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  1. #1
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    Plastic Question - do you tear it off to change colors or do you tie on new hook/jig?

    As I cleaned up the boat to store for the winter, I realized that had tons of tube, ned and other jig heads still with plastics on them. I store them in a smaller box to keep the hooks from rusting with the plastic still on them, but it made me stop and think, should I tear off a plastic if I want to change colors or bait style, or should I preserve the bait and just tie on a new jig head and thread on a new plastic? Plastics aren't cheap, and I haven't found a good reliable way to remove plastics that have been rigged without totally destroying them. And jig heads/hooks aren't cheap either, so running the risk of ruining them with rust isn't overly appealing either.

    There are pros and cons for each option, but I wanted to get feedback from other anglers on how they manage color changes/baits changes while on the water? Seems like the two options are ruin a plastic by removing it or rig up a bunch of jig heads/hooks so you can cut off and tie on a new one. What say you???

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    #2
    I just rip off the plastic if I want to change what I'm throwing. I got sick and tired of having a bunch of rusty hooks with old plastics on them.

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    #3
    Quote Originally Posted by pabasshawk View Post
    I just rip off the plastic if I want to change what I'm throwing. I got sick and tired of having a bunch of rusty hooks with old plastics on them.
    That was my thinking as well, but chasing smallies, I am changing colors a ton. Drop Shot easier to save, but neds and paddle tail swimbaits can add up in a hurry. Appreciate the feedback. Eager to see how others approach this topic as well.

  4. Member Solitario Lupo's Avatar
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    #4
    I usually change them on my line cause I hare retying jigs on but I do this cause I make my own plastics. They seem to get pretty beat up every time I change them. Some split and don’t hold, when they do that I’ll just remelt and make again but with you buying them I can see why you would leave them on. Just make sure to let dry a day or two. I usually let the worm hooks stay on as they stay tight on the hooks.

  5. Member DrewFlu33's Avatar
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    #5
    Depends on how expensive the plastic is and what condition it's in for me. If it's spendy, I'm doing what I can to save it. If it's still in good shape, I'm doing what I can to save it. I'll generally put those aside during the day then repackage at the end of the day. Of course the pre-used baits are usually reserved for practice days with new ones getting used during tourneys. Realistically if the bait won't come off without being destroyed, I'm probably just tossing it as I definitely agree that leaving them on hooks is bad news. I've had brand new hooks ruined in the course of a week or two with a plastic sitting on it. Same story with jigs, though they hurt even worse. If the plastic doesn't have salt in it it's usually fine, but sometimes it's tough to keep track of what baits do and don't use salt. Better safe than sorry!

    Another aspect to this is (unwanted) scents. Sometimes leaving a bait rigged means it's getting exposed to all kinds of stuff. I swear there have been times where that seems to matter, and in any case I don't think I've ever seen it help to have a bait exposed to whatever it contacts when living outside its original packaging.


    Kind of chiming in with the smallmouth/largemouth thing from above...I tend to change shapes more often than I change colors for largemouth, while I definitely change colors more often for smallmouth as I've just seen too many times where subtle differences can be absolutely massive. I suppose at the end of the day I probably do more tinkering with the smallmouth to figure them out (mostly because I suck at catching them...), so I probably am running into this conundrum more often with them.
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    #6
    Quote Originally Posted by DrewFlu33 View Post
    Depends on how expensive the plastic is and what condition it's in for me. If it's spendy, I'm doing what I can to save it. If it's still in good shape, I'm doing what I can to save it. I'll generally put those aside during the day then repackage at the end of the day. Of course the pre-used baits are usually reserved for practice days with new ones getting used during tourneys. Realistically if the bait won't come off without being destroyed, I'm probably just tossing it as I definitely agree that leaving them on hooks is bad news. I've had brand new hooks ruined in the course of a week or two with a plastic sitting on it. Same story with jigs, though they hurt even worse. If the plastic doesn't have salt in it it's usually fine, but sometimes it's tough to keep track of what baits do and don't use salt. Better safe than sorry!

    Another aspect to this is (unwanted) scents. Sometimes leaving a bait rigged means it's getting exposed to all kinds of stuff. I swear there have been times where that seems to matter, and in any case I don't think I've ever seen it help to have a bait exposed to whatever it contacts when living outside its original packaging.


