Storing Zman baits (Direct response from Zman)

[Cgolf]

After getting many different answers on the boards here, I will post the response I got from Zman about storage of their baits. In my email to them I did ask for permission and was given it to post it. 

My email,

I have a question about the storage of your Elaztech baits. Being a newer user to your product, first tried it last spring, I haven’t quite figured out all the do’s and don’ts with storing them. Thankfully I have not had any meltdowns yet so I have been careful enough.

 

Here is my setup, and dilemma, I fish 4-6 days a week with mixed baits and don't want to put a Zman on a jig head back in the original sealed  bag wet. I would be concerned about rust since I generally carry about 8-10 baits prerigged and ready. I currently store them in a double sided Plano 3500 size box that I drilled holes in to allow the water to evaporate. I also added some paper towel in each slot to help with moisture. With this I haven't had any serious rusting issues or worry about what or how I set the used baits in my truck to dry, the box stays in the truck the entire fishing season. 

 

My question, is the reaction just a contact reaction, or if this vented box is placed in the same compartment of a soft sided bag with either crankbaits or other soft plastics will I have issues? I do currently have a bag that allows me to keep them separate, but once that bag is gone I am not sure the replacement bag would give me the same luxury.

 

The answers I got on the forum were that Plano boxes do bad things to the baits and the original bag is the only safe option. I figured it would be easier to get the answer from the source. Also let me know if I can post your answer on the forum, I think many others would benefit from it, I get the impression there are a lot of misconceptions out there, including about baits melting due to heat.

 

Answer from Zman

 

 

Thanks for using our products and for getting in touch about proper storage of ElaZtech plastics.  There’s a little bit of a learning curve with our material, but once you get it down, the benefits of the material far outweigh any changes you need to make in how you store or rig the baits!

 

As you already are aware, we recommend storing ElaZtech plastics in their original packaging, as that is the safest bet to prevent them from coming into contact with a foreign substance that may affect the ElaZtech baits, or vice versa.  It is also important to keep the baits out of extreme heat (i.e., out of the direct sunlight on a hot day, do not store inside a vehicle in the summer, etc.) because the melting point of ElaZtech is slightly lower than other soft plastics.  We are located in South Carolina where it gets pretty hot; I store my baits in a compartment in my boat year-round, and I have never experienced any temperature-related issues whatsoever.  Our warehouse reaches in excess of 100 degrees in the summer, and we’ve never had any baits melt here.

 

As far as storing ElaZtech baits in a Plano box or similar storage tray goes, I’m not aware of any storage boxes that will cause our baits to melt.  Over time, ElaZtech may cause the box itself to warp, but the baits should be fine as long as they are not mixed with other soft plastics.  I would recommend against storing ElaZtech and conventional plastics together in the same storage box, even in different compartments, to avoid the baits inadvertently being mixed and to prevent any kind of cross-k

 

I think the setup you described would probably not present any issues as long as you are very careful about not mixing PVC baits with ElaZtech plastics.  While I don’t have any hard evidence to support this yet, I believe that a Plano box with holes in it will allow air to flow in and out of the compartments and eliminate, or at least reduce, the warping issue.  Plano actually makes a box with holes in it, and I’ve been using it with ElaZtech for a few months without any negative effects on the box.  

 

We are currently working on finding a cost-effective source for ElaZtech-friendly storage boxes and hope to have a series of boxes on the market by next summer.  In the meantime, it’s worth mentioning that Flambeau’s K-Series boxes are compatible with ElaZtech.  They can be ordered online from several different sources including Flambeau.  

 

If you are going to use a Plano-style box, another thing to be cognizant of is how the baits are laid in the compartments.  Our material is prone to ‘taking a set’ over time, so the baits and the boxes themselves must be stored carefully.  This is not as much of an issue with baits like ZinkerZ, FattyZ, TRDs, Finesse WormZ, etc. but is something to watch out for with baits like swimbaits with 3 dimensional tails or appendages that don’t lay flat as easily.

