Space Rearranging Your Spaces.

When you can get 4 adults and a bunch of food and drinks around the 5X5 table on your boat, you’ve achieved maximum efficiency with your space. But after the meal, that table is now taking up very valuable real estate. Consider investing in a stowable table that either folds up compactly or can be easily packed away in an underneath compartment.

4. Create A Space Trap.

They’re called cargo nets for a reason. These elastic nets allow you to reimagine the space you have, converting any flat surface you can find into a storage center for loose items that always seem to get in the way. Cargo nets not only stretch to hold gear that’s practically any size, but when there’s nothing in them, they take virtually no space at all.

5. Share Your Space.

Instead of giving different items their own space, you can get creative with finding multiple uses for the same space. For instance, there’s a new piece of space-saving gear out right now that’s making waves for anglers everywhere called the 3 Bills Fast Fighting Gimbal. This handy, stainless steel contraption optimizes the space on smaller to mid-sized vessels by taking the place (and freeing the space) of expensive fighting chairs. Simply attached the Gimbal to the side of your cooler, and your rod will be positioned to produce the proper leverage when landing the biggest fish. No drills, no clamps, just your cooler and your rod. And right now the 3 Bills Fast Fighting Gimbal is just $125 on Go Gear Direct.

So try out a few of these tips, and the next time you’ve got your boat all packed up, maybe you won’t feel so packed in!