Best way to preserve plastics?

[Micro]

Just curious.  Does anyone use any sort of preservatives on their plastics.  I've notice some of my plastics start to lose that slick feel once the bag has been opened.   I've experimented with a dash of silicone or a drop of vegetable oil.  That restores the slickness for awhile but then they go back to being dry and rubbery.  

This probably isn't even worth worrying about.  But I was just wondering if anyone even bothers, and if so, what they use.  

[Bassn Blvd]

I know a pro who guides on Lake Okeechobee who uses Italian salad dressing mixed in with his worms.  I never tried it but it may work well with the carrot stick.

[Jimzee]

I always keep mine in their original package and inside of a binder bag. I also store them in a temperature controlled environment and I think that helps alot. The main thing is to keep the bags sealed tightly and out of the sun and heat. I guess some of my plastics are going on ten years or better now. I would think adding your favorite scent to them would slick them up a bit but it may be a little messy.

[Jeff H]

A few drops of mineral oil goes a LONG way.  It is cheap,odorless, tasteless and colorless.  I have some plastics that are probably 15 yrs old that are still like new.  If you want them "slick" with no other after effects mineral oil will do it.  Doesn't take much, be careful.

[Catt]

I use Fish Formula II or Baitmate (clear) with a ½ oz of pure anise oil added; this is to mast any odor my plastic may have pick up.

[cart7t]

I still have a few old Fliptail Big Daddy 9" black worms that are easily 25 years old.  Still very usable.

I'm like Catt, a little of the clear Baitmate in the bag works.  The mineral oil would probably work just as well too.

[Micro]

Thanks.  

[Raul]

Just keep them in their bag, when you close the bag remove the air and store them away from the sunlight.

Still got a 14 packs of 7.5 in Culprit ribbontail worms, another 10 bags of Mann 's Augertail worms plus multiple leftovers I purchased 20 or 25 years ago and they are as fresh as the day I bought them.

[roadwarrior]

I'm with Raul.

Keep them in their original bag and don't add anything. Most plastics will keep indefinitely.

[WRB]

The suggestions to not add anything to unopened bags is your best choice. when you open the bag, put the dry worms into a zip lock style bags to store. The best additive is dry salt in the bag when storing.

You should add attractant to the individaul worms as you fish them, do not store them in attractant. When the worm is in the water it doesn't need an oily slippery coating, just something to mask your sent.

Some injection molded plastisols used to make some worms will age harden, most of todays are made with a softer plastic. Early plastic worms were packaged in mineral oil and glucerin to make them slippery and more fisherman appealing, but it doesn't help their shelf life and can degrade both the worms and plastic storage bags.

WRB

[Top]

I'm with Raul.

Keep them in their original bag and don't add anything. Most plastics will keep indefinitely.

that is good to know...

I still have 307 days until I can see if they keep indefinitely

I have been thinking... Its going to be bad enough to have to replace ALL my line at once... its just too much to think I might have to replace all my plastics at the same time? OUCH! I am going with indefinitely

AL