Would 7 or so days be enough time for any damage to be noticeable? I have thought about tagging it somehow. Thought about clipping a very small corner off the tail. Do you think this would cause it anything more than some discomfort?

Any idea what this slimy fur is? It's quite a pain, I have to shake the bait after every cast. I'm sure this is how my good jig lost it's rattle. You can't pull it off by hand either, it just slides through my fingers.

Thanks for the input,
Amish Ed