[font "Comic Sans MS"][size 3][#002850]I read or heard somewhere that allowing your soft plastics to touch your fluorocarbon or monofilament line for a while will actually compromise the quality of the line. I was warned not to allow my spool of fluoro leader lay amongst my soft plastic tub jigs or I could expect to have some breakoffs due to the line partially dissolving.
Can anyone confirm or deny this claim? Do any of you have any experience with this anomaly? Do you know of a Web site that I might refer to for more details? Any info would be appreciated. Thanks,
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A little while back I think it was K2 that said something about soft plastics in the plastic storage boxes can cause some kind of reaction that melts the box but I can't remember exactly. I can see how they could damage your line with all the stuff that goes into the soft plastics.
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[cool][#0000ff]My experience has been that the only plastics adversely affected by the solvents in soft plastics are the "hard" plastics...like polystyrene boxes and some unpainted hard plastic lures or painted lures not finished with protective epoxy. Styrofoam is also dissolved by soft plastic.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]But I have never had any problems after leaving a plastic lure hooked to a rod and coming in contact with the mono or copolymer lines on my reel. Not sure about fluoro. Never use it.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Worse enemies of most lines are UV rays and ozone...and heat.[/#0000ff]
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I'm not at all concerned about a soft plastic lure touching my leader while rigged on a pole. I put on new leader every trip anyway. My concern is that of my 125 yard spool of leader material being stored in, and touching, bare tubes ... mainly my Gorge lake trout tubes.
Last year I had some breakoffs while bringing in some large mackinaw. I was pretty perplexed as to why I was getting breakoffs. I am a believer that there are NO excuses for breakoffs. I try to tie my knots perfectly every time. If my knots are not absolutely perfect, I re-tie them. So, when I heard that you should not store your tubes in a way that allows them to touch your spool of leader material, I kind of figured that maybe that is why I was having breakoffs.
Since then, I have purchased a new spool of 17 lb. P-line fluorocarbon but this time I have it stored in a plastic baggy so that it can't touch the tubes. Oops ... did I say "plastic" baggy?
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[cool][#0000ff]It is always a good policy to keep the different components of your fishing arsenal sealed and separated...not only from plastic lures but anything else that could adversely react with them.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Simple things like keeping them away from stored gasoline or other volatile liquids can be important. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]People who leave tackle laying around loose in a boat throughout the year are most likely to suffer line degradation. Again, atmospheric pollutants, UV rays and high heat are all the enemies of line...and other things. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]As much as you like fluoro, I DISLIKE it. I have NEVER had a fish break off on the line I use (Excalibur Silver Thread). But the only two times I have used flouro I have had breakoffs. Maybe I got some of the same batch you did.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Now that your tubes have eyes you can warn them to watch out for coming in contact with your other stuff.[/#0000ff]
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