Pre-Rigging Trailers Before Fishing?

[Weld's Largemouth]

Do you put your trailers on your jigs and swim jigs before you go out fishing? or do you put it on while fishing to preserve the scent and salt?

[DFrench97]

I do not put the trailer on as the salt may rust the hook.

[J Francho]

I usually put them on after I tie the jig on. 

[Choporoz]

I admit that I've left plastic trailers on jigs between trips, occasionally.  However, I've never pre-rigged a jig with a trailer before heading out.  Not much time to be saved, I wouldn't think.  What'd be the reason?

[Brian6428]

I always pre-rig my trailers, and I also always leave them on between trips. Never had an issue with the hooks rusting, and the majority of my jigs have trailers on them 24/7. It seems to me like the trailer being on the jig would prevent oxygen from reaching the affected part of the hook, making it unable to rust.

[Senko lover]

I typically keep them on. I use them for action, not scent, so I don't really care if they lose scent. 

[Catch and Grease]

I take them off at the end of the day and put them back on when I tie the jig on.

[Weld's Largemouth]

I admit that I've left plastic trailers on jigs between trips, occasionally. However, I've never pre-rigged a jig with a trailer before heading out. Not much time to be saved, I wouldn't think. What'd be the reason?

Getting ready to head to Florida soon... Staring at my jigs and then at my trailers

[Choporoz]

As long as you're not staring at a jar of Uncle Josh pork... Lol

[deep]

Nope.

[WRB]

I always pre-rig my trailers, and I also always leave them on between trips. Never had an issue with the hooks rusting, and the majority of my jigs have trailers on them 24/7. It seems to me like the trailer being on the jig would prevent oxygen from reaching the affected part of the hook, making it unable to rust.

Oxygen or air circulation helps to prevent rust, only a electrolyte can cause dissimilar materials to corrode.

How do you know what color combination the bass want before you go fishing, I don't.

Tom

[Brian6428]

Oxygen or air circulation helps to prevent rust, only a electrolyte can cause dissimilar materials to corrode.

How do you know what color combination the bass want before you go fishing, I don't.

Tom

I generally pre-rig what I think will most likely be the color jig I will be using. Normally this is the color I end up using because I fish one lake quite often so I am pretty in-tune with the current conditions. If I am wrong I will just cut off the jig and tie on a new one. 

 

As for pre-rigging the trailer, I match the trailer with the skirt color, so if I don't like the trailer color I will just change jigs altogether for a new skirt color and trailer color.

[aavery2]

Oxygen or air circulation helps to prevent rust, only a electrolyte can cause dissimilar materials to corrode.

How do you know what color combination the bass want before you go fishing, I don't.

Tom

Salt is an electrolyte

[Catt]

Rust is an iron oxide formed by the redox reaction of iron and oxygen in the presence of water or air moisture (humidity).

I have a little 1/4 oz jig with trailer that Jack (fishfordollars) Yates gave me before he died. That's what 3-4 years ago & still no rust.

[Fishes in trees]

If you put the trailers on the hooks before fishing them and if the trailers have salt in them and if they sit in the tackle bin in your boat for a while, now even if they don't get wet the hooks will rust out over time.  Even if it doesn't appear rusted, the hook shank going through the salted plastic is compromised

 

I used to to that ruined a few jigs just sitting in the ready rig box.  I don't mind losing equipment, but I think it is stupid to just waste it, so I learned my lesson and I don't pre-rig jigs any more.

 

That has been my experience anyway.  p.s., it did take over a year for the hooks to rust, but some boxes never get out of the bottom of the boat bin and that ready rig box was one of those boxes.

[CWB]

I usually match the trailer to the jig color. leave it on until I feel I need to change. I don't know what color combination the fish want if I have a trailer on the jig or not. Gotta start somewhere so it doesn't make much difference if you have one on. Change it up if you aren't getting bit or feel a hunch. As far as scent, megastrike and/or JJ's are always used. They never last too long anyway and haven't noticed any rust. Today's hooks are pretty corrosion resistant but you probably still shouldn't tempt fate.

[Brian6428]

You know what, come to think of it, I think this is really an issue of what kind of trailer is being used. I mainly use Netbait paca craws, which, as far as I know, have very little to no salt in them. I leave these trailers on my jigs with no problems at all.

 

The one time I have had a problem was when I left a Yamamoto Kut-tail worm rigged up on a shakey head for a few days. In a few days time there was visible rust on the hook that I had to file off.

