Plastic Baits Left In The Lake

[buzzed bait]

Just an odd question that popped into my head last night.  I pulled in someone else's line that had broken off, on the other end was a curly tail worm that looked like it had been there for a while.  a few casts later i somehow tore my rage tail anaconda in half (seems to happen a little more lately) and half went flying into the pond.  my question is do the worms ever breakdown/dissolve/biodegrade (whatever the appropriate term is)? 

thanks.

[Master Bait'r]

There was an article written about this a while back-  ALWAYS try to recover plastics if you can.  If bass eat too many pieces of plastic, it can stop up their gut tract and make them look skinny, eventually killing them.  

[Choporoz]

Not sure.  My waste/ecology perspective on the question became extremely irrelevant to me after reading posts about terrible harm that 'lost' plastics do to the fish.  I've never been so careful with used plastics as I have been since reading those.

[J Francho]

You'd think with over 40 years of plastics being used for so many species of fish, and the hysterics of those that claim we are killing fish, that all the fish would be dead.  I'm not saying dump your plastics overboard - to the contrary, try to keep the lake clean and dispose of worn out plastics properly -  but I don't feel one ounce of guilt if I lose a plastic bait.

[buzzed bait]

You'd think with over 40 years of plastics being used for so many species of fish, and the hysterics of those that claim we are killing fish, that all the fish would be dead.  I'm not saying dump your plastics overboard - to the contrary, try to keep the lake clean and dispose of worn out plastics properly -  but I don't feel one ounce of guilt if I lose a plastic bait.

 

i don't typically feel guilty myself, just a thought that popped up last night and hasn't escaped my one track brain.....

but now that one worm i pulled back, a simple one finger tug on the line would have retrieved this person's worm. 

Additionally, not saying that it doesn't do that much harm, but the amount of beer cans, wrappers, plastic bags, etc. i see in the water i feel i should do everything i can to combat the littering....

any links to said posts or articles about the fish digesting the worms or anything?  i'm just extremely curious now.

thanks guys.

[J Francho]

There's quite a bit of recent data about trout mortality and plastics.  I know In-Fisherman has reported on it within the past year or so.  They'll list the source, if you can find the article.

[Felix77]

I have a pocket filled with plastics when I am done with a tournament.  I do my best to properly dispose of plastics in general but if I lose one because of a snag or otherwise I don't really sweat it.  If you did it would drive you nuts and you wouldn't fish those areas as aggressively.

[J Francho]

Crisco is more toxic to fish than a senko.

[fishballer06]

How long does it take a plastic bag or bottle to breakdown??? Same theory really. 

[5fishlimit]

How long does it take a plastic bag or bottle to breakdown??? Same theory really.

Yes, and no. The plastic used on bottles is very different than that used for soft baits. I don't remember the exact science of it, but there is a difference.

[buzzed bait]

Yes, and no. The plastic used on bottles is very different than that used for soft baits. I don't remember the exact science of it, but there is a difference.

 

yeah, most plastics have the recylce sign and a number that somehow reflects the properties of that plastic (please anybody that knows what they're talking about chime in)

i'm sure it's not a big deal and frankly guys i'm not losing any sleep over it.  it just happened to stick in my brain last night and i couldn't shake it this morning....

from a guy who also enjoys his golf, i assume it couldn't be much worse than leaving a golf ball in the water right?

[J Francho]

Put a plastic bag, a bottle, and a plastic worm in a bucket of water.  Chances all three will be there in 6 months.  Not sure what difference the chemical make up of any of them matter.

[Choporoz]

(please anybody that knows what they're talking about chime in)

 

Wishful thinking?

 

 

Sorry, BB, but that cracks me up every time I read it.  Mind if I put it in my sig?

[buzzed bait]

Wishful thinking?

 

 

Sorry, BB, but that cracks me up every time I read it.  Mind if I put it in my sig?

 

 

lol, fair point sir....

i forgot i was on the interweb where everyone knows what they're talking about...

i just know there are ones smarter than i on this topic.

[J Francho]

i just know there are ones smarter than i on this topic.

 

Those smarts are a few clicks away, lol.

 

http://bit.ly/ZMNAzD

[Fisher-O-men]

The only thing I notice about plastics that I find is that they are swelled to many times their original size. 

