Keeping Your Tackle Storage Rust-Free

[NorthernBasser]

Just a quick tip that I've done for years that I thought I'd pass along.

 

I place these Dry & Dry silica dry packets in all of my utility boxes to absorb any moisture that may have found it's way into the box. I still try to let baits air dry before putting them away, but sometimes they may not be fully dry. I never have any rust issues. 

 

You can get 200 packets for $10.99 on Amazon. I use the 1 gram size. I just replace them at the beginning of every season. I probably use more than I really need to, but they're so cheap I tend to get a little generous with them.

 

https://www.amazon.com/Packets-Premium-Silica-Desiccant-Dehumidifiers/dp/B00DNRI6HQ

 

 

 

 

 

[MN Fisher]

14 minutes ago, NorthernBasser said:

Just a quick tip that I've done for years that I thought I'd pass along.

Stole that from me, you did.

 

Every box has a compartment dedicated to the Dry Packs - 3-4 in each box. Replaced as part of my 'spring tune-up'.

[NorthernBasser]

3 minutes ago, MN Fisher said:

Stole that from me, you did.

 

Every box has a compartment dedicated to the Dry Packs - 3-4 in each box. Replaced as part of my 'spring tune-up'.

Great minds think alike! I also like the Pro Latch boxes, which I believe you've also mentioned you do in the past. 

[MN Fisher]

7 minutes ago, NorthernBasser said:

Great minds think alike! I also like the Pro Latch boxes, which I believe you've also mentioned you do in the past. 

Ya - the Edge is too expensive for my taste...though a generous person here gave me a couple for Fish-mas.

 

I'm using all Pro-Latch - a single 3707-04 Spinnerbait box, a 3700 (Squarebills and DTs) and the rest are 3701s

[12poundbass]

Yup the edge is a bit too expensive for my liking as well, anytime my son gets a pair of shoes, or we get something from Amazon it almost always has a silica packet with it so I ****** it up and it goes in the tackle storage. 

[12poundbass]

Not sure why s n a t c h is a banned word but oh well

[MN Fisher]

3 minutes ago, 12poundbass said:

Not sure why s n a t c h is a banned word but oh well

Dirty slang for a part of anatomy

[T-Billy]

6 hours ago, MN Fisher said:

Dirty slang for a part of anatomy

Really? Which part? ?

I bought a couple edge 3600's for terminal tackle. Worth the $ for that I think, but not for baits that stay put in standard boxes.

[r83srock]

My dad showed me this years ago, good tip! I also use VCI strips(cardboard) that I cut down to fit in the little compartments. I get a big pack of them from my nearest Menards but haven’t been able find them for awhile. I also like boxes that have the corrosion prevention technology built in. I use Plano edge 3600 for my terminal tackle and a mix of pro latch and flambeau, the once’s that have the anti rust built in.

 

We got two new machines at work a few months ago from Italy. When unpacking and setting up the machines, there were about 50 huge desiccant packs, about the size of a ladies shoe, in each of these machines. All of us mechanics took some home. Some went in the toolbox and nut/bolt bins in my garage, a couple went in my ammo boxes and gun cabinet. They take up some space, but I don’t think I’ll have to worry about moisture for awhile. 

[12poundbass]

7 hours ago, MN Fisher said:

Dirty slang for a part of anatomy

It was in high school. 

[ironbjorn]

On 5/1/2022 at 5:41 AM, T-Billy said:

Really? Which part? ?

I bought a couple edge 3600's for terminal tackle. Worth the $ for that I think, but not for baits that stay put in standard boxes.

The best and most expensive part. More men have died for it than probably anything else.

[dgkasper58]

You replace yours?  I thought it was good forever

 

But for real... THEY EXPIRE/GO BAD?

[PhishLI]

57 minutes ago, dgkasper58 said:

THEY EXPIRE/GO BAD?

They need to be dried out in an oven to be useful after they've been exposed to atmosphere for a certain amount of time.

[MN Fisher]

1 hour ago, PhishLI said:

They need to be dried out in an oven to be useful after they've been exposed to atmosphere for a certain amount of time.

