Professional Anglers Association

Tackle Maintenance Tips

Your two most critical peices of kit are your rod and reel, spending a little time on TLC after each session will make their partnership with you a long and reliable one.

It is all too easy to forget the quality of the tackle you have purchased, rods and reels must be properly maintained and serviced to ensure long life and optimum performance. Without this care, even the finest equipment can quickly be rendered unusable by the harsh treatment and a marine environment. By following a few simple steps on a regular basis, you can make sure your tackle will never let you down. We offer these suggestions to help keep your tackle in top condition.

REEL CARE:

After fishing, especially in salt water, gently rinse or wipe off your reels and rods with fresh water. Do not use a powerful stream of water when rinsing your reels with a hose as this will ensure further damage by driving salt particles and impurities into the internal mechanisms.

When applying a soapy solution prior to rinsing off reels and rods, especially after saltwater use a gentle soap not washing up liquid. Then use a soft cloth to help remove any scales stuck on your rods, don't use anything abrasive, as these may damage the finish. To help preserve a rod's luster periodically apply and wipe off a furniture polish (such as Pledge).

Dry reels (and rods) with a chamois or terry cloth towel, or let them drip dry. Then use a light oil or WD40 or similar to apply a protective film on your reels and be careful not to spray your line. If you do be sure to wipe it off immediately.

Periodically, apply reel lube to oil ports on handle knobs, external parts (under eccentric lever, etc.). Don't over lubricate, remember the old adage "little and often", so it's better to lubricate sparsely and frequently. It's a waste of time trying to make up for a lack of regular maintenance by "over-lubricating."

Use a quality reel grease from Penn, Diawa etc for gear teeth, bearings and other internal frictional surfaces.

Store your rods and reels in a cool, dry place. But first release the drag (lever, star or knob) on your reels to take pressure off the drag springs and washers. Tip: On International and star drag reels put the clicker on after backing off the drag to prevent line from coming off the spool too easily. Don't store reels in plastic bags, doing this helps damaging the reel through condensation.

Depending upon use, reels should be periodically taken apart, cleaned and serviced. Do this at least once a season - more frequently if they are used often. Then your properly maintained kit should last a lifetime.

OVERHAULING YOUR REEL:

When overhauling your reel yourself it is important to have a clean, level, uncluttered and well-lit work area. If you have one, keep your manual handy as a reference when disassembling and reassembling your reel. Arrange your tools, lube, grease rags, brushes, cleaners, etc. before you start and have enough space to put parts, sub-assemblies, etc. It is helpful to arrange parts in the order they're disassembled and using something like empty egg cartons to avoid mix-ups.

Once a reel is disassembled remove all traces of oil and grease by cleaning all parts i an anti-grease cleaner such as kerosene, lighter fuel to Simple Green, Dawn or other detergents. Don't forget to remove the degreaser before re-assembling and be careful with them because they can be hazardous or environmentaly dangerous.

Most tackle manufacturers and some tackle shops offer servicing and overhauling of reels. While periodic factory servicing is recommended, your kit still requires ot meant to replace regular tackle maintenance practices after each trip.

Keeping your tackle in "Tip Top" condition is important to ensure that you're not let down just when you need it and to that your investment gives you many years of enjoyment.

ROD CARE:

Rods are simpler to maintain, after each trip wash them thoroughly with fresh water (and a mild soap if desired) to remove salt, scales and impurities. When dry carefully check your rod guides for any nicks or cuts that could damage or fray your line. An effective method for checking guide damage is to run a pair of women's stockings through them. Any significant imperfections will snag the nylon. Don't store your rods by leaning them against a wall as this may cause the bend and warp them. Storing them vertically or horizontally in a cool, dry location is best.

Cork and foam handles can be cleaned and brightened-up easily. To restore a cork handle to it's original light color, sand with fine or extra fine grade sandpaper. Using heavier paper will only rough the finish and remove the cork. Foam handles can be restored by using a medium or coarse grade sandpaper.

Good rod care can be as simple as just visually checking the rod. Rods have no moving or working parts, other than the hood on the reel seat, and the roller guides on offshore rods. Problems start when the reels are left on the rod, especially after being used in salt water. Ideally, rods should be washed after each fishing trip. This is done by using a light spray from the garden hose and a "shot" of WD-40 on your guides and reel seat. This will break down the salt deposits. For a very dirty rod, scrub with a light brush the areas around the guides, guide feet and the reel seat. To keep the reel seat working, screw the movable hood from one end to the other, and scrub the threads.

Look after your gear and it will look after you.

Rod Test Curve, what is it?

The amount of bend in all modern fishing rods is measured by their test curve. This means the amount of weight necessary to pull the tip of a rod down into a 90-degree angle to the butt section.

Generally, rods are designed with two purposes in mind - one for casting and the other for playing fish. Both need different qualities in a rod so the finished product is usually a compromise.

Plus, what the angler requires from a rod and you will soon see the need for a rod for every purpose. For example, an extreme caster that wants to fish on a gravel bar some 100 yards out will need a stiff, heavy-duty rod with a fast action tip and a test curve of 3lb or more. Whereas, an angler stalking fish under his feet doesn't need to cast far, so for his requirements he would need a much softer, through-action rod of around 2 to 2.5lb to cushion the effect of a thrashing fish.

Many carp rods are designed to fit between these two extremes. For Carp rods a test curve of around 2.5 to 2.75lb and with just enough tip action to be able to cast a reasonable distance but soft enough to play a fish safely to the net.