How to care for your fishing lures and baits

Fishing lures in general do not require much care when storing them in a home or shop or a good tackle box. The best way is to put them into cabinet drawers or individual boxes so that they can be found and stay dry. In humid climates or near the seashore it is important not to expose the metal parts to the air,otherwise, hooks will rust and other metals will corrode from the salt air.

You should keep fishing lures that have feathers or hair they should be kept in airtight containers so that moths and other insects or small animals will not get to them. This also applies to new fishing lures that haven't yet been used. Lures which have been used require proper care if you want to get the maximum use from them when you go fishing. Freshwater fishing lures will require less care and repair than saltwater lures.
In general, when examining any fishing lure you have made or bought it's a wise policy to repair it if you are the least bit doubtful about its condition for a good presentation to fish. Repairing usually means sandpapering the part of the lure body that is slightly chipped and touching up with a small brush, using enamels or lacquers.

You should replace the hooks with new ones if they are badly rusted. When doing this it is important to use the same size and weight as the old ones so that the action of the fishing lure is not changed in any way. If the damage is great and the lure cannot be repaired, throw it away after salvaging any usable parts.