Zman TRD's melting no matter what!

[mojojojo]

Whats the deal with these Zman baits melting so easy? I rigged up a few and was testing them in my pool to see how they look and I had 4 in a ziplock bag under the patio cover in the shade (they never came in direct sunlight) and in only 5 MINUTES they all begin to warp and melt in the shade.

I then put some in an old small plastic plano style box with some Roboworms and they turned slimy, parlty melted INSIDE the AC house (these never even went outside) and they deformed every roboworm they came in contact with.

What the heck is the deal with this stuff?

Zman either needs to have a disclaimer on the bag at the ridiculous ease of these melting or state how to keep them from melting and ruining your other baits

[Team9nine]

You can't mix Z-man plastics with any other plastic baits as you'll get a chemical reaction that will take them both out. Cgolf from this board got the following response from Z-Man about storing their baits which should be helpful:

 

Quote

 

On 5/12/2016 at 0:40 AM, cgolf said:

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!

 

 

[Jar11591]

14 minutes ago, mojojojo said:

 

Zman either needs to have a disclaimer on the bag at the ridiculous ease of these melting or state how to keep them from melting and ruining your other baits

 

 

[mojojojo]

Just now, Jar11591 said:

 

 

LOL guess I missed the fine print...oh well

[Master Bait'r]

Yeah there's a learning curve in storing them (most people just leave them in the original bag) but once you've got that down I feel it's worth it.  Nothing as tough as Elaztech!

[IndianaFinesse]

24 minutes ago, mojojojo said:

Zman either needs to have a disclaimer on the bag at the ridiculous ease of these melting or state how to keep them from melting and ruining your other baits

As jar, t-9, and mojojo said, they do have a disclaimer on the packaging warns against keeping elaztech with other plastics..  Just keep them in there original packaging and don't put any other plastics in with them and you won't have any problems.

[frosty]

On an unrelated note, you might be a redneck if you do more fishing in your pool than swimming 

[S. Sass]

I figured as many times as this subject has been touched on everyone knew no to mix them with any other baits. I was surprised to see the post was just that. 

[mojojojo]

2 hours ago, S. Sass said:

I figured as many times as this subject has been touched on everyone knew no to mix them with any other baits. I was surprised to see the post was just that. 

ya sorry. Im a newbie to this site as well as Zman elaztech baits. Now I feel kinda dumb after posting this and then seeing the sticky posted just for this subject.

[S. Sass]

Just now, mojojojo said:

ya sorry. Im a newbie to this site as well as Zman elaztech baits. Now I feel kinda dumb after posting this and then seeing the sticky posted just for this subject.

I didnt mean it in a mean way. 

[Further North]

OK...is it wrong that now I want to store some (probably used) Z-Man baits with some other stuff to see what happens?

[Onvacation]

"Our warehouse reaches in excess of 100 degrees in the summer, and we’ve never had any baits melt here."

I think the real lesson we all learned here today is never apply for a position in ZMan's warehouse.  

[Bluebasser86]

3 hours ago, Further North said:

OK...is it wrong that now I want to store some (probably used) Z-Man baits with some other stuff to see what happens?

It's not real exciting. The Zman melts and the plastic doesn't. If you've ever had an old tackle box that plastic worms melted into, it's a faster version of that, but it still takes a few days. 

[Preytorien]

Also be careful as to using scents or dyes with them. I know that JJ's Magic will disintegrate them on contact - I'm not sure about other liquid baits. I use Megastrike on mine and they're fine. 

 

[eyedabassman]

Mojo,don't feel dumb! There are no dumb questions on this site! you will not know unless you ask! We are all here to help! We all have done that at one time or another!

[ErikmonBillsfon]

YoU must have missed the weekly thread about zman lures melting. I for one never really had a problem. I have a zip lock with a razor shadz on a skirted scrugger head and rhe skirt hasn't melted. Inside the same bag is 4 colors of finesse worms and some paddle tails and a couple jigs rigged up. I felt like why do I need to bring 10 bags of zman if they last forever and are essentially indestructable. I'll bring a whole bag of regular plastics cuase I can easily rip 5 in a day. Not an issue what so ever with z-man so I consolidated the lures into one bag and have no issue with colors running or any melting. I don't want to recommend this as I would feel bad if someone used a different brand zip lock and had them get ruined. Even if they get ruined it's only 1 color in each bag and I still have alot more lures. Don't let them contact with anything plastic even something on your boat. 