Ya - they get 'waterlogged' with all the moisture they absorb. Low temp, fair amount of time...they're cheap enough that I just replace them instead of 'recharging' them.

[PhishLI]

34 minutes ago, MN Fisher said:

they're cheap enough that I just replace them instead of 'recharging' them.

It's probably not a good idea to recharge them where you bake your chocolate chips anyway.

[MN Fisher]

1 minute ago, PhishLI said:

It's probably not a good idea to recharge them where you bake your chocolate chips anyway.

Peanut butter - and those are in the 'real' oven.

 

Small jobs (like recharging gel-packs) are done in a dedicated toaster oven...same place I use to cure casting plastic for scale modeling.

[PhishLI]

On 4/30/2022 at 10:33 PM, NorthernBasser said:

Just a quick tip that I've done for years that I thought I'd pass along.

Anything you can do for the cause that works is good. Personally I just hang mine to dry. I have a spot in the boiler room with open wall studs. I stripped the jacket from a few 4' lengths of 12-2 romex, then stapled the conductors in a few rows horizontally to the studs. I've made it a habit to quickly hang my baits after each trip, then stand the empty boxes on the floor like an open book. The baits drip dry and they're typically bone dry by the morning. As long as I don't sleepwalk into the boiler room, trip, then get velcro'd to the wall by trebles...

[LunkerJunky]

I use a lot of desiccant packs in my boxes, but I also have some Plano Edge boxes. The Edge boxes are super pricy, but I got some for Christmas. The Edge boxes are sweet because you get a guarantee your baits aren't rusting in any possible way because of three way rust prevention and an O-ring to keep the box waterproof. The Edge boxes are crazy sturdy and durable. I like to keep my treble hook baits in the Edge boxes. The price point is a little tough though at $30 for a regular 3700 box. But I do like the Edge Flex boxes.

[ETnbasser]

Keep an eye on Academy for the Edge boxes, I bought them on sale at nearly half off a while back. Thought they were getting rid of them but they restocked at regular price so I reckon it was just a sale.

 

Thanks for the insight into the big bags of silica packs, definitely going to grab some. 

[txchaser]

Bought a flambeau 3700, it came with a bunch of blue inserts that have some rust protection. I didn't like the box, but I saved the inserts and usually throw one (flat) into the plano boxes.

 

More and more I'm moving to the edge boxes as they go off at decent prices on amazon pretty regularly. Only one I haven't liked so far is the spinnerbait box... A CD case is still a better way to carry them.

[Bankc]

On 5/3/2022 at 5:57 PM, PhishLI said:

It's probably not a good idea to recharge them where you bake your chocolate chips anyway.

Silica gel isn't actually gel.  It's just glass beads that are made in a special process that creates specially sized pores that trap and release moisture.  They work through geometry, not chemistry.  They tell you not to eat it, because glass can cut and grind your insides as it passes through and clog up your intestines.  And the glass beads can pop if exposed to liquid water.  It's not toxic (unless it's been exposed to toxins).  And they won't last long if exposed to moisture, so you'll probably need to replace them after every time you go fishing for them to work properly.  

 

The best thing I've done to prevent rust, other than letting my tackle dry out before storing it, is to quit buying Eagle Claw brand hooks.  Those things rust like crazy, and once rust starts, it spreads quickly.  Since I got rid of all of them, I haven't had rust issues.  

[PhishLI]

1 hour ago, Bankc said:

The best thing I've done to prevent rust, other than letting my tackle dry out before storing it, is to quit buying Eagle Claw brand hooks. 

I'll add that I remove heavily salted plastics from hooks, jigs, whatever, rinse them thoroughly, then hang to dry. It's easy to leave them on, but plastics like a Zako will eat a freshwater hook quickly if left on continuously. I keep Mend-it around, so rehabbing plastics torn by wire keepers is not a big deal.

[PhishLI]

1 hour ago, Bankc said:

Silica gel isn't actually gel.  It's just glass beads that are made in a special process that creates specially sized pores that trap and release moisture. 

If my wife caught me cooking silica packs in her oven, because at that moment our oven would become her oven, I could pitch my best explanation, then bolster it by having her read your thoughtful response, I'd be dead.