Keeping Z Man baits from sticking together?

[Elkins45]

Several of my Z Man baits are all melted together in the bags. They have been stored together in their original bags and away from any other plastics. It’s hard to keep them out of the heat when summer fishing, but this apparently happened over the winter while stored in my garage. Has anyone tried some coating or treatment to keep them from melding together into a big clump? I’m getting ready to try an experiment to see if I can save the ones I have left. Maybe Individually coating them with peaunt oil?

[Elkins45]

Another thought I had was rolling them individually in Saran Wrap, but I don’t know how they would react to the different kind of plastic. Maybe just use notebook paper?

[gim]

Heat and/or sunlight can cause this. Also, they don’t like to play nice with other plastics mixed in. If you can keep them in the original bag they come in and in the shade and/or a cooler environment that will help.

[PourMyOwn]

I keep mine in the garage fridge.

[Bluebasser86]

I've got bags that are approaching a decade old that are stored in my boat year round through triple digit heat and sub zero temps. I still have yet to have a bag melt and I have over 100 bags of them.

[PourMyOwn]

5 hours ago, Bluebasser86 said:

I've got bags that are approaching a decade old that are stored in my boat year round through triple digit heat and sub zero temps. I still have yet to have a bag melt and I have over 100 bags of them.

I can't say I'm that fortunate. I've had two or three bags where the worms become stuck together to the point they are garbage. 

 

Maybe it's the sunlight, maybe I bought them from a store that didn't handle them properly before I bought them. 

[TBAG]

Interesting, I know to store them away from other baits and I keep them in a Z man branded binder in my garage through the heat and cold and have never had an issue.

[Elkins45]

10 hours ago, Bluebasser86 said:

I've got bags that are approaching a decade old that are stored in my boat year round through triple digit heat and sub zero temps. I still have yet to have a bag melt and I have over 100 bags of them.

I pried apart a bag of ZinkerZ that were so melted together they shot salt all over the place and were a ragged mess. By the time I got home they had melted back together into another big clump. I don’t know how you have been so lucky.

[RCRFish]

I use Strike King "Zero's" which are super soft, super salty, very durable, and made with ELAZTECH by Z-Man. I have not experienced any "melting" with these products.

[GioFromNJ]

I've recently had this happen with some hula sticks and thought I was doing something wrong...it hasnt hit over 80 here in NJ since last year and theyve been in their bags and in my garage since I got em. 

 

 

[tander]

I keep all my tackle in my boat. I have had some stick together but pulled them apart and they was fine. It gets pretty hot in Mississippi!!!

[Smells like fish]

I have not been having the best of luck with them either. I am yet to figure out what I've done. I have some as much as 10 years old and perhaps 20 bags bought in the last couple years. My issue is they have become super sticky. The older lures which are Shad that came on a version of the chatterbait are sticky the same as newly purchased bags of trd'so. As I mentioned in a post a month or 2 ago, my lure reeled in coated with pebbles from the creek I was casting in. 

[RoLo]

 

I doubt what you're experiencing is due to heat or sunlight, it's probably due to mixing polymers.  

The best solution is to store Zman plastics with Zman plastics.

 

Roger

[waymont]

I've never had one melt through out super hot summer time weather. I don't do anything special, I just keep them in the bag they come in, inside my tackle bag.

[MickD]

Never had a problem. Mine are stored in moderate temperature (cold in winter, though) in the shade.   I suspect there is some contamination of some sort getting in.  

[Smells like fish]

These are the oldest I have and are dated Nov of 2008. Was not opened until Fall of 2019 and are annoyingly sticky. They would stick work though and no they have not left any residue on the blade. Some of my trd's have the same stickiness though are only year or 2 old. 

[Elkins45]

3 hours ago, RoLo said:

 

What you're experiencing isn't due to heat or sunlight, it's most likely due to mixing polymers.  

A simple solution is to store Zman plastics with Zman plastics.

 

Roger

That’s not the case. I always store my Z Man baits separate from any others in their own box.

[Elkins45]

I took the two worst bags and coated them with some canola oil from the kitchen. I took another bag and separated them with notebook paper. I’m going to put them out in the hot sun and see what happens. They’re pretty well trashed anyway.

[fishwizzard]

I have had some bags stick together very quickly and some that have lived in my car for years with no issue, I have never managed to figure out what the difference is.  

[The Bassman]

Z-Man uses different % of salt depending on the bait. Zinkers are the saltiest, I believe. Might have some effect on storage (?)

[WRB]

Try adding glycerin to lubricate the plastic adding a neutral coating.
Tom

[Elkins45]

The canola oil experiment was a complete failure. After a day lying on the lid of my livewell on an 85° sunny day my canola coated Zinkerz (Bama Craw color) were fused together into a single mass. Since they had already been priced apart once they were beyond saving this time and I tossed them.

 

My next experiment is with a bag of Strike King finesse worms that are also elazatech. They have also been pried apart once, and (maybe not coincidentally) are also Bama Craw colored. I rolled them up in Saran Wrap so they weren’t touching and put them back in the bag on top of my livewell. I rinsed and dried them first because when I pried them apart they released a whole  much of salt crystals.

 

I wonder if the color matters, since both of the worst bags were Bama Craw? I also wonder if the amount of salt matters? None of my fattyz or Finesse TRD worms have melted together quite as badly. I think that may only be one factor because I have some of their floating worms which should have little or no salt and they also have melted, although not nearly as badly.

[Dogface]

I am puzzled by your problem. I have 15 or 20 bags of Z Man baits and never had a problem. I do keep them separated by style and color and use the original bags to avoid any issues.  

 

 

[PourMyOwn]

4 minutes ago, Dogface said:

I am puzzled by your problem. I have 15 or 20 bags of Z Man baits and never had a problem. I do keep them separated by style and color and use the original bags to avoid any issues.  

 

 

I do exactly what you do and I have had issues. Not enough to keep me from buying more TRDs, but it did stink to have a 6 dollar bag of plastics ruined.

[Dogface]

8 minutes ago, PourMyOwn said:

I do exactly what you do and I have had issues. Not enough to keep me from buying more TRDs, but it did stink to have a 6 dollar bag of plastics ruined.

Elkins mentioned color. Was a particular color involved with yours? 

 

BTW I am interested because I drag my Z Man stuff with me wherever I go and if there is something I need to do I want to do it.