 

I think that you are correct that there are many misconceptions about the material, melting, etc.  When we get complaints from anglers about melted baits, we typically ask the customer to return the baits to us so we can check them out.  Almost always, the angler insists that they did not mix ElaZtech with other soft baits, and virtually every time, we find a shriveled up PVC bait among the melted ElaZtech baits!  And those are just the people that contact us and send the baits back to us, so I’m sure that many of the people complaining about baits melting have unknowingly and unintentionally mixed them with a foreign substance.

 

Here is a link to video we made about proper storage of ElaZtech baits that you may find helpful: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y1wkWQPMcPs.  The bottom line is that if you take a few basic precautions, you will not have any issues with ElaZtech.

 

Please feel free to post this on any forums as you see fit.  Thank you again for using our ElaZtech plastics and for getting in touch with your question!

 

Mad props to Zman for getting me a very prompt answer. The two times I have dealt with their customer service they have been awesome. They seem like a group that stands behind their product and want to do as much as possible to make it succeed.

[S. Sass]

1 hour ago, cgolf said:

we recommend storing ElaZtech plastics in their original packaging

Key point 1

1 hour ago, cgolf said:

Over time, ElaZtech may cause the box itself to warp

Key point 2

1 hour ago, cgolf said:

the baits should be fine as long as they are not mixed with other soft plastics.  I would recommend against storing ElaZtech and conventional plastics together in the same storage box, even in different compartments, to avoid the baits inadvertently being mixed and to prevent any kind of cross-k

^^^ Referring back to Key point 1 and Key point 2 

Clarifying keep ElaZtech plastics away from other brands of baits, and in their original packaging and their wont be any problem. 

[blckshirt98]

I'm more curious how to tell if a plastic bait has PVC in it.

 

[Bluebasser86]

8 minutes ago, blckshirt98 said:

I'm more curious how to tell if a plastic bait has PVC in it.

 

Best rule of thumb, if it's not a Zman, don't mix it with Zman baits. 

[Cgolf]

4 hours ago, S. Sass said:

Key point 1

Key point 2

^^^ Referring back to Key point 1 and Key point 2 

Clarifying keep ElaZtech plastics away from other brands of baits, and in their original packaging and their wont be any problem. 

And when you use a Plano or Flambeu box make sure you use a brand new one, which I do. Have one box in particular that has held baits for 6 months and no issues with either. Even they use Plano boxes, this guy is using the hydro flow series. 

[avidone1]

I'm not a big fan of zman baits but I do have some.  It's not big deal if you have a 'fishing' shirt.  I use a Columbia bait caster shirt.  It has plenty of pockets so I just put the baits in my pocket in the original package.  Every thing else is in the plano's

Easy peasey

[Kevin22]

On 5/12/2016 at 1:53 AM, blckshirt98 said:

I'm more curious how to tell if a plastic bait has PVC in it.

 

Easy. Z-man and strike king stretchy ones are the only two that are not PVC.. and I still wouldn't keep the SK and ZM in the same box. 

[Cgolf]

2 hours ago, Kevin22 said:

Easy. Z-man and strike king stretchy ones are the only two that are not PVC.. and I still wouldn't keep the SK and ZM in the same box. 

The SK elaztech are Zman baits, so there should be no issue with those. If they aren't somebody correct me, my next purchase will be including both. 

[Afishionado]

I like zman lures, they're great value for money but they always seem to deform in the bag.. I use the Shrimpz alot in the salt, and a lot of the time the tails end up twisted and stay that way and then they don't swim good at all.. They need to package that stuff in a plastic clam shell like they do rage toads to ensure that the baits stay straight.. 

[riverbasser]

I keep all my plastics in the original bags including zman. I always felt that the baits would lose there scent or oil if stored any other way. Right now they all go in the free bag I got from joining B.A.S.S , there is easily 30 bags of plastics in there and it's not big or bulky. Works great, there are also these binders I bought that would work http://m.basspro.com/Bass-Pro-Shops-Tackle-Binder-or-Replacement-Pages/product/37107/

[tander]

Great info !!!! This is how i store my ZMan baits.

