A good friend of mine on the Redfish Professional fishing tour has probably forgotten more about fishing than I'll ever remember.
One lesson he taught me is this: Buy the
best equipment
you can afford and take care of it. Before any major fishing event, he spends untold hours making sure his equipment is in top shape. It's what you don't hear about on TV.
While most of us don't fish competitively, we have every reason to spend time before each fishing season making sure our tackle does what it's designed to do.
Today's fishing tackle has never been better: crisp, ultra light rods, super smooth reels with multiple ball-bearings, slick fly lines, braided lines, you name it. Unfortunately for the angler, this high-tech gear also comes with a price.
Even though most tackle is made from high quality materials like carbon, aviation grade aluminum, stainless steel and even titanium, we practice our sport in a hostile environment: humidity, UV exposure, extreme temperatures, salt spray, mud, sand, coral… The fishing action itself is often dangerous and our precious tackle gets knocked on boat decks or jetties, scratched on rocks or dropped in sand. Even fish push our rods and reels to extremes: a running redfish will make your fly reel spin at speeds up to 1000 rpm… Imagine the heat build-up in the bearings! In spite the quality of design and material fishing gear takes a beating every time we go out there. Does this mean we shouldn't invest in expensive tackle ? First of all because quality tackle will always outlast cheap stuff, and second, because it simply feels good to fish with a beautifully crafted rod and reel. Over the years, having lived so many exciting moments together, most of us get emotionally attached to our favorite tackle and our secret hope is to be able to pass it on to our kids many years from now.
Rods
Rod maintenance has nothing to do with rod breakage. Anglers will always find ways to break their rods, ranging from common (car doors) to plain stupid (standing on it) or what some qualify as heroic (while fighting a huge fish). Avoiding rod breakage and rod repair are other subjects which I will discuss another time.
The easiest part of the tackle to check is our fishing rods
. It requires nothing more than visually inspecting the rod carefully. Checking the rod tip is a good place to start, making sure it isn't split.
Sometimes you can have a slight split in the rod tip and not know it … until it breaks on your big fish. I've been there and done that.
Next, check the rod guides and the wrapping for wear. It's a good idea to run a soft cloth over the entire rod to help maintain the factory finish. The guides should not be loose. If they become loose, they will need to be wrapped with an application of epoxy.
The reel seats should be inspected for dirt or saltwater corrosion. I have some gear I use for both fresh and saltwater fishing. Reel seats are subject to corrosion and breakdown whenever exposed to saltwater. A good freshwater soaking of all your tackle (rods and lures included) is the only way to prevent reel seat damage.
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Reels
The reel
is the most complex piece of tackle and they all need maintenance each year. Dirt and grime can get inside the reel casing and cause damage. Taking apart your reel and cleaning the insides with a solvent (like Reel Scrubber) takes off the grease and grime. Rinse in fresh water and make sure the reel is thoroughly dry. Using a hair dryer is a good way to ensure this.
Use the oil and grease recommended by the manufacturer.
Changing the line on the spool annually is another good practice. Line degrades over time, especially when exposed to heat and sunlight. A fresh spool of line on the reel is easy to do and worth the effort.
Lures
Lures are probably the most neglected element of our tackle. One thing to inspect each season is the hooks on each lure. Are they bent out?
A pair of pliers will fix that quickly. Hooks feel dull? A few minutes with a hook sharpener can help.
Invest in hook guards
that you can attach to your hooks to keep them sharp. Hooks can dull any number of ways, but especially from bouncing around in a tackle box all season. If hooks are broken, many times they can be replaced. With some lures costing $5 to $8 or more, it pays to inspect and maintain them.
Send your questions and comments to charlie@academicangler.com
