Soft Plastics Maintenance: Keep Your Lures in Top Condition
Last spring, I was getting ready for a tournament on Kentucky Lake, and I was going through my tackle box sorting out my Soft Plastics. I found an old pack of worms I'd had for a couple years, and when I pulled one out it was all sticky and the plastic had started to break down. I'd had a lot of good days with that color, but it was completely unusable. That got me thinking – most anglers don't talk much about maintaining soft plastics, but if you take care of them properly, they'll last a lot longer and save you money in the long run. Today I want to share what I've learned over 20 years of fishing soft plastics.
It doesn't take much time to do basic maintenance, and it saves you money, so let's dive in.
Why Do Soft Plastics Go Bad Anyway?
Soft plastic lures are made with plasticizers that keep them flexible and soft. Over time, these plasticizers can leach out, especially when the lures are stored in high heat or in contact with the wrong materials. When the plasticizers leach out, the plastic gets hard, brittle, and sticky – it just doesn't have the same action in the water anymore, and it won't catch fish as well.
Here are the main things that speed up the process:
- Heat: Leaving your soft plastics in a hot boat or your car trunk in the summer will make the plasticizer leach out much faster.
- Wrong storage materials: Storing soft plastics in certain types of plastic containers can cause chemical reactions that break down the lures.
- Water left on the lures: Putting wet lures back into the package promotes mold growth and breaks down the plastic faster.
- Contact with hard baits: The paint on Hard Baits can react with soft plastics if they're stored together for a long time.
The good news is that with just a few simple storage and maintenance habits, you can make your soft plastics last twice as long, which saves you money.
Basic Storage Tips for Long Life
Storage is 90% of the battle when it comes to making soft plastics last. Follow these simple rules:
1. Store in a Cool, Dry Place
Never leave your soft plastics in your boat or your car during the hot summer months. When you're done fishing for the day, take your tackle box inside where it's cool. Heat is the number one killer of soft plastics, so this one simple step will make them last much longer.
2. Use the Right Containers
Store your loose soft plastics in polypropylene plastic containers – this material doesn't react with the soft plastic plasticizers, so your lures stay flexible longer. Divided polypropylene tackle boxes work great for storing soft plastics organized by color and size.
What materials should you avoid? Don't store soft plastics long-term in PVC or polystyrene containers – these materials can react with the soft plastic and make them go bad faster.
3. Keep Different Colors Separated
Don't put all your soft plastics mixed together in one big container. Some darker colors can bleed into lighter colors, especially when the temperature is high. Keep different colors separate or at least group darks together and lights together to prevent color bleeding.
4. Don't Store Soft Plastics with Hard Baits and Metal Lures
The paint on hard baits can react with soft plastics over time, and it can make your soft plastics get sticky faster. Store soft plastics in their own compartment separate from hard baits and metal lures.
5. Dry Them Before Storing
After a day of fishing, make sure your soft plastics are dry before you put them away. Any water left on the lures can promote mold growth, especially if they're going to be stored for a while. Just lay them out on a towel for a few minutes to dry before putting them back in your tackle box.
How to Revive Sticky Soft Plastics
If your soft plastics have started to get a little sticky but they're not completely gone yet, you can often revive them with this simple trick:
- Rinse each lure individually with cool clean water to remove the oily residue that's come to the surface.
- Lay them out on a clean towel and pat them dry completely.
- Lightly dust them with plain unscented baby powder – the baby powder absorbs the excess oil that's leached out and makes them less sticky.
- Put them back into a clean cool dry container and they're good to go.
This trick doesn't work if they're already really hard and brittle – if they're that far gone, it's time to replace them. But if they've just started to get sticky, this can give them new life and save you money.
What Other Anglers Are Saying
"I used to just throw all my soft plastics in a big box and replace them every year because they'd get all sticky. After following these storage tips, my lures last two full seasons now, and I save a ton of money. Such simple advice that makes a big difference. Great information."
– Chris D., Tennessee USA
"I fish a lot in Florida, and it gets really hot here. I used to have to replace all my soft plastics every season because they'd melt down and get sticky. Now I bring my tackle box inside every night after fishing, and they last twice as long. I can't believe I didn't think about this before – it just makes sense."
– Mark T., Florida USA
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: How long do soft plastics last with good maintenance?
A: With proper storage and maintenance, you can get two to three seasons out of most soft plastics, depending on how often you use them. Without good maintenance, you might only get one season, so you can see how much money you save.
Q: Can you still fish soft plastics that have started to get sticky?
A: If they've just started to get a little sticky on the surface, you can revive them with the baby powder trick we talked about and they'll be fine. Once they get hard and brittle, they're done – it's time to replace them.
Q: Do I need to do anything special with scented soft plastics?
A: Scented soft plastics follow the same basic maintenance rules as unscented. The main difference is that the scent will dissipate over time, so even if the plastic is still good, you can always add a little extra liquid scent before you fish if you want to maximize your chances.
Q: Can you store soft plastics in the original packaging?
A: Yes, the original packaging is fine for short-term storage when you're still using the pack regularly. For long-term storage of lures you're not using every trip, moving them to a good polypropylene container keeps them fresher longer.
Q: Do I need to do anything different for storage when fishing in Saltwater Systems?
A: Yes – after saltwater fishing, you need to rinse your soft plastics with fresh water really well and make sure they're completely dry before you store them. The salt can attract moisture and promote mold growth if you don't rinse it off properly.
Ready to Extend the Life of Your Soft Plastics?
Soft plastic maintenance doesn't take much time, but it saves you a lot of money in the long run. When you buy quality soft plastics from LENPABY factory direct, you already save up to 60% compared to buying retail – proper maintenance makes that even better by making your lures last longer.
Just follow these simple storage tips and you'll get more use out of every soft plastic you buy. It doesn't take much time, it saves you money, and it keeps your lures fishing better. What more could you ask for? Good luck and happy fishing!
