The one major disadvantage with many wooden lures is that the finish is not too durable, it does not take many pike to make a mess of a beautifully painted plug. One way of prolonging the life is to dry the plug out thoroughly at home and give it a good thick coating of clear nail lacquer, this will also help to keep the plug waterproof in use which will preserve its buoyancy. You could also try gloss acrylic lacquer available form art and model shops. It is not quite as tough as nail lacquer on a coat per coat basis but it is cheaper and easier to apply and the brushes wash out in water. If you allow it 24 hours to harden between coats you can build up a high-gloss, tooth-resistant finish. I have noticed that if you apply gloss lacquer to fluo-chartreuse finishes, which are usually matt, you will slightly change the colour, reducing the reflectiveness. Perhaps a matt lacquer might resolve this, I haven't tried it yet.