Like bakers who sift their flour to lighten their batters and doughs, anglers who fluff through their tackle now stand a better chance to succeed when they return to the lakes this spring.

The ice is melting, the days are getting longer and we’re prepping our boats and fishing equipment for our return to Mosquito, Pymatuning, Milton, Berlin, West Branch, Shenango, Erie and all of our other favorite waters.

If you are like me, you have accumulated enough tackle to outfit your entire neighborhood. It’s good to be ready for anything, but problematic when you must sort through all that stuff to find the perfect lure.

The truth is the perfect crankbait, jig or spinner is as likely as not to be in the middle of a tangle that requires valuable fishing time to unravel for action.

Time invested today in sifting through the lures you plan to use this season will lighten your load and make your fishing hours more productive.

Fewer is better in many aspects of living. Fewer calories. Fewer rainy days. Fewer taxes. You get the picture. Fewer of many things results in fewer headaches.

Who needs headaches out on the water? We have enough to worry about without fretting over finding the right lure as quickly as possible. Will the outboard start? Are the batteries going dead? Will the weather turn nasty? Will the fish bite? Where are my chartreuse jig heads?

I began to appreciate the less-is-better tackle system many years ago, but I must purge annually to avoid back-sliding into the abyss of dark, impenetrable jumbles of plugs, worms, spinners, hooks, sinkers and interesting but unnecessary accessories.

The purge can be valuable in many ways.

My lure system is a product of decades of experience on every lake within 60 miles of Youngstown. Over the years, I have gained confidence in certain lures for different lakes. What’s more, I have learned what lures do not produce for me.

I organize my lures in see-through Plano boxes. A quick glance reveals the contents and whether I should stow that box aboard the Bass Cat for my next fishing trip. The boxes are stacked on shelves next to the boat’s berth in the garage.

Admittedly, my system is not rocket science. It’s simple and practical, which are two of my principal drivers in my approach to fishing these days.

The purge is as therapeutic as it is practical. Dumping each box on the work bench serves up the opportunity to examine each lure individually before returning them to the box. Each has a story that returns to my mind during the inspection, reminding me of lessons learned out on the lakes.

I consider whether that lure has ever caught a fish, whether it is in fishable condition and whether it even belongs in the box. If the answer is “no” to any of those considerations, the lure does not go back in the box.

Years of experience have underscored the need to fish lightly. I can save 50 pounds of weight and gain an extra mile-per-hour or two on the water when I take only the stuff I need for that particular body of water.

For example, when I go to Lake Erie, I have no need for flipping sticks, frog rods and the arsenal of heavy jigs, bullet sinkers and surface lures that produce at Mosquito and Pymatuning. When I go to the Ohio River, I take only the essentials for a day chasing smallies in the current.

All things considered, I have found that sifting and sorting is my best recipe for fishing lightly for maximum success.

Jack Wollitz writes this column weekly for readers of the Tribune Chronicle and Vindicator. Contact him at jackbbaass@gmail.com.