Clear Coat

[NaturalState]

What are the pro's and con's of using clear coat to finish a soft plastic lure?  What is the best kind to use and where do you get it?

[Anglinarcher]

Don't want you to feel ignored.  Welcome to TU.

Now, to answer your question, the answer is "it depends".

Assuming that you use only dyes and pigments added to the plastisol, you do not need any clear coat.

If you paint the soft plastic lure, then only a very very few paints will adhere to the soft plastic.  You must use a clear to keep the paints on the plastic.  In this case, the most common clear is clear plastisol used as a dip.  It protects the paint job and gives it a glass like look.  I even use Alumidust and brush it on the lure, then dip in clear to protect and give it that great glass look.

If you paint the soft plastic with one of the solvent based paints designed to stick to soft plastic baits, then you might not need a clear coat, but they make a clear in that paint to go over it.  Also, that clear will work to cover the water based paints the same company sells for soft plastic baits.  I don't use it so I don't have a maker for you, but I know others here do.

I hope this helps some.