Edible soft plastics: what they really are

A soft lure is called "edible" when salt and flavour additives have been mixed into the batch before it is poured into the mould. It is not meant to be eaten and cannot be — the word describes what is in the mix, not what it is for.

What exactly is added

The base is the same as in an ordinary lure — PVC plastisol. Salt and a flavouring are added into the mix, and less often an oil or another scent carrier. The additives are spread through the whole body rather than applied on top, so they do not wash off in the first few minutes in the water. The salt content is not printed on the pack, so two lures can only be compared by weight and by feel.

Why this is done

The manufacturers state one goal: so that a fish which takes the lure does not spit it out immediately, leaving the angler time to set the hook. We cannot verify that claim with measurements and do not present it as a proven fact — it is a statement of composition and intent, not a measured result.

What is traded for it

Salt is heavier than plastic and more brittle: a salted lure is noticeably heavier than the same unsalted curly tail grub and tears on the hook sooner. A single lure's lifespan drops, and that translates directly into how many you have to carry with you.

The scent does not work forever

The flavour additive gradually washes out in water and evaporates in air: a lure from a pack opened long ago smells noticeably weaker than a fresh one from the same batch, and that can be checked by the nose, not assumed. So opened packs are kept closed rather than tipped into a shared box.

A salted lure sinks faster

Salt is heavier than plastic, so the same shape with salt in it has more weight and less buoyancy. On an identical rig a salted lure falls faster and glides for a shorter distance than an unsalted one — noticeable from the very first cast, and worth accounting for when choosing the rig weight.

Salt and metal side by side

Salt in the lure's body draws in moisture, and moisture plus metal means corrosion: a hook left rigged in a salted lure for a few weeks rusts on the side that stayed in contact. So the lure is taken off the hook, not left rigged "for next time".

How to store it

Salted lures are kept apart from ordinary ones and apart from other colours: their composition is different, and on contact they damage their neighbours faster. More detail is in the card about why soft plastics damage other lures.