[txchaser]

On 5/11/2016 at 11:40 PM, cgolf said:

it’s worth mentioning that Flambeau’s K-Series boxes are compatible with ElaZtech.

A bit of a thread necro, but it is an ongoing question, and it was this thread that helped me find a good answer.

I have tried the boxes posted below for 8 months now, since the Flambeau mentioned above was polycarbonate. 

 

My objective was to have a compact ned kit with heads and a decent selection of colors. I don't need all of them out of the bag since they last so long.

 

No warping of the box, no distortion of the baits, no discoloration. And really compact vs a bunch of bags with TRD's, TRD hogs, or the mini craws. Frankly the ones stored in the box are in better shape than the ones in the bag that are getting squared off from pressure.

 

https://www.amazon.com/Aventik-Transparent-Polycarbonate-Multi-Compartment-7-52X5-24X1-08inch/dp/B078VHXFSY

 

https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/41h6HSJ9BjL.jpg

 

[Jig Man]

I talked to a Zman guy and got the Flambeau info last year.  I ordered 4 of their boxes and put some of my Zman baits in them.  It took longer but all 4 have warped.

 

In the original package my worms got flat and stuck together.  I like their baits but they are hard keepers.

[TnRiver46]

My buddy left one on the dash of my boat and it did some strange things 

[kayl.]

I made a compact Ned rig box using a small double sided Plano stowaway. The only negative I noticed was pink trds getting stained when stored with darker colors.

https://www.planomolding.com/fishing/stowaway-utility-boxes/adjustable-double-sided-stowaway-medium-3400

[rtwvumtneer6]

Does anyone know if the elaztech is safe to use on silicone skirted baits?

 

I assume since chatterbaits were their niche before these plastics, that they are compatible, but I'm a little nervous to try it without some feedback!

[Smells like fish]

Had a new experience with my Zman CrawZ today. I usually lose both lure and shroom head pretty often creek fishing but I know I've had today's lure on the hook and tied on for couple months. Today after reeling it in it was covered with little pieces of rock. After having to pull all the pieces of rock sediments off the lure I couldn't believe how sticky it had became. The only contact this lure has had was partially leaned against a painted wall and that must have done it. It still caught a nice Smallmouth today and survived the day to ride the creek waters another day... Just extra sticky 

[Tim Kelly]

From the original post, I'd warn against leaving the baits rigged up, especially the finesse ones as the hooks will rust and weaken quickly. Can't be many of us who haven't had a hook snap with a ned rig. 

[schplurg]

They rust hooks, warp Plano boxes and melt other plastics? Just get a haz-mat suit and a geiger counter and Z-Man baits should be perfectly safe  

 

Here in California you need a special license to use them around or in water.

 

Seriously though, are they more toxic than other plastics? To people, fish or water? Not concerned but kinda curious, I've never used them.

[zelmo]

I resurrected this thread because I haven't seen my question  answered here or in the other threads on this topic.

 

I generally put bags of my go-to baits in the boat's glove box as I am heading out.  When ElaZtech baits are in their original bags, will they melt other baits that are in their original bags if the bags are touching?  What about putting a number of ElaZtech bags inside a storage bag, and then keeping them in a closed boat compartment that has other bait packages in storage bags?

[MN Fisher]

Long as all baits are in their original packaging, there shouldn't be any cross-over issues. I have Z-Man baits and Zoom baits in their original bags in the same box (Plano 3607)...no issues between them.

[Team9nine]

17 minutes ago, MN Fisher said:

Long as all baits are in their original packaging, there shouldn't be any cross-over issues. I have Z-Man baits and Zoom baits in their original bags in the same box (Plano 3607)...no issues between them.

 

Ditto this ^^

 

No issues whether in the same boat compartment, or wadded together in your back pocket. I’ve even put small bags of one type plastic into larger bags of a different type before a trip (for example, a small bag of Zman baits into a larger bag of regular worms, or reverse).

[zelmo]

Thanks.  That is exactly what I needed to know.