Looking after your gear

[spog777 1]

I know it may seem that everyone has heard this a million time beforebut I just want to give my view on caring for your gear. My mate boughta new reel last month and it's just about shot. All eaten away with corrosionand ready to start dropping apart. I just want to stress how important itis to take a few extra minutes when you get home from a trip to clean your gear down.Even if its just a wash over your rods and reels with tepid soapy water, a quickrinse and dry down with a towel. I do this after every trip and some of my 40+ year old reels still look great-and theyve done thousands of hours of work. My eggbeaters get a wash in soapy water and a once over with a paintbrush that i useonly for this job. I then rinse them in clean water and dry with a tea towel. My trusty alveys get put in a bucket of water and left to soak for 10 minutes then dried.Every couple of trips i clean and regrease everything and reverse my lines-yep im stilla mono user. When doing this i run the lines past a damp cloth to get the salt etc that ive missed on previous cleans. All my tackle gets the same treatment-lures cleaned of salt etc. I know this probably sounds extreme but my gears lasted for years and with prices the way theyare that a bonus.I just thought i'd make mention to see what others do and if they have any little habitsthat may assist others in retaing their gear longer.

[Ranger 48]

I probably don't do as thorough a job as you, but drags get tightened, rods and reels get a rinse in fresh, and then when they're dried off the drags get backed off and they get a squirt with Inox.I keep sachets of silica gel in all my tackleboxes to absorb any moisture which may get in.The boat gets washed and flushed after every outing.Inox is my friend!

[thefunkychicken 0]

Roger that.I'm borderline pedantic about looking after things.A while ago I Inoxed & WD40d EVERYTHING in my house made of metal. You name it, it was sprayed or wiped. I have a mate who had an old FJ47 Toyota trayback which looked about 1 week old, his secret? WD40 and Lanotec.The fishing gear gets a regular spray, I rinse my gear the second I get home from the water, even if I'm going to be using it 12 hours later. However, I'm not as keen as the dude in the Sunday Mail, I don't take my gear into the shower with me.Yeh, pedantic I know but I've got tools and fishing gear thats 20 years old but still looks and works like new.Cheers.

[Ranger 48]

thefunkychicken wrote:

I'm not as keen as the dude in the Sunday Mail, I don't take my gear into the shower with me.

I actually used to do that, believing the hot water would do a better job of dissolving any salt reside.These days I'm just too slack. I get a hot shower, the rods get a cold one!

[jagger 24]

I remember back when I was at Recruits, we took the rifles into the showers after being out in the rain and mud a for a few days.A good scrub and a light oil and they were back to firing like new.

[weaver 271]

Just interested in what kind of reel it was spog?

[spog777 1]

Just sent him an email to find out-he's not happy i mentioned it but as i didnt give his name he can still sit back and feel guilty lolIts a PELAGIC THUNDER 10000 or whats left of one. Anyone'd think it was dipped in sulphuric acid. I have the same reel which i use a my "hack" standby so i cant quote "buy better gear, look after it and see the results"

[spog777 1]

never thought of using silica gel sachets-handy idea thx

[spog777 1]

strewth showering with your gear-wanna be careful with where u stick what. I'll settle for the bucket and brush lol

[statesquider 0]

I always seem to lose the silica packets so they never make it ot the tackle box but I wipe over all of my gear with a rag that is covered with wd40, also i have a dedicated wd40 coated toothbrush that i use to scrub out sand and fish scales that get jammed in and around the eyes of the rod and small gaps in the reel.One thing I have started to do in the last 6 months is rinse my lures in freshwater that i've used when i get home. I leave them to dry on paper towels and put them away the next day. I'e learnt to leave all tackle boxes/cases open now to let out any excess moisture that may be in them.One thing I did read in a magazine the other day was as an alternative to using the silica sachets you fill an old film canister with rice and put small holes in the end. This draws out the moisture from the tackle box (i assume it works on the same principle as putting rice in your salt shaker so it doesn't become solid) and all you have to do is replace the rice every so often. Painfully simple and effective!

[krustykrab 0]

Ranger wrote:

I probably don't do as thorough a job as you, but drags get tightened, rods and reels get a rinse in fresh, and then when they're dried off the drags get backed off and they get a squirt with Inox.I keep sachets of silica gel in all my tackleboxes to absorb any moisture which may get in.The boat gets washed and flushed after every outing.Inox is my friend!

yes inox is my friend also........the other day i talk a reel into waterboy to get spooled with braid and inox poured out onto the tackleshop floor when he pulled the spool off haha :laugh:good stuff though ........also unseized my swiss army knife with it that had gone for a swim in the sand and then snuck into the bottom of my tacklebox....was wondering where it was for weeks

[voogoofish 1]

spog777 wrote:

never thought of using silica gel sachets-handy idea thx

I agree... inspired idea fc

[chuckemback 0]

best to give your rods n reels a good cold sower with tap water norm temp with ya drags done up tight followed by a wipe with a dry towel as well as a few shakes in the begining . Loosen drag then store.i also take all reels off rods.

[twinpower 151]

hey guys for use who may use wd40 on ya reels it may seem like its doing good but its petrol based and will kill all the plastic parts in your reel thas why a good shower and a inox spray is better because inox oesnt have anything in it that can harm your reels. its pretty cheap as well 14 buks i think

[fridge 6]

ive bee using crc tackleguard only.has anyone got any thoughts on thischeers

[Ozzy 0]

Mine always come in the shower with me , I tighten the drags and they get a rub over with the soapy loofer sponge , then I just rinse them off and leave them to drain , once I'm dressed I go back and give then a wipe over then hit them with Inox , job done.CheersOzzy

[Guest pin point]

my reel has a "waterproof" drag, is there anythin i can do to clean it?

[Shark_Fisho 1]

I wipe my reel thoroughly over with warm soapy water, then scrub it over wid a toothbruth, then I dry them wid a towel and let em air dry for a while. I dnt have a bit of corrosion/rust on any of my reels...

[fridge 6]

had to google inox to find out.doh