Banged up box

So I’ve got tons of ice tackle,…Most never used. The ice guys know that the gear gets banged around alot. As I was sorting jigs I noticed much of my baits are covered in box grime . So they’ve lost their brilliance if you will. Colors are grimy. So I guess its from the metal hooks rolling around against the colored portions of the baits along with a bit of moisture. However even my water tight boxes show the same symptoms. Is there an easy way out of this other than storing each bait in an individual compartment? It would sure be nice if there was a solution I could just soak everything in. Anyone have a remedy?

great question Matt- I would love to hear some fixes for this issue!

Just something you might try.

I don’t know of any sure fire cures but you might try to lightly rub a rag with acetone to see if you can clean one of the jigs and then paint some clear fingernail polish on it. Acetone will desolve the paint so be careful.

I know what you mean Matt.

I have had some luck using hydrogen peroxide and a soft

toothbrush when restoring baits but never really soaked

them in the solution for a long period.

Usually just dunked ,scrubbed and rinsed. Wifes fingernail

enamel afterwards helps bring back some shine. Use to use

straight dawn soap and to be honest I couldn’t tell the

difference between that and peroxide.

I did go with a waterproof Flambeau Blue Ribbon fly box

this season for my pocket tackle. So far it has been a

great investment. No more tangled up baits and hopefully

the grime issue, along with dull hook points are

eliminated

Let us know what works out best

Fish around brush….then you will get to buy new more often!!!

The fly box looks like a good investment in deed!!!

at first I was a bit reluctant to open this thread for fear of what I might see, good thing I did, cause Jeff that there is a cool idea!

i use crest toothpaste and a toothbrush. get some hot water to rinse them off. i had the same problem and they turned out like new when i was done. a good needle nose pliers comes in handy to hold them.

I wonder if they still make Brasso? I used it in ROTC and the Military to clean brass and buckles. I used to use it on Swedish Pimples and Vinglas with much success.

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I wonder if they still make Brasso? I used it in ROTC and the Military to clean brass and buckles. I used to use it on Swedish Pimples and Vinglas with much success.

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Yes they do still make it, a friend bought some two weeks ago to clean a brass kick plate.

Peroxide and crest, who would have thunk??? Sounds like a good idea.

Brasso would work, however the smell it would leave would be less than desireable.
Peroxide a rag and elbow grease, would be your best bet.
Maybe store a couple folded paper towles to absorb some of the moisture in your boxes might help also.

I use Bar Keepers Friend
just put a 1/4 cup in a sour cream container and add enough hot water to make a slurry , dump in the jigs and shake,
wash off with hot water and dry
works great and it also takes rust off spoons

I picked up a Fly box a couple of years ago to which my ice jigs call home when they aren’t in the water. Not as fancy as Jeff’s but for $10 it works great! A small needle nose makes placement of the jigs much easier.

As for reconditioning “used” jigs – I tried an ultrasonic cleaner with distilled water (no cleaners or solvents) in the past with mixed results. Some jigs came out a little better than they went in but overall it wasn’t worth the effort. I’d just as soon spend a couple of bucks with Custom Jigs and Spins…..

I keep all my jigging spoons in a fly box too. My small jigs are starting to get beat up, so I might have to look into this. Although my banged up dirty red gill pill has been producing well this year.

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I picked up a Fly box a couple of years ago to which my ice jigs call home when they aren’t in the water. Not as fancy as Jeff’s but for $10 it works great! A small needle nose makes placement of the jigs much easier.

As for reconditioning “used” jigs – I tried an ultrasonic cleaner with distilled water (no cleaners or solvents) in the past with mixed results. Some jigs came out a little better than they went in but overall it wasn’t worth the effort. I’d just as soon spend a couple of bucks with Custom Jigs and Spins…..

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So Bossman have you ever tried the lil’ cecil??? One of my favorites as well!!

on the cecils

Sounds like you need to take better care of your ice tackle!

I’ve got a couple systems that are working very well. One is the Today’s Tackle Tackle Pouches. Alot of my mid-size to larger lures (lets say a #4 Demon jig) go in the various size Tackle Pouches. I put all similar size and style jigs in the various pouches so they are organized. If I want a #4 Demon, I can grab that Tackle Pouch and select a color. I then pack a couple small Plano trays full of the various Tackle Pouches. When your tackle is stored in the Tackle Pouches, they have very little opportunity to “bang” around in your box, therefore your tackle will remain like new for awhile.

My panfish tackle goes in fly boxes such as Little Atom’s Bug Luggage or Rose Creek’s box.

My jigging spoons all go into fly boxes available from Cabela’s or Gander as shown in a previous posters response.

Tackle organization is the way to be efficient while protecting your investment. I’ve got a small Plano box of Your Bobbers Down Wolfram jigs that were allowed to “bounce” around and I was crying when I opened the box this year. At $2 a lure, I’ve got $100 plus dollars in small jigs that are missing half their paint now in that box.

I don’t know if this would work, but a long time ago, I was told to give a fairly good spray of WD-40 to my trout spinners that I keep in a box similarily to what we are talking about now in regard to your ice jigs. The supposed shark oil properties of the WD-40 were suppose to act as an attractant as well as keeping rust to a minimum.

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I use Bar Keepers Friend
just put a 1/4 cup in a sour cream container and add enough hot water to make a slurry , dump in the jigs and shake,
wash off with hot water and dry
works great and it also takes rust off spoons

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If this works,…… mrwalleye

Where would I find this Bar Keepers Friend? Besides kooty’s house?

Cleaning isle at most stores. Prob. get at walmart…next to comet cleaner. I think it is a brown colored can similar to Comet can. Good Luck

Wall-Mart
you want the mix about like pancake mix,
after they are dry I take a diamond file to all my hooks and give them a quick touch-up.
dont shake to much or the finish will get dull just enough to get it working. let the oxalic acid do most of the work

One other thing,
for on the ice I carry isopropyl alcohol swabs they work great to do a quick clean-up and the smell of the alcohol goes away fast in the water

its just not practical for a box of jigs