Overall the positives far outweigh the one negative that is easily contained.

[Choporoz]

I'm a fan of the ned rig and use it...maybe too often.  But, as much as I appreciate elaztech for that application, I have a lot more trouble overlooking the shortcomings than the rest of you here.  The inability to play well with other plastics is serious to me, and the cause of some big messes... but not the greatest sin.  The fact that I need crazy glue and or a lighter in order to keep a TRD on a mushroom head KEEPER for more than two casts is sometimes more trouble than I am willing to put up with.  Half a drop too much crazy glue and the paint on the head melts...not to mention my fingers getting glued to the head; and to each other.  Try the lighter method and you find that hot lead and/or hot steel hooks burn skin.  I still use zman for ned rigs, but all the rest of my elaztech is now in the basement bag labeled 'stuff that doesn't work or isn't worth using'.

[Klebs01]

That's odd. I've never felt the need to use glue or anything else with TRDs. Are you using the zman jigs?  

[Further North]

I have some Z-man stuff...including TRDs...why do people want to mix them in with other baits? 

I'm a simple guy...i just leave 'em in the packages the come in, throw the package away when I'm done.

[GoCougs14]

I accidently left one on the bed of my pickup all day on a 100 degree day and it didnt melt at all haha. It was very used though

[Onvacation]

On June 7, 2016 at 0:18 AM, Bluebasser86 said:

It's not real exciting. The Zman melts and the plastic doesn't. If you've ever had an old tackle box that plastic worms melted into, it's a faster version of that, but it still takes a few days. 

I am thinking that you and I must be in a minority group of old melted tackle box tray owners.  I never have ZMan issue because I keep all of my plastics in the original bags due to past melted tray issues.  

Pas for TRDs falling off the jig, I assume you are not using the ZMan jig.  That keeper has forced me to pull out the needle nose more then once to yank off a stubborn TRD.  

[IndianaFinesse]

5 hours ago, Choporoz said:

I'm a fan of the ned rig and use it...maybe too often.  But, as much as I appreciate elaztech for that application, I have a lot more trouble overlooking the shortcomings than the rest of you here.  The inability to play well with other plastics is serious to me, and the cause of some big messes... but not the greatest sin.  The fact that I need crazy glue and or a lighter in order to keep a TRD on a mushroom head KEEPER for more than two casts is sometimes more trouble than I am willing to put up with.  Half a drop too much crazy glue and the paint on the head melts...not to mention my fingers getting glued to the head; and to each other.  Try the lighter method and you find that hot lead and/or hot steel hooks burn skin.  I still use zman for ned rigs, but all the rest of my elaztech is now in the basement bag labeled 'stuff that doesn't work or isn't worth using'.

If the keeper is made of lead, it won't work on elaz-tech.  The only keeper that does is a sharp wire keeper that is on the z-man finesse shroomz, and it is impossible for it to slip down with that style of keeper.  And if you could send the z-man stuff you don't use to the rest of us, that would be great.

[mojojojo]

2 hours ago, Further North said:

I have some Z-man stuff...including TRDs...why do people want to mix them in with other baits? 

I'm a simple guy...i just leave 'em in the packages the come in, throw the package away when I'm done.

because I like to consolidate various baits into one box.for instance I have a small plastic worm container i use for finesse baits. Its filled with various small worms like roboworm, yum, zoom..etc. this way I can grab one small container and have a bunch of different baits instead of having to bring several different bags of plastics.

[S. Sass]

4 minutes ago, mojojojo said:

because I like to consolidate various baits into one box.for instance I have a small plastic worm container i use for finesse baits. Its filled with various small worms like roboworm, yum, zoom..etc. this way I can grab one small container and have a bunch of different baits instead of having to bring several different bags of plastics.

OK now you need 2 small boxes OR stay one small box and go all ElaZtech. 

[Further North]

13 hours ago, mojojojo said:

because I like to consolidate various baits into one box.for instance I have a small plastic worm container i use for finesse baits. Its filled with various small worms like roboworm, yum, zoom..etc. this way I can grab one small container and have a bunch of different baits instead of having to bring several different bags of plastics.

That makes sense...what I do with TRDs is combine two or three packages into one but still leave them in the original bag.  All my baits are stored below deck in my boat, and i replace what I use on any given trip before I go out on the next one from my "inventory".  When my "inventory gets low (what I call my "re-order point") I place another order for the baits.