Preventing Hook Rust

[Bud Kennedy]

OK Tipsters, Tis the season that a lot of folks are packing away their stash of lures for the winter.  What steps do you take to prevent rust from forming on the hooks on your baits.  I would suspect this would also be applicable for lures that are subject to long periods of storage in less than ideal conditions.  Looking forward to hearing about your tips or solutions.

[scwildbill]

Keep fishing??? ...What is this winter you speak of?

[Bud Kennedy]

Yep, I plan on fishing just like always but there are a bunch of folks up north that just don't have that option.  I do however have a bunch of baits that just don't get used all that much and from time to time I have detected some rust.  Bill by the way.  Whats going on at the river.  Been thinking of going down and give it a go with my buddy Terry G.

[bigjim5589]

I save the packs of silica gel that come in many products, (or they can be purchased) and stick them in a zip lock bag with lures, hooks, or whatever other tackle I have that may rust. It helps to get as much of the air out of the bag, as "rust" needs O2 & moisture to form. The silica gel absorbs the moisture.

I also put those silica gel packs & moth crystals in with my fly & jig tying materials, or dressed hooks, to prevent bugs from eating up the hair or feathers. These also should be put in a sealed bag with as much of the air removed as possible. Bugs need moisture too to survive & thrive. 

[West6550]

I save the packs of silica gel that come in many products, (or they can be purchased) and stick them in a zip lock bag with lures, hooks, or whatever other tackle I have that may rust. It helps to get as much of the air out of the bag, as "rust" needs O2 & moisture to form. The silica gel absorbs the moisture.

I also put those silica gel packs & moth crystals in with my fly & jig tying materials, or dressed hooks, to prevent bugs from eating up the hair or feathers. These also should be put in a sealed bag with as much of the air removed as possible. Bugs need moisture too to survive & thrive. 

+1 on the silica bags

[scwildbill]

  Bill by the way.  Whats going on at the river.  Been thinking of going down and give it a go with my buddy Terry G.

We've been catching quite a few flipping wood in 10'. the wood has to be coming out of hydrilla..Also still getting some on low tide with a jerkbait..

[cd1]

I use a two stage process that involves first applying a light coat of WD40 to every hook, then dipping them all in candle wax to keep moisture off them for the duration of winter.  When spring arrives I light a ceremonial fire to liberate the hooks from their wax cacoons then I hit the lake for the spawn.

I'm lying.  I do none of that.  My gear just sits in the garage from late December to March.  There may be a warm day or two along the way that serves as a quick target of opportunity and my gear is still rigged up and ready. 

[Oldfart9999]

I keep them in boxes indoors and don't have a problem. The silica gel packs can be recycled by putting them in an oven at 175 degrees or so for a couple of hours then reuse them.
Rodney

[Kris]

I have been storing my tackle in the basement here for almost 10 years with no problem.  Everything is in Plano 3600 boxes.  A few are the other manufacturer of those boxes with the blue dividers that are supposed to help keep them from rusting.  I just went through my Hooks and Weights box with no rust noticeable and it does have several of the blue dividers in a Plano box.  I understand that they are sold separately.
I have used WD40 extensively with my tackle back in the day.  I guess it's time to try it on some newer stuff and see if it still works.  Back in the day I would spray my soft plastics and hooks.  I might not do the hooks and see how the blue dividers work and try some newer worms in the bag they came in.

[West6550]

I use a two stage process that involves first applying a light coat of WD40 to every hook, then dipping them all in candle wax to keep moisture off them for the duration of winter.  When spring arrives I light a ceremonial fire to liberate the hooks from their wax cacoons then I hit the lake for the spawn.

I'm lying.  I do none of that.  My gear just sits in the garage from late December to March.  There may be a warm day or two along the way that serves as a quick target of opportunity and my gear is still rigged up and ready.

The wax thing cracked me up lol especially the fire part lol

[cd1]

The wax thing cracked me up lol especially the fire part lol

If I got one laugh it was worth it!   

[Russ199A]

If you keep your items in a tackle bag, just put a small breathable bag of dry rice (a couple cups) in your tackle bag.
A couple other things a person can do is check the hooks for rust and remove prior to storage.
Also, don't let hooks made of different metals touch each other, OR different manufacturers touch each other. Keep red hooks away from none painted hooks.
Lastly just make sure everything is dry before storing.

[flowerjohn]

I do a ritual like this in the autumn



Where I lay all my tackle boxes out one at a time and dry everything out. While they are drying I assemble my ice tackle into another few boxes and put the summer stuff away in the closet. It's also a great time to sharpen and clean etc... so that everything is ship shape for spring.


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