WARNING: DOES NOT PLAY WELL WITH OTHERS
Article by Stephen Booth
There are a number of plastic lures that simply do not like being friends. Even the hint of another plastic is enough to turn so me plastics into ugly deformities that can never, ever be fixed.
Usually, thermoplastics are the biggest candidate for having an obvious dislike of other plastics. But, to be on the safe side, it is best to keep any plastics from one brand separated from other brands.
The Zerek range of plastics is almost exclusively made from the stretchy and strong thermoplastic. Because of this, it is definitely best to keep Zerek lures away from other plastics, even other thermoplastic lures.
Let us look at the best practice for keeping plastics safe from this horrible form of disfiguration.
Step 1 – USE A WORM-PROOF TACKLE BOX/TRAY
These days, it is difficult to find a tackle box or tray from any larger supplier that is not worm-proof. Worm-proof tackle boxes were designed not to react with soft plastic materials and allow anglers to take plastics out of their sale bags and have them stored within tackle trays. This is the single most important thing to ask when buying a tackle storage tray or box if you are planning on putting soft plastics in it.
Step 2 – KEEP IT CLEAN
If you are using an old box, do yourself and your plastics a favour, and clean the box thoroughly to remove any residue from other branded plastics. This residue is a silent killer of new plastics. It takes surprisingly little ‘other’ plastic to melt your new plastics into a very unappealing blob. This is the gremlin that got me and cost me half a dozen soft plastic vibes that were not cheap! It was not the fault of the lure, but the fault of the foolish person who did not clean the box. You really only ever do this once!
Step 3 – KEEP PLASTICS SEPARATED
The biggest killer of plastics in modern times is storing unlike plastics together. Plastics essentially hate one another, and will refuse to play nicely together. Always keep plastics that are of the same type stored together, and do not mix them up with others. For example, I will store my Zerek Fish Traps only with other Zerek Fish Traps. There should be no other soft plastic vibe that goes anywhere near that box! The same goes for my Live Shrimp and Live Shrimp Hot Legs, and my Live Flash Minnow Wrigglies.
I will concede this takes up a lot of space and you may not have enough boxes to do this, but it is the only way I have found to be totally foolproof when it comes to storing plastics and avoiding disaster.
Step 4 – PACKED FOR LIFE
If it is at all possible or practical, for that matter, storing your plastics in the sale container they came in is the best way to ensure your plastics never get destroyed by other plastics. It also means your plastics do not usually get bent out of shape.
In many cases, this cannot be done as the plastics are sold in a way that makes it impossible to store them in their original container.
So there are a few tips on keeping your plastics in good working order. If you have stored other plastics in a container, I cannot guarantee there will not be damage done, even after you have washed it out. Plastics, and thermoplastics in particular, should always be kept separated. Do this and your plastics will last you a very long time – or at least long enough to hook that monster!
Published in print July-September 2021
