Which Soft Plastic Lures Can Be Left On A Hook (And Which Ones Can’t)?
- By: Luke Simonds
- on
- Found In: Fishing Tips, Lure Rigging, Weekly Newsletter: 10-13-19
We’ve all been there…
You accidentally leave a Gulp lure rigged up for too long and next thing you know it’s shriveled up, hard as a rock, and nearly impossible to wiggle off the hook.
That might have you thinking, “What other lures should I not leave on the hook?”
If you’ve ever asked yourself that question, you’re not alone!
People ask me that several times a week, so I put together this video to finally give you an answer.
Enjoy, and be sure to leave a comment if I missed any brands!
Which Lures Can Be Left On A Jig Head? [VIDEO]
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Conclusion
If a lure is made of a water-based plastic, like Gulp and Fishbites, then you should not leave them on a hook and out of their packaging or sealed containers for too long.
A good rule of thumb to keep in mind is this: if there is liquid in the packaging, then they shouldn’t be left out.
On the other hand, brands like Z-Man, DOA, and Zoom have no liquid in the packaging, and are ok to leave rigged up and out of their packaging.
Are there any other brands of lures that you don’t want to leave out of the package?
Let me know in the comments below!
And if you know someone who uses Gulp or Fishbites, please TAG and SHARE this with them!
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I learned (the hard way) that Berkeley Maxscent lures left on a jighead (and probably a weedless hook) will fairly rapidly corrode almost completely through the hook, causing it to easily break. Maxscent lures follow the rule of thumb that you mentioned in the video that soft plastic with any liquid in the package should not be left on a hook. The maxscent material would probably shrink and harden from dedication as well.
Thank you for this informative video!
Tight lines- Larry Gaston
Thanks for posting the helpful intel Larry!
Thanks for the Tip
Nice vid on baits you can leave on the hook. Question: Can you leave a Gulp bait on the hook if you put the Gulp on the hook back into the liquid. Will taking it off the hook and replacing only the bait in the liquid ruin the bait. Let me know .
Chuck D
Luke awesome video! Can we leave our slam shady 2.0s out of the pack on our rods or no?
Yes, the slam shady (2.0 and originals) can be left outside of their packs. I just recommend only storing them together without blending different types of materials to make sure that they don’t have a bad reaction to one another and ruin the whole batch.
Thanks Luke!
Monster x baits
Hey Guys, Any idea which brands of soft lures tend to dissolve others, besides Z-Man. Learned the hard way not to store then in plastic folder pages together in a binder. Still use Z-Man but leave them in their original bags.
Thanks a lot,
D. Patton
Colorado City, Texas
I find all plastics will ruin/oxidize lead and paint while enclosed in the same package for long periods of time.
Thanks for making time to leave the helpful comment!
Luke, great post as always! I believe you also have an older video where you also stated to not mix Z-man with other lures too as they will melt or kind of combine with the other soft plastics. So great tips and appreciate the posts.
Thanks Paul! Yes, it’s generally best to not mix any brands together to be safe… especially not Zmans with any other soft plastic.
Yes!!! You finally got some DSL lures!!! Have you tried them out yet? Looks like those were the red flash color which I havent used. I use the red shad instead and it’s a go to for me, as well as bone diamond!!! They honestly just all work so I can’t wait to see what you think of them. I’m currently about to test out some HomeWreaker lures that I’ve heard are on par with the DSLs.
I have not yet tried the DSL lures, but they feel nice so I’m confident that they’ll catch some fish.
Good stuff, Luke. Another tip. I like to rig my Z Man paddletails at home rather than while bouncing around on my yak. When doing so, it’s important to suspend them in such a way that the body and tail stay straight or they can get a twist in them. Unfortunately, once rigged, the paddletails will no longer fit in the nice plastic holder inside the Z man bags which keep the tail straight. When heading out, I just put a few of the rigged plastics in my tackle box, and they stay straight for the few hours I’m out. When I return home, I re-suspend them to keep them from twisting.
Thanks for making time to leave the helpful tip Gary!