Rod & Reel Maintenance - Part 1

Like a swordsmen who tends to his sword & keeping it sharp, clean & well oiled is tantamount to his success as a warrior with his tools in best form. He is proud of his weapon & seeing his favorite sword in tip top condition is both joy & pride. Anglers too, share similar sentiments on their favorite rod & reels to ensure they are operating in best condition. It doesn't matter if it's only worth RM 100 or RM 1000. A well maintained & good condition set will deliver less problems which contributes to more enjoyable fishing sessions.

Keeping rods in good condition.

Fishing rod, pole or whatever you wan't to call them is a real work of craftsmanship. To most anglers, they buy a fishing rod off the shelves at tackle shops, pair it with a reel, spool some line & off they go to catch some fish. After a few sessions, the rod starts to accumulate slime & mud all over it. It looks dirty & smell like dead fish. So what do you do? First things first. CLEAN THAT ROD!

Use an old toothbrush & start scrubbing the guides. Make sure there are no slime, especially the guide rings. Slimy & oily rings will contribute to shorter & less accurate casts. This is a fact as these dirt will add friction on the line when it goes out. Not necessary to use soap but clean tap water will do.

Next, check on the connectors. Especially for those 2 piece rods. Make sure there are no sand or dirt on it or else you are going to scratch the surface & ruin the joints. Use a scrubbing pad like 3M Scotch-Brite to thoroughly clean out the dirt & grime. Take note: Don't scrub too hard or else you will potentially scratch the quality of the glue joints on the guides.

Clean the rod from tip to butt. Give it a good gentle scrub using a scrubbing pad. Use the toothbrush & scrub out the handles. Scrub & rinse it clean. Especially important for EVA handles which tends to accumulate lots of mud, grime, sweat & dust over time.

After you are done brushing & scrubbing, use a piece of dry cloth to dry up the rod & put it aside. Now comes the part where you should do some inspections. Assemble the rod & thoroughly inspect the guides, rings, especially the tip, handles & joints to make sure there are no damages. Very important is to examine the rings as these will be the direct contact between rod & line. If you do find any damages, send it to the nearest tackle shop to repair. A well kept rod makes fishing more enjoyable.

I will cover reels in next post.

Share this post