!!!!!PLASTICS!!!!!

[lunker07]

I know it's winter and all but I was wondering to myself while ice fishing what everyone does with their plastic baits after they're done with them.

 

So I started this poll.

 

 

By the way I am new to this Board, I will post my intro later.

 

 

Thanks and be honest......

[bassjnkie]

When I already used them, I cut them into peices and jig for panfish.

[FishFinder]

depends which ones, i reuse the plastic ones, but the biodegradable i throw away...

[Northhunter]

About the only plastic I use is a grub. Berkley Bungee leeches were great too, but now everything's that damn "Gulp!" and I can't find them anywhere.

 

If it's torn enough to be a nuiscance but still useable I'll swap for a new one and save the damaged one incase supply gets low. Any tails that are intact get saved for tipping something else.

 

I've tried melting to make new baits, but it's like trying to fish with Jell-O. They plastic never holds.

[mepps]

Same as fish finder, I throw away the bioderadable. I hang on to the others as long as I can, never know when they may come in handy.

[spanky]

i fish my own handpoured plastics 95% of the time, so i just toss the used ones in my tackle bag to remelt and re pour later on... so i guess the closest would be #3

[Greencoachdog]

I put mine in a garbage bag on the boat.

[OhioFisherman]

If the head is torn up on things like lizards or 6 inch worms I will break the torn up part off and fish them on a jig head like a grub or trailer.

[Canuck2fan]

I should toss every piece of plastic I own in the bin..... I have never caught anything using plastic EVER. But then I am old school and believe very strongly in live bait, or lures for perch, pike, bass, and in spawn and the lowly earth worm for salmon, and steelhead.

[Rich]

I'm hard on plastics. The slightest little nick or tear, chew marks, etc I will toss em in the garbage. Never thought about melting them down to make new ones... could probably save a bunch of $$$ doing that.

[mattyk]

I catch a lot of fish on plastics and go through a ton of them. I chuck them all in the garbage.

[Rich Clemens]

For me, once they have been cut or ripped enough, off the hook and into my pocket for proper disposal.

[fishindevil]

yes i throw mine in the garbage,but i have seen some floating in the lake and some discarded at the boat ramps,if a fish eats one thats been torn off a hook will it hurt them?? ??aor will they just puke it back up....but good pole by the way,its neat to see the way people deal with them

[Rizzo]

I eats 'em meself

[joonmoon]

I reuse them unless they are really beat up then I always have a nice ligt snack with me...lol.

[xrap]

I usally don't use plastic and when I do use them most of the time they get snagged or if I'm lucky to get them back I toss em in the box and they usally lay there for the rest of the month till I clean the box out.

[GbayGiant]

I have like 5 plastic worms, for desperation needs when and only if my live bait runs out, just don't think it compares but if I don't have live bait I'll go with plastic after all my cranks and spinner's break as well.

[Carp]

I acually don't use plastics often, but if they're well used and abused,

they end up in the trash.

[OhioFisherman]

Interesting poll for more than one reason, ya most plastics are garbage when your done with them dispose of properly. Surprising the number of people that don`t have much faith in them, I don`t go fishing without them.

[misfish]

In the boat they go.

 

I cant count the many times I have ran out of a bait,just to turn around and find a used old torn up one,and it manages to catch a couple more fish for me.LOL

 

After that,they go in the garbage.

[setomonkey]

Interesting poll for more than one reason, ya most plastics are garbage when your done with them dispose of properly. Surprising the number of people that don`t have much faith in them, I don`t go fishing without them.

 

Me too, I didn't use them much but have been using plastics a lot more the past couple of years, with really good success. I don't usually use live bait and sometimes jigging or working a plastic slowly will get bites that another lure won't.

 

Mike

[kennyman]

I keep trying plastics, but haven't had a ton of success yet (I'm still a novice compared to most here). I'll give them a few more shots in different situations this year and I'm sure things will turn around. I think I'll try some of that paste or gel scent on them as well,especially the regular (unscented)plastic baits. Maybe that'll help? Can't hurt I guess? I hope they work out because they're really convenient and the biodegradable ones aren't even bad for the enviroment so I'll have less guilt. Really,imagine every lost lure,spinnerbait etc.,especially in the pressured areas. If you took the out the water level would drop LOL. Anyway, I picked the second choice because when I do use them, I'll put them back in my tackle bag (although seperate from the new ones) just incase I'll use them again and because I'm cheap......(okay, really cheap). Those Gulps go really hard after a while LOL . They're like little chartruese rocks. Has anyone seen the Dave Mercer ("facts of fishing") Gulp vs livebait video? Pretty impressive . Like I said,I'll be trying them again next year.

[OhioFisherman]

Kenneyman, a lot of it is a confidence in the bait deal, I have easily had much better days using soft plastics for bass than live bait. Also had days when everything, walleye, panfish, pike seemed to want them too. The live bait wasn`t allowed in bass tournaments, and hardbaits aren`t always the best choice for a situation. Take some time with them or get someone that uses them to take you out, they can make a believer of you.

[kennyman]

Kenneyman, a lot of it is a confidence in the bait deal, I have easily had much better days using soft plastics for bass than live bait. Also had days when everything, walleye, panfish, pike seemed to want them too. The live bait wasn`t allowed in bass tournaments, and hardbaits aren`t always the best choice for a situation. Take some time with them or get someone that uses them to take you out, they can make a believer of you.

Thanks for the reply OhioFisherman. Like I said,I'll definetely give them a try again next year. Sounds like you have a great amount of experience. What would be your "go to" plastic baits? Say a couple for bass, say bucketmouths and also a couple picks for walleyes? Send me in the right direction.Everyone seems to put in a little disclaimer, so yes I do realize these picks would be your preference, but that's exactly what I need. Anyone else who'd like to chime in or pm would be greatly appreciated as well. As I've said many times on here,I'm looking to learn all that I can. I'm not trying to steal anyones secrets ........... just borrow them LOL .

[OhioFisherman]

LOL experiance? Ya I am a geezer! Go to baits or at least starting out baits for me are a little different for largemouth than smallies. For largemouth usually a 6 inch worm or 6 inch lizard, mostly Zooms for me but other brands at times. I use the Zoom SS+ u-tail worm, first choice in color is Junebug for me on both, the worm is a thinner worm but effective, the lizard is a bulkier package I use it to try an get a bigger fish, it works for any though.

 

Second choice a lighter shade of the same baits, watermelon seed or watermelon blue glitter. I also use tube for largemouth but mostly for smallies, a good choice if the lake you are fishing has both. Green Pumkin is probably my first choice on the tubes, 3 1/2 or 4 inch, I use white ones with silver glitter a lot also, browns are also good.

 

If there isn`t a lot of hard cover, wood, docks ect. and the weeds aren`t to thick you can fish the lizards and worms on a ball or mushroom head jig(swimming), weedless or with the hook exposed. Texas style rigging works for either, also carolina style.

 

Tubes with a jig insert hook or tex-posed, I have also used them carolina rigged. The tubes are a nice tight package for under docks and around cover.

 

The lizards can be rigged texas style with a 4/0 or 5/0 hook and no weight and swum over weeds and lilies. Lots of ways to fish them all, you need confidence in them to stick with it.

 

For walleye I have had better luck with grubs on a ball head jig or the white tube on lake erie, I don`t usually fish for walleye, just incidental catches while after smallies, steelhead take them too.