[madman24]

well, its that time of the year. not too much to do for those of us who dont hunt and dont own a snowmobile.
i dont get into ice fishing too much either.

for me, wintertime is a good time to catch up on many things i put off during the monthes that dont have snow and ice. i clean the whole house and get rid of any junk i dont need. i clean my closets and pack up all the clothes that no longer fit ( because they keep shrinking every year ) and take them to the salvation army. i also clean and lube all my reels, and pack them away.

this season i noticed many of my lures were very dirty and/or rusty. in the past i would have just tossed the old rusty lures into a bag and given them to my friends little brother. these days i dont have the money to replace all the lures so i decided to clean them up.

i bought some CLR Kitchen and bathroom cleaner. this stuff is working out great. i had a pack of gamakatsu 4/0 EWG hooks, the big pack of 25 for $9.99 that had badly rusted due to water getting into the packaging. i put the whole pack of hooks into a cup filled with the CLR and let sit for the night. the next day the hooks were rust free and back to brand new condition.

next i decided to try it out on my hard lure bodies. i did a test on one to make sure the CLR wouldnt eat the finish from the lure. after removing the hooks and split rings from the bait, i sprayed it with the cleaner and rubbed it with an old rag. with a little elbow grease, all the rust spots were removed and the lure looked like it just came out of the package. i checked it out the next day and the fisnish is fine.

i continued this process on all my lures, and when i say all i mean all. i have 12 big plano boxes full of different hard baits. i cleaned all of them and they all look like new.

this CLR stuff also works great on spinnerbait blades. i had several that had lime build up on the from sitting in water in old boxes in my boat. the lime is a bit harder to get off, but it will come off.

just thought i would share this with you guys. its work but its fun work. plus you really get to know your lures alot better. i discovered that some lure just arent made that well, while others are really built tough. and come spring you will have a collection of shiney new looking lures to offer.

anyone clean the lures? if so, what do you use?

madman himself

 

[muskiebobsr]

Hey Madman, I clean mine also. I use dish soap as it removes grease very well. Then I rinse them in Baking Soda to remove the odor. I have found that this works well for me. I use Silver and Brass polish on the bucktails and spinner bait blades then I wash them in soap and water then rinse in baking soda.

 

[h2o]

A grand idea is to keep the lure's you use the day your fishing in it's own plano box or container. Than when you get home let them dry overnight than put them back in stock. I know how spent you are after being on the water all day but still, take care of your fishing equipment and it will take care of you. If you use solutions for cleaning lures, by all means rinse, rinse, and rinse some more. Remember fish smell a million times better than humans. And fish just might not hit foul odor on a lure. Using warm water and a old tooth brush works excellent to clean lures. The idea is to not let the lure's get so bad as they rust to begin with. I know this is hard to do, but the ounce of prevention is worth the pound of cure even with lures. I use 1/8 ounce jigs and berkley power grubs ALOT, also #2 and #3 Mepps I always let the mepps dry and still use one's that are 5 years old.

Remember solvents and water don't mix.

h2o<---- says days are getting longer.

 

[workingman]

Madman,
Just curious, did you put some type of oil on the hooks to keep them from rusting again? If yes, what type of oil can you use that doesn't have an odor? What about reel magic or anise oil? I've thrown away so many hooks over the past few years I think I'll give it a try.

Happy New Year!

 

[GreggM]

workingman,

I just spray mine with wd 40 and go from there. Usually throughout the year i will do that to all my lures and hooks. Seems to work.

Gregg

 

[Alex]

WD is also my choice. I've got some amsoil product, but haven't tried it yet. In fact I haven't touched my gear yet. I'm procrastinating this year.

 

[workingman]

Alex and GreggM,
You don't find that WD40 has a scent that is negative to the fish? Do you normally apply a scent to your tubes or other lures?

 

[muskiebobsr]

workingman. W D 40 is one of the best things to put on your lures. The great Homer Leblanc used it all the time and so do I. You can''t argue with success, Bob

 

[555]

I use a product called Ballistol for cleaning and maintaining all of my lures and hooks and reels. It is made from non-petroleum based medical mineral oils and anti-oxidants and is very environmentally friendly. You can store you lures under water for weeks and rust will not begin to form because it does not wash away in water. It can also be used as an antiseptic if you happen to poke yourself with a hook. It is also fantastic for use on firearms including muzzleloaders. If you have never used Ballistol and you get a chance to try it you should, you will be amazed at how well it works.

 

[Alex]

Well I guess the WD40 question has been answered

. Can't agrue with Bob. I use a lot of WD through out the year. On lures, line, reels, cleaning rod guides, on corroded electrical terminals, you name it. It's amazing stuff. Mostly for maintanence and not attactant. But as Muskiebob pointed out there have been numerous articles written on the attracting power of it's oily residue.

I usually buy it in small canisters and stash them throughout the boat/house. It's easier than keeping track of one big bulky canister.

 

[J.C.C.]

Scubajay,

Where do you get Ballistol? I have never heard of it and probably many others haven't either. But, always looking to improve maintenance I am willing to give it a try. My jigs tend to rust up with non use and WD40 hasn't helped much. Is it readily available?

Jim

 

[555]

Jim,

I have not found a supplier of Ballistol locally so my only option has been to order online. I am sure you are correct when you mention that not many people are aware of this oil although it has been around since the beginning of the 20th century. The following is a link to the company that distributes and sells Ballistol. http://www.ballistol.com There is a lot of information on this site about the oil.

I was introduced to the oil by a group of civil war re-enactors. They told me about an experiment that the did where they took a three pieces of raw steel, one treated with a light coat of Ballistol, one treated with a light coat of WD-40 and one untreated. They let them sit outside, untouched, for 3 months during the winter. They results were that the untreated piece was completely devastated by rust, the WD-40 treated was completely rust covered but not as egregious as the untreated and the Ballistol treated piece looked the same as the day it was set out. I have been using it for about 10 years and have seen similar results.

This is really good stuff and it is environmentally safe which helps protect our precious water and land.