[buzzed bait]

Those smarts are a few clicks away, lol.

 

http://bit.ly/ZMNAzD

 

thanks J, see my previous post about the interweb making everyone a professional at everything.....  not to mention the top google result from your search is from good housekeeping, i would not really consider them the knowledgebank for the plastics process.... 

 

although it does show that different plastic resins will react differently and not all plastics are created equally.  i'm still a little curious though of those 7 different families exactly where the plastic worm falls.  any "experts" know which plastics category the plastic worm would fall under?  for all i know, it may be a different type of "plastic" and not really fall in any of those categories.

[J Francho]

The only thing I notice about plastics that I find is that they are swelled to many times their original size. 

 

Some do! Senkos will get as big as a Cuban cigar, lol.

[J Francho]

thanks J, see my previous post about the interweb making everyone a professional at everything.....  not to mention the top google result from your search is from good housekeeping, i would not really consider them the knowledgebank for the plastics process.... 

 

although it does show that different plastic resins will react differently and not all plastics are created equally.  i'm still a little curious though of those 7 different families exactly where the plastic worm falls.  any "experts" know which plastics category the plastic worm would fall under?  for all i know, it may be a different type of "plastic" and not really fall in any of those categories.

 

I could be wrong, but I swear "plastisol" was PVC.  I could way off on that, though.

[buzzed bait]

i found a submerged senko once that as you say, was the size of a cigar.  when i tried to pull it out of the water, it just "crumbled" into countless pieces....  do you think this is more of the salt reaction than the plastic?

[J Francho]

No clue, other brands swell up, some don't.

[primetime]

The Reason States like Main were looking to ban platics on top of lead is due to the fact that birds, turtles, and fish eat the worms and I have caught a few bass in ponds that were emaciated and it was because they had a senko in their gut blocking everything...If you fish Bio baits Like Gulp, Trigger X, yo-zuri excite a bite then it will degrade and is not toxic.....Whenever I gut hook a fish by a accident I try to carfully get the worm out and just cut the line at the hook since the hook will rust away quickly, and I have caught bass with hooks in their throat several times.

[primetime]

I may be wrong but I know pvc is a form of platisol or plastic as a general term, but pvc baits have a smell to them usually, although Roboworm uses pvc like many of the baits made overseas which are buoyant and often have the best action but pvc tears very easy....

 

I also know that some forms are not allowed anymore so I am curious to figure out the differences of pvc vs. plastic as I know they put salt in both, can hand pour both, and I also know some grubs are marketed as "Silicone" so I don't know.....I do know that I have purchased PVC baits from overseas that were awesome looking, super soft, you could float a 5" hammer tail swimbait with a 5/0 ewg hook, but it smelled like oil and had a jelly feel. Silcone baits have a unique feel, and I have some old baits from "Hart" that were silicone and they are super soft and popular for Trout in Saltwater.

 

Overall I think it is all PVC or a form of it and like anything else, changing 1 molecule can make it a new animal..Anyone who makes Hand pours should know this, and I am now curious.

[primetime]

http://www.theonlinefisherman.com/reel-news/item/soft-plastic-lures-the-future

 

Above is the like that talks about the issue of soft plastic formulas and how most do not break down at all...I doubt soft plastics will every be banned like lead since companies like Pure Fishing(Jarden) and other large companies with boatloads of money also have a strong lobby, unlike say "Gremlin".Imagine a Bass Pro Catalog or sporting good store without bags of plastics and Just bio baits and lures???? Lead was easy to replace as Tungsten is more profitable and expensive, everyone who has heard about lead poising just assumes lead is bad so that is easy to ban when companies are not buying off their local congressman. I would imagine 1 anchor getting lost on the lake bottom is worse than every split shot or weight I could ever lose, plus lures are more expensive now with Tungsten weights inside.... 

 

A ban will never happen on soft baits and I just think if we all do our part and I am sure we all do, everything will be fine even if we use lead as well. I would think Fishing Line is more dangerous than all of it, but Dupont will not hear any of that.

[tomustang]

Plastisol is a pvc with additives that modify it's form, pvc takes around 150 years to degrade and more toxic thsn othet plastics when doing so.