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Rinsing plugs after fishing

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Heavy Seas

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I normally take my plugs out of my plug bag and rinse them under warm water then lay them out to try. I got in late last night and didn’t feel like bothering with that so just hosed down the plugs in my plug bag and left the bag out to dry out in my house. 
 

this afternoon there was still water on the plugs and on the sides of the tubes in my plug bag. Some rust had formed on a few plugs. What was my issue here? Was it ok to rinse them in the bag but I should have taken them out and laid them out to dry rather than hanging in the tubes in my bag? Or do I really need to take them out of the bag, wash separately and then lay them out separately somewhere? 
 

I try to keep my stuff in good condition but it’s tough to always do especially when all you want to do is sleep after a night in the surf. Hoping someone can help me figure out a better way that’s quick but will also avoid plugs rusting up. 

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5 mins ago, LowEnd said:

The only plug I rinse is the one on my rod when I get home.

Matters not weather they get rinsed or not. 
Hooks are consumables and should be replaced on the regular. First sign of rust I change them out.

i started getting into the habit of pulling the entire insert out of my plug bag when i get back with the plugs in it. Seems to get me a little more life out of the tail hooks. 

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The corrosion will happen quicker if the plugs don’t dry so if you want to mitigate it then your best bet is to do a freshwater rinse and then let everything air dry. Leaving them in the bag captures all the moisture and accelerates the rust/corrosion. I fish VMCs and Owner ST-66 and will say that the Owner rust much quicker than VMC - but that’s beside the fact that I replace hooks on my go-to plugs at least 3x a season. Rust is unavoidable but there’s minor tricks to slow it down to get the most out of the hardware.

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1 min ago, sikcrodbends said:

The corrosion will happen quicker if the plugs don’t dry so if you want to mitigate it then your best bet is to do a freshwater rinse and then let everything air dry. Leaving them in the bag captures all the moisture and accelerates the rust/corrosion. I fish VMCs and Owner ST-66 and will say that the Owner rust much quicker than VMC - but that’s beside the fact that I replace hooks on my go-to plugs at least 3x a season. Rust is unavoidable but there’s minor tricks to slow it down to get the most out of the hardware.

Yes I think I need to just get a towel and take them out of the bag next time lay them on the towel instead of leaving them in the plug bag where the moisture stays in the tubes. I had left the bag open but didn’t seem to matter

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Rinse plugs...never. Might leave the bag I carried that outing open on the tailgate when I get home to air dry a bit. Buy hooks in bulk and just change out as necessary.  Off season I crush barbs, cut the hooks that need cutting, and box them in smaller quantities...keep some in the truck along with a split ring, channel lock, and knipex cutter. Pull that rarely used plug from a spare bag and the hooks are rusty, replace em in seconds. I'd rather mow the lawn on a muggy 90 degree day than empty and wash plugs and plug bag...

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48 mins ago, unskunk said:

.....did you ever notice that the hooks on a Jumping Minnow start rusting after 1 use ?

you can replace the hooks but the original walking action is NEVER

again reproduced.....(it seems)

Switch out originals to # 2 VMC 4X trebles (matching SS split rings) and rinse plug with fresh water after use. Trebles will last longer for sure

Edited by VanStaalSteve
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