    Kind of chiming in with the smallmouth/largemouth thing from above...I tend to change shapes more often than I change colors for largemouth, while I definitely change colors more often for smallmouth as I've just seen too many times where subtle differences can be absolutely massive. I suppose at the end of the day I probably do more tinkering with the smallmouth to figure them out (mostly because I suck at catching them...), so I probably am running into this conundrum more often with them.
    100% agree that subtle changes in color have an impact on smallies, which is why I go through so many baits in a day on the water chasing smallies. I have thrown the same bait (shape) get no bites in an area, and them change colors and start getting bites. So I definitely change colors until I get them biting, and once they stop, I start changing colors again.

    I also agree, that its painful to lose jigs due to rust from leaving baits on. And I never once thought about scents. I fish a lot of missile baits and those baits have a unique smell that lingers if left on..... Great point.....

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    #7
    I rip plastics off when I change colors and when I'm done fishing at the end of the day to save hooks. Figure plastics are cheaper than hooks / jigs. That said, I'm not the type to cycle through a bunch of color changes throughout the day. I typically only try out 2-3 per day max.
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    #8
    Tear it off and put on whatever else I’m going with. I go through so many plastics anyway one more isn’t going to hurt.
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  9. Member bigbitef11's Avatar
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    #9
    I do what u do with leaving some on putting in a smaller box. Some is due to super gluing them on and also from thinking I will use them later. I probably should just take most of them off cause a lot go unused and hooks get damage. Can use Mend It to repair the torn baits.
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    #10
    Time is a huge thing for me I dont get to go fishing a bunch so when I do go I make things and changed as fast as possible rip off and thread new bait on.At the end of the day all the baits or skirted jigs with baits or hooks with baits still on them toss the plastics and cut excess line off hooks and evaluate them if they are good and sharp they go back in the box.

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    #11
    I think the consensus on the feedback here firms up my gut, which is I need to stop potentially ruining so many hooks/hardware and just get into changing baits. The time issue is a big one for me as well. Hate wasting time on the water. It almost entirely defeats the purpose of all the prep I do the evening before. Tearing off plastics will be my approach in 2023.

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    #12

    An idea you might want to try to extend the life of soft plastics

    Like all if you I got tired of tearing up my solft plastic lures whether on jigs or skirted jig trailers and came up with this idea 10 years ago. It's basically a wire clip that holds plastics in place and allows them to be used over and over even after catching 20 fish.

    First off, for you ball head jig users, no-collar is always better. The collar may hold the lure but splits the soft plastic at the same time. Soon the grub slides down the hook regardless of fish caught. (Click the images to enlarge)

    example of a no-collar jig:
    no collar jig.jpg

    Next you need coated wire to wrap around the post (bare wire rusts):
    IMG_0108.JPG
    I use 24g for most jig sizes above 1/24 oz. and a smaller diameter wire for 1/32 oz. jigs

    I cut a piece of wire that measures like this using a small wire cutter or nail clippers:
    IMG_0111.JPG

    Holding the wire across the post looks like this after which I wrap the wire that's away from the hook bend once around - tightly :
    IMG_0112.JPG IMG_0113.JPG

    Clip the wire close and tighten with needle-nose pliers after which you bend the remaining wire into a L shape:
    IMG_0114.JPG IMG_0115.JPG

    Now all you have to do is rig the lure and swing the wire into the body:
    IMG_0116.JPG

    The fish could care less and it holds the lure in place. Plus the lure is reusable far more so than those rigged on a collared jig. I use the same wire to hold soft plastic trailers on skirted jigs and nose-hooked lures rigged on circle hooks.

    Something to consider...I won't use lures without the clip
    IMG_0109.JPG
    Last edited by SPOONMINNOW; 11-21-2022 at 08:11 PM.

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    #13
    Grip it and rip it.

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    #14
    Quote Originally Posted by Transom View Post
    Grip it and rip it.
    Huh?

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    #15
    QUOTE=SPOONMINNOW;12753279]Huh?[/QUOTE

    I think the grip and rip comment was a play on tear off the plastic and put on a new one, versus changing hooks and have 20 hooks all rigged up with 20 baits...

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    #16
    oh...

    One nice thing is to keep the same jig tied on and preserving the soft plastic lures for MANY, MANY future casts. I don't have to be concerned about the price of plastics because I either pour my own or make hybrids using the parts of different lures, melting the ends with a candle and attaching them together. Amazing the uses for old or new plastics.

    But again, you can extend the life of a lure 10x using the grub grip wire and can easily change lures in less than a minute.
    Last edited by SPOONMINNOW; 12-01-2022 at 03:41 PM.