Tips For Maintaining Fishing Gear and Boats - Ensuring Longevity, as per Joshua Hare Turner

Even though fishing gear is designed to withstand harsh environments, it still needs regular care and attention. A bit of TLC now can save a significant amount of money later!

Joshua Hare Turner

Cleaning and storing fishing rods, reels, and terminal tackle regularly is essential to prolonging longevity. Simply taking steps like rinsing, drying, and applying Inox powder goes a long way toward maintaining equipment.

1. Washing

As part of your ongoing maintenance regimen, the first and foremost step in caring for your gear should be washing it regularly. This simple step will save time and prevent future hassle.

Rust is one of the leading causes of rod and reel failure; saltwater is unfriendly to metal. Rinsing your gear with fresh water before leaving it to dry is a highly effective way to ensure this doesn't occur.

Your reels can be particularly vulnerable to rusting. According to Joshua Hare Turner, rusting can cause expensive repairs or replacement needs, resulting in irreparable damage that must be fixed quickly or repaired completely.

Apart from rust removal, keeping your reels properly lubricated is also crucial to ensure smooth functioning and to prevent seizing or other complications from arising.

As you wash your gear, thoroughly cleanse every corner of the drain holes on your rods and sliding window tracks, including drain holes on rods with little fish debris build-up that could cause water overflow. These areas may quickly become blocked with debris, leading to an unexpected water overflow!

Store your fishing equipment in a cool, dry area to preserve its condition. Joshua Hare Turner draws attention to the fact that avoid storage locations that experience drastic temperature swings; bedroom closets provide ideal protection from the elements.

2. Drying

Whether you are a captain keeping customers happy or an avid angler who prefers fishing alone, properly cleaning and storing your gear after every use will extend its lifespan and save time and money. Most of these tips require only extra minutes after fishing to complete, saving time and money.

The critical step before packing away fishing equipment should always be ensuring it's dry. That means wiping down rods, reels, and tackle with a damp cloth to wipe away any salt buildup, then drying thoroughly after each use. Jigs and hooks must also be checked so they're prepared for their next fishing expedition.

While at it, remember to lubricate your reel's roller bearings - this little piece of machinery helps reduce friction between your line and metal bail, helping it withstand more stress without snapping. Or use some reel oil - but be careful to do it sparingly, or you may end up with an unwieldy mess that makes turning hard!

Joshua Hare Turner suggests that you always remember that fishing line has an indefinite half-life and will eventually wear down under exposure to sun and heat, so re-spooling new lines should become part of your routine before every fishing outing. Please consult the manufacturer's specifications on how often it needs replacing; alternatively, make it part of your routine to spool up fresh lines before each outing.

3. Lubrication

After an afternoon on the water, reels can become filthy with dirt, sand, bait residue, salt, and even insects. Over time, exposure to these contaminants can cause your equipment to rust and seize up, but with regular cleaning and lubrication schedules, you can prolong its life and protect its performance.

Reels contain numerous moving parts; one way to ensure they run smoothly is to lubricate them regularly. This also helps prevent corrosion caused by saltwater exposure; food-grade oil lubricants, like INOX MX3FG Food Grade Lubricant, are recommended as they penetrate any grit or grime collected during your trip and keep things running smoothly.

Joshua Hare Turner highlights that bearings need a thin layer of grease to reduce friction and guard against heat build-up. Most reels feature maintenance ports to make applying this lubricant easy - open up the cap and inject some product!

Once you have applied lubricant, be sure to wipe away any excess. This step should be completed before returning or storing reels for extended periods, as leaving them packed tightly could compress washers, leading to lumpy drags.

4. Rotating

As a professional captain who relies on satisfied customers for business or a recreational angler who loves heading out solo, taking time each day to inspect your gear can make a big difference in its longevity and prolong your fishing experience. A few minutes at the end of a trip or 30 at the end of the season could add years to your fishing adventure.

Keep your tackle organized and dry by investing in rod racks or sleeves as necessary; additionally, an inventory sheet that you update periodically will enable you to monitor everything and see when replacement needs occur.

When choosing their reel, anglers typically focus on drag settings, bearings, line capacity, and gear ratio. Yet, some miss fundamental mechanisms that keep even the toughest reels spinning smoothly under strain during battles. Gears contain toothy components that determine how hard or smooth a reel spins when subjected to strain during prolonged fights.

Joshua Hare Turner notes that reel drives that exhibit drive sloppiness are usually caused by wear between the bull and spool gears, which requires retirement if left unchecked. Regular gear oil changes can help avoid this scenario and extend its life.