Rusty hooks on crankbaits

[Fishin is life]

What Geo said....and if you're out in the rain and digging through your box, they will get wet....When you get home set all of them out to let them dry as opposed to leaving them shut up in a wet box

[mhall]

Both replies are dead on. Also you can open your box and point a fan in it when you get home to dry them. Also a good habit to get into when you are changing baits is to shake the one you just took off real good and aggressively to shake free as much water as you can before placing back in box...

[DJD]

I would add that since I changed my tackle storage to keeping cranks in specific boxes I don't have as much trouble with rust as before. Several reasons why... If i'm using plastics or jigs I don't need the crank box open so moisture from rain or used jigs spinnerbait skirts and such do not get put in with my cranks. All the baits have their own storage box. If it does rain I will insure my boxes are under something to help stop any moisture from seeping in. I do have a box that has a little bit of everything that goes with me but I dry it out as others said if I get the inside wet....and that has happened many times but once you get in the habit of taking care of your investment you won't have a problem.
Geo had a great idea that I never tried but would consider if I had those problems.

[Jabbo]

That's easy. Use them more!!!

[thejerk]

Silica gel packs do help but wont completely prevent rust. I keep probabaly 10-20 in each box and still will get rust at times. Taking boxes out after a rain and putting a fan on them is a must also. Open up you boat compartments as well w a fan on them. You can easily get silica packs for free too. Just ask at your pharmacy. My wife works at a pharmacy and I get them by the box. They always have them sitting around. Plus the pharmacy typically has the silica in the hard plastic cylinders. Theyre alot easier to deal with.

[kygorski]

The two dollar word was desecants. My druggist used to save it for me. Uncle Bens rice works well also. My beat bet to keep hooks sharp and remove rust was a dremel tool, I must have had a dozen different hook hones floating around in my PFDs and tackle boxes at the same time, and couldn't find one most of the time.

[bigbasscatcher]

Thank you all for the wonderful tips.

[sweetwater]

We replace all of our factory crankbait trebles with Gamakatsu round bend treble hooks. On most of our larger crankbaits we'll replace the rear trebles with a Gamakatsu single hook. The Gammy hooks are made from a high quality steel and they rarely rust like a standard hook will. They are also super sharp right out of the box. Using Gammy trebles will reduce or eliminate the rust issue and increase your crankbait hook up ratio as well. They are a bit pricey but considering what crankbaits cost nowadays the expense can be justified. Like everyone said, dry your baits and boxes before storing them.