Firstly how to preserve then care of the hook

[Kipper]

Soft plastics seem to shrivel and die (go hard) is there a way to prevent this eg soak them in 'fish oil' after use, or is it once used after the session chuck in the bin?

Secondly the hooks, I was wondering if giving them a bit of a clean post fishing with maybe some canola oil or something may prevent rust or is this not such a good idea?

Hope I dont seem like too much of a Scrooge but I remember the days the plastics lasted for ages, now they seem once used thats it.

[Young_fella]

It depends on the type of plastic you are using.

the ones with the liquid in it (eg: gulp) = keep it in the zip bag provided after use.

ones without (eg: monstermiki's) = no liquid needed.

Also if you wanna keep your gulps good, keep em out of the sun.

As for the hooks, I guess if you get all that water/salt off them after use then theres no reason why they should rust.

[Surfingant]

Personally I wouldn't bother, 10 bucks or so for a pack of plastics is pretty good value for the amount you get. I will quite often re-rig with a new plastic throughout a session even if it is still in good nick. I have found that putting a fresh plastic on will sometimes get a strike when I had been having no luck with the old one, probably because of the fresher scent. As for the jigheads, a quick rinse in fresh and hang them up to dry off before putting them away is enough to keep the rust away, remember to hone your hooks every so often if reusing heads as they do become blunt.

[Kipper]

Thanks for the input, yes it is the Gulp and Squidgy type. The bags tend to fall over and most of the juice slipped out, even though sealed.

Yes I agree a fresh one could have advantages from the scent

'hone the hooks' how is that done?

[Surfingant]

Mate just get yourself a little hook hone/file thingamajig, give it a few rubs on it to sharpen them up, could be the difference between a hit and a fish Also do yourself a favour and get into some of the Damiki SP's, truly are an awesome placcie, they have scent without the mess of the gulps and they are much tougher than gulps on the hook, more like a squidgy feel. Best of both worlds if you like