Preventing lures / tackle from rusting

[Fishop]

What does everyone use to stop their hooks and lures from rusting?

I wash mine with fresh water after each use but they still rust after a few weeks/months.

Is there an oil i can spray on them to prevent this? Or better yet a fishy oil that will help with the rust and also make my hooks and lures irresistible to fish? 

[Guest Guest123456789]

If you’re washing them properly and they’re still rusting then moisture is the culprit. A small bit of inox helps but I’d rather a small bit of rust then the possibility of a scent that deters a bite. Chances are I’ll lose the lure to a snag/bust off before the rust becomes too major anyway!

[Koalaboi]

I used to put talcum powder in m y tackle box with hooks etc but sooner or later some moisture gets in.

Now give it the occasional spray of WD40 into my tackle and there doesn't seem to be any problems with fish not biting.

KB

[Green Hornet]

After a good rinse and dry, I wipe a little tuna oil on my hooks, the stuff they sell to add to a berley mix. Costs next to nothing and lasts forever.

Unlike a lot of other oils it dries leaving a thin film and rust is never an issue, even on hooks that have been sharpened with my diamond hone, removing any protective coating. It also solves the problem of worrying whether the oil puts the fish off or not.

[lastworm]

After you rinse them, leave your tackle box open for about a week so they air out properly. If you close the box with even a drop of water left inside it’ll just store the moisture in and they will rust.

Even when I fish fresh water, I leave my lure boxes open for 4-5 days after to let the water evaporate.

[kingie chaser]

1 hour ago, Green Hornet said:

After a good rinse and dry, I wipe a little tuna oil on my hooks, the stuff they sell to add to a berley mix. Costs next to nothing and lasts forever.

Unlike a lot of other oils it dries leaving a thin film and rust is never an issue, even on hooks that have been sharpened with my diamond hone, removing any protective coating. It also solves the problem of worrying whether the oil puts the fish off or not.

It might work but how's the smell though 🤢

[JonD]

I rinse mine with the same product I flush my outboard and trailer with " salt-away".  Another alternative would be to buy a small bottle of wetsuit wash and mix a dilute quantitie into a small spray bottle, wetsuit washes are great at removing salt but also don't harm delicat plastics, rubbers and o'rings. Most tackle stores sell wetsuit washes.

[kingie chaser]

1 hour ago, JonD said:

I rinse mine with the same product I flush my outboard and trailer with " salt-away". 

I use salt-away as well, I usually do the motor flushing, boat. trailer & all the gear I have used for the day all in one go. 

[jordy]

Fresh water rinse and air out for 1 week for all terminal tackle (sinkers included) and lures. Also store used items seperate after fishing in small container until rinsed. Never had rust issue ever in my tackle box following this strict procedure. Keep a few silica gel packs in your kit as well.

Edited February 16, 2020 by jordy

[Green Hornet]

3 hours ago, kingie chaser said:

It might work but how's the smell though 🤢

No smell at all believe it or not. Its only a very small amount.

[New Signing]

The simplest way i find is to not put used hooks and swivels back into your tackle box. Unless we're talking about pakula dojo hooks and ball bearing swivels these items are cheap and can be discarded after each trip. With my rigging gear and game hooks that haven't yet been rigged i tend to just spray the inside of the box with WD40 every now and then which keeps everything in good nick.

With my trolling lures they tend to get washed in fresh water and allowed to dry before going back into their lure wraps. At the end of the season they all get a good wash and try followed by a spray with unscented silicone spray as per Peter Pakula's recommendation.

Hard bodies and jigs get the fresh water wash and WD40 spray.

[PaddyT]

so all my gear gets the following treatment if its been used, hosed with fresh water, then sponged with a light detergent/water mix (dishwash detergent is fine) then rehosed. Left to air dry for 24 hrs then a light spray of everything with tackleguard or inox . Very rarely see rust on any of my gear except the odd chem sharpened hook. 

[Fishop]

Great thanks for the tips!  Gonna start drying my tackle out better and might see if I can track down some tuna oil! 

[macca02]

I put all my lures/hooks in a Tupperware container, fill with warm water, put the lid on and shake it for about 30 seconds. Remove the items and place on paper towel to dry. When dry i spray all metal components with some cooking canola oil, wipe down then back into my tackle box.

I do keep the ones I've used separate to new ones and just keep using used ones until i lose them or they become blunt. 

[Berleyguts]

Am I the only one that, after washing them in fresh water, dries them with the wife’s $300 hair dryer???

[Rob81]

Almost the same as Macca02, I use soapy water and then pat dry and leave to hang. and for the oiling part I primarily do that to squid jigs only, whatever oils I can find in kitchen (vege, canola, extra virgin olive oil)

The hooks don't tend to rust and quiet frankly I'm not overly fussed if they do rust, as I would just swap them out. For Squid jigs I go the extra step only cause those aren't as easy to swap out.

Some people change hooks after each session as they don't want any form of risk on losing a good fish. 

[anthman]

Routine/rules:

* All used tackle stays in a container till the end of the session, fill container with hot tap water. Shake a bit.

* Pour out water and layout tackle on hard surface outdoors, let dry in the sun (doesn't take long)

* Store back in (now dry) container without lid on - air dries in a couple of days. 

* Sort and store tackle in a container from Daiso that is divided into four sections - plastics + jig heads (no zmans!), Metals, hard bodied and hooks/sinkers/swivels. 

* In this container I have a strips of zerust tabs in each section plus a silica gel satchet.

This helps me keep things from rusting, no oils/spray AND it means I have easy access to frequently used tackle. Only bring in new tackle when the old gets used up or lost. No mixing old with new.