 

In conclusion, it sounds like it is based off the salt concentration of your trailers.

[WRB]

Salt is an electrolyte

Salt maybe a alkaline electrolyte if you add a fluid like water. Not all soft plastics contain salt, however some are acidic petroleum base. Pork rind trailers are electrolytic, wet salt. Not a good idea to pre rig trailers, better to keep the jigs and trailers separate until you need to put them together, gives you lots of on the water options.

Tom

[aavery2]

Salt maybe a alkaline electrolyte if you add a fluid like water.

 

Almost all electrolytes require a fluid like water.

[Ozark_Basser]

hehe lets drink a tall glass of science on this one.  

 

Salt is an electrolyte in any solvent that it can dissociate in (dissolve) - water, humid air, or pretty much any solvent in which has the same polarity as salt, which is very polar since it's a compound formed by an ionic bond. 

 

NaCl + Fe --> Fe₂O₃  This isn't possible.  However,  NaCl + Fe³⁺ --> Na⁺ + FeCl₃ is possible.  Due to the reactivity of chorine (extremely reactive) and the fact that (sorry I don't have the activity series memorized for every element) iron might be more active than sodium when it comes to chlorine, corrosion COULD occur over time.  Not rust.  The corrosion is simply the forming of a new material (FeCl3) from the hook appearing as corrosion or even rust since FeCl3 looks a lot like rust. (Yeah I had to look up what FeCl3 looks like, but who cares)

[Weld's Largemouth]

hehe lets drink a tall glass of science on this one.  

 

Salt is an electrolyte in any solvent that it can dissociate in (dissolve) - water, humid air, or pretty much any solvent in which has the same polarity as salt, which is very polar since it's a compound formed by an ionic bond. 

 

NaCl + Fe --> Fe₂O_{3  This isn't possible.  However,}  NaCl + Fe³⁺ --> Na⁺ + FeCl_{3 is possible.  Due to the reactivity of chorine and the fact that (sorry I don't have the activity series memorized for every element) iron might be more active than sodium when it comes to chlorine, corrosion COULD occur over time.  Not rust.  The corrosion is simply the forming of a new material (FeCl3) from the hook appearing as corrosion or even rust since FeCl3 looks a lot like rust.} 

science is the way to go!

[BasshunterJGH]

I usually thread them on at the lake because if I store jigs with the trailers on the trailer always seems to get defected in my Plano boxes. The flappers or pinchers will get bent I'm not sure if it really makes a difference in the water just a confidence thing I guess.

[Ozark_Basser]

hehe lets drink a tall glass of science on this one.  

 

Salt is an electrolyte in any solvent that it can dissociate in (dissolve) - water, humid air, or pretty much any solvent in which has the same polarity as salt, which is very polar since it's a compound formed by an ionic bond. 

 

NaCl + Fe --> Fe₂O₃  This isn't possible.  However,  NaCl + Fe³⁺ --> Na⁺ + FeCl₃ is possible.  Due to the reactivity of chorine (extremely reactive) and the fact that (sorry I don't have the activity series memorized for every element) iron might be more active than sodium when it comes to chlorine, corrosion COULD occur over time.  Not rust.  The corrosion is simply the forming of a new material (FeCl3) from the hook appearing as corrosion or even rust since FeCl3 looks a lot like rust. (Yeah I had to look up what FeCl3 looks like, but who cares)

In addition, this reaction could take a long time to occur under normal conditions.  However, in a closed, damp tacklebox left in a warm area it wouldn't take near as long due to the high humidity eventually dissociating the salt into Na⁺ and Cl^-.  With chlorine being so reactive and unstable as an ion, it would react with the iron in the fishing hook forming FeCl3, which as I previously mentioned looks just like rust.  

[Ozark_Basser]

Sooooooooo.  Don't leave really salty lures attached to jigs in your tacklebox for long periods of time and you shouldn't have anything to worry about.  You can leave them attached on your rod and probably in a dry tacklebox I'd guess, but really it's best just to rig your stuff on the water.

[WRB]

Humidity is water vapor until it reaches the same temperature as air, then becomes fluid known as dew point.

Nickel plated steel hooks have galvanic metals that react with a electrolyte like dissolved salt in water, if there is a path to connect them. The result is galvanic corrosion, the iron oxides you see is known as rust.

Corrosion prevention is complex, use common sense and remove your soft plastics after using them before storing your hooks/jigs.

Tom