"Winter's the
time to prepare for spring fishing."
Author - John E. Brady, Hanover PA-USA
Copyright 2001
e-mail - jeb@jebswebsite.com
Unless you're an avid cold water angler, or like to go ice fishing when the lake freezes, most of us spend the winter weekends armchair fishing and wishin' we were fishin'. And chances are after you quite fishing for the year, you set your rod reel and tackle box in the corner of the garage, and there it will stay until it's time to use it again in the spring. Well, this is the perfect time to get your gear cleaned up and in shape for spring.
First thing on the agenda, is cleaning rods and reels. Take the reel off the rod and set the reel aside. Scrub the rod handle and reel seat using a small scrub brush, or old toothbrush, and some mild soap and water. If you have any stubborn stains that don't come off, use a small amount of an all purpose cleaner. Rinse the handle throughly with clean hot water, then wipe dry with a clean cloth.
Use the same cloth and some of the soap and water to wipe down the rod, taking care when doing the line guides. They need to be cleaned well, but be gentle taking care not to bend them out of alignment.
Next use some liquid car wax, the type without any abrasives in it, and wipe a small amount on the rod blank and the guides. Buff the wax off with a clean soft cloth.
Now it's time to work on the reel. Using the same cloth you cleaned the rod with, wipe down the outside of the reel. Make sure you get in all the grooves, and the reel foot. If necessary, use a toothbrush to help get off any stubborn dirt. Wipe it dry with the dry cloth.
If you're not comfortable taking your reel apart to clean and lube it, take it to someone who is. Most reputable tackle shops do in-house repairs and cleaning or can recommend someone who does. Most of the time, it's cheaper to get a reel cleaned and lubed by someone who knows how, than to have them put it back together from a bag of parts. Or worse, have something get broken from putting it back together improperly.
If you can take it apart yourself, you need to do this now. An (old) cake pan or a cookie sheet with low sides works well when taking a reel apart. It will help keep any small parts from rolling away. Also be careful when you take off the covers that you don't have springs go flying across the room.
The exact steps in taking a reel apart depends on the type, but the process is pretty much the same. The object is to clean dirt and grease off the parts an put them back together while applying a fresh clean lubricant.
Take off the handle, and side plates to expose the gears. If you're not real familiar with the parts, place them on the table in the same placement that you take them off. This will help when you start putting it back together. Clean out any loose dirt. Take off each part and wipe it clean and set it aside. As you do this check parts for wear, especially gears, bearings and bushing. Replace any necessary.
Now put the reel back together lubricating all meshing parts as you go. Use a manufacturer recommended reel lube. Don't over lube! A little is better than a lot.
Make sure when putting the reel back together, you don't force any parts into place. If you have to, it means your not putting it in properly. Take it out and start again. After you have the reel together, turn the crank slowly at first to see that everything inside and out moves properly. Check the drag, bail, thumb bar, flipping switch etc.
Listen for any noise that might tell you something isn't right. Now is the time to check it throughly.
This may not be your favorite job, but it will help pass the time during the cold snowy weekends. Then, when you head to the water that first warm day of spring, and everything is working properly, you'll look back and be glad you took the time. You'll be able to concentrate on catching fish, instead of fiddling with your gear.
After all..."They call it fishing, but the goal is catching!"