Rust
What difference would it make if you rinsed your plugs after each trip? Hooks are going to rust after all, even if you rinse them right?
I had the opportunity to retrieve some plugs given to some friends & family after 1 season of fishing. I happen to know for a fact that these plugs spent the season being fished and then stored in a wet, or at least damp plug bag without being rinsed off with fresh water. I then compared them to my own plugs that although I may not have rinsed them after every trip, I did at least dry them out and rinsed them once in a while.
These 2 agitators were both made at the same time, and both have seen there fair share of action during the course of one season. As you probably have guessed, mine is the one on the bottom. Althoug some rust is beginning to form on the eye of the rear hook, I could probably get at least part of another season out of this plug. The belly hook shows almost no signs at all of rust. Often times it's the rear hook that rusts first if you store your plugs nose up in the bag. A closer look at the rear hooks of both plugs reveals the extent of the damage on the top plugs hooks.
The hook on the left can no longer be trusted and probably should have been replaced long before the end of the season. The one on the right looks much better although rust is starting to form.
Rust not only attacks & ruins hooks, it can also cause problems with staining tackle box trays, plug bag inserts, and bucktails. Here is a Danny plug with a bucktailed siwash hook on the rear. When this 1 year old plug was made, the bucktail was white! Notice how the rust stains are starting to appear on the plug body also.
Bottom line: Yes, it is worth it to take a few minutes and rinse your plugs! It takes a lot less time to rinse them if you make one of those plug storage bins we featured in Aprils newsletter. Replacing hooks takes both time and money! If you cant find the time to rinse them, at least store your plug bag with the cover open to let the plugs dry out a little better.
