Flat Rubber Vs Round Rubber

[mark poulson]

Forgive what may be an obvious question, but what's the real difference in performance?

[Jig Man]

I haven't seen any flat rubber in years.  But when we bought it the stuff would stick together and become unuseable after a period of time.  We had several big rolls that had to go to the land fill.  Round rubber has never done that to me.

[smalljaw]

Flat rubber moves more water and some like it, the closest think now is bio-silk silicone which is silicone but feels and acts like rubber. Both round and flat rubber will clump and melt, especially if you leave it in a box when it is wet, but it all melts when stored in a tackle box over the winter. Berkley made the gripper jigs with buck tail and rubber and I have fixed a bunch of them so far because the rubber they used got kinked up and unusable over a winter storage and flat rubber you would have to put the roll into a bag with unscented talc to keep it from going bad in storage and that is the reason you don't see it much anymore. I believe you can still get flatline rubber but it has to be a bulk purchase.

 

EDIT: I see you can buy flatline rubber in tabs now just like silicone, it looks pretty good but it still needs special care for storage.

Edited September 22, 2013 by smalljaw

[Curt - NC]

The biggest difference between flat rubber and round rubber is the "liveliness" of round rubber.

 

Round rubber has more "spring" to it and it will flare in the water in a way that flat rubber can't compare to.

 

Round rubber is also slipperier, so it can be a bit tougher to work with when making skirts and getting them to stay on your lures, unless you hand tie it.

 

If I had to make a choice as to which one I would work with, and silicone or other materials were not an option, I would probably choose round rubber, simply because it is more versatile and gives a more lifelike appearance in the water.

[mark poulson]

Thanks.