Tackle Maintenance Tips (Part 1)
Spring has arrived in some parts of the world and it’s time to take out those dusty fishing rods and give them a clean up. These tips should help you get the most out of your gear this season. As we all are aware, fishing rod maintenance is the key to getting years of enjoyment out of your equipment. There are several things you can do extend the life of your fishing rods. The first thing you should avoid is knocking your rod against hard surfaces. This is especially important if you are using a graphite rod as graphite is brittle by nature. A nick in a graphite blank will eventually cause the blank to fail. What you can do is wash the rod with luke-warm soapy water and a soft sponge. I like Sunlight soap for this as it cuts grease as well. Use an old tooth brush to remove dirt from the guide rings and reel seat. This is especially important if you have used your rod in salt water. After you wash the blanks immediately rinse the blank off with fresh water and dry the rod off with a clean soft cloth.
In addition to the first spring clean of your rods, several times a season you can give your rods a more through cleaning and adding a few key steps to the process mentioned above. You can add a coat of wax to the rod blank to restore its original factory coating. If you own a two piece rod you can add some paraffin or wax to the male portion of the ferrule to stop it from sticking together. Be careful here with how much wax you apply as you do not want the rod to come apart during a cast from using too much wax. Use just a little wax to start off.
It is also a good idea to clean the cork handle of your rod as this is what you are holding onto when you fish. Dirt and hand oils build up year after year and these need to be cleaned to maintain a proper grip of your fishing rod. I like to use wet sand paper to remove these particles. Use 1500 grit paper and wet the handle down before you sand the cork handle. Apply some liquid hand soap to the handle and proceed to sand the handle of your rod. Once sanded, rinse with fresh water and let the handle dry overnight. It is also a good idea to check your guides for imperfections at this time. Use a Q-Tip and check the inside of the guide for any nicks. Nicks will cause your line to fray and become weak possibly resulting in a lost trophy. If the Q-Tip leaves any fibers behind, wet sand the inside of the guide using the same 1500 grit paper until the nick is removed. Test the guide again with a cotton swab to make sure you have completely removed the nick in the guide.
Stay tuned here for part two of tackle maintenance tip’s coming next week.
