Walleye Plastics

[Stizostedion virtreum man]

Much has been written on this site about the effectiveness of Walleye plastics, such as the Berkley Powerbaits. Can anyone tell me the longevity of these impregnated scents ( 3 mo., 6 mos., 1 yr)? What is the best method of storage to retain the original scent? Any suggestions will be accepted with the utmost respect. Keep your eyes open and your feet dry.

[coon dog]

Virtreaum man, I have kept power baits over a year with no loss of scent, the trick is to keep air away from them. I use the zip lock bag that they come in, and make sure that its sealed up good, the ones that im using now are ones I bought two years ago, and they still stink to high heaven.

[GORD]

AS is the case with most things, fresher is better. For tournaments I play it safe and use fresh packages. I use up older packages that have been opened when fun fishing. Having said that, I can now say that they still seem to be effective the following season even after going thru a few freeze/thaw cycles.

[reddog]

I still have several unopened bags of the old style black, that are several years old, and they work(smell) just as good as the day I cracked the bag. Thoses bodies have a completley different scent than the new scent. I dont know why they keep messing with the size of the body. While I agree that the fat bodies of today have their place, I still like the old style bodies better. The were slimmer, and more like an actual twister tail. They come out with a certain color, (white w silver sparkle tail) and then, you cant get it no more. All in all, it is an awesome bait! I wouldnt worry about how old a bag is.

[Pooch]

I asked Berkley this very question a couple of years ago and they said to keep them sealed and there really wasn't a shelf life. I too have some that have been around for awhile and they seem to be fine. The ones that work the best don't really get tested because I use them up and they never get a chance to get old.
Pooch in Central Illinois

[sonny1]

Try rubbing the bait with sandpaper.The bait is impregnated throughout so you can get a new scent level by scuffing up the surface.

[Joe Rassat]

I work with Berkley and I have had Power Baits from our inception and they catch fish just like one's I just have gotten.Pooch was right there is no real shelf life unless stored under harsh conditions. The formula used in the baits is impregnated in the bait and thus it should maintain its effectiveness. Thanks JOE

[Stizostedion vitreum man]

Joe,

Would you please define " harsh conditions " to me. Thanks.

S.v. man

[Jeremy]

Cool, scratch and sniff

[Joe Rassat]

What I mean by harsh conditions would be leaving on the dash of the truck in July or letting them freeze in the bottom of the boat while in storage. The actives still work in the bait, its just that the shape gets screwed up. Thanks Joe

[Backwater Eddy]

Scratch & sniff, HA! Love it!

Backwater Eddy

[Backwater Eddy]

One of my favorite plastics for cats are the Power Pogy's and the Power Shad's.

A catfish has a very good sniffer, much better than a walleye. Practically the whole body of a catfish is designed to detect or taste the water for food. They have taste buds on the exterior of the body also and I have heard Steve Hoffman call them swimming tongs. HA!

They hold there scent a long time but try adding a oil base scent (DR. Juice, Game fish, etc) to the package as it seams to stimulate the impregnated Berkley scent and activate it again.

Good baits!

Backwater Eddy