Quick Methods To Extend The Life Of Your Fishing Rod
- By: Pat Ogletree
- on
- Found In: *Tackle & Gear, Fishing Tips, Rods, Salt Strong, Weekly Newsletter: 3-5-23
There isn’t a whole lot of information out there regarding fishing rod maintenance and upkeep.
But when you buy a fishing rod, you can just use it until it breaks, right??
Not exactly.
Keep scrolling to listen in on the THREE major things you should practice each time you handle a fishing rod to ensure you get your money’s worth!!!
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When it comes to the maintenance of fishing gear, we’re constantly talking about reels, boats, kayaks, and everything OTHER than the fishing rod itself.
Rod maintenance takes a back seat.
The reason for that is most anglers will buy a fishing rod and not even think twice about maintaining it until it breaks.
However, there are a few things you can do to extend the life of spinning rods and get your money’s worth.
Below, I’ll detail the THREE major categories of rod maintenance starting with the bare minimum that you should practice on every trip and moving on to more advanced tips.
The Bare Minimum
After every single saltwater fishing trip, you should rinse your equipment off with fresh water.
You DO NOT want to use high-pressure showerheads.
Instead, use the mist setting or lighter pressure to rinse your gear down.
Make sure you rinse the rod and reel from top to bottom.
You can even use your fingers or a towel to rub around each of the guides to remove any salt build-up.
Simply, that is the bare minimum you should practice after each fishing trip.
Just adding that small step will increase the life of your fishing rods tremendously.
Intermediate Maintenance
To take that a step further, remove the reel entirely from the fishing rod.
Using soap and water, wash the entire rod down and use a rag or towel to wash down the reel seat.
Make sure there is no salt build-up or deposits.
Slowly work your way up the rod while paying extra close attention to the hook keeper and the base of each of the guides.
These areas are most easily susceptible to corrosion.
Fresh water and any kind of dish soap you have handy will work well.
When it comes to cleaning the butt section and handle, I prefer to use a blue dish sponge.
Be careful with which type of sponge you use as some are abrasive and can take off some of the cork in rod handles.
I recommend only cleaning the cork as needed and NOT every single time because each time you clean this area, you are removing a small layer of cork.
I’ve also heard the Magic Eraser and Baby Wipes work well for cleaning the handle section.
All in all, I clean the fishing rods I use often about every 6 months.
This is the best way to catch any damage or corrosion before it gets any worse.
Advanced Maintenance
For those looking to go the extra mile, there are some additional advanced fishing rod maintenance tips.
The first is using a cork sealer to prevent deterioration and extend the life of the cork.
Another thing you can do is apply wax to the blank of the rod itself.
The wax creates a sacrificial layer for the sun to eat away at instead of the finish on the rod.
That helps your rods look better and cleaner for a longer time.
BONUS TIP
One thing I carry in my truck with me AT ALL TIMES is a one-gallon garden spray bottle.
I fill this with fresh water to spray down my rods and reels as I’m loading the kayak back onto the truck.
You can pick one of these up on Amazon or most stores for right around $20.
This can save you time, money, and best of all from the frustration!!
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Finding The Fish Help
In order to help make sure that you are targeting the right areas based on the latest feeding trends and upcoming weather forecasts, make sure to use the following 3 resources because they will save you a ton of time.
1. Weekend Game Plans (updated weekly)
These regional game plans will show you exactly what types of spots to target in under 10 minutes… just click the video to start, and you’ll be informed on what to do on your next trip.
2. Smart Fishing Spots Platform (updated every 15 minutes)
This exclusive software literally shows you where the most fish are likely to be feeding based on exactly when you’ll be fishing. It factors in the tides, wind, and weather to help you quickly see which areas to target throughout the day.
3. Community Reports (live feed)
The Insider Community platform is what you can use to see what is biting near you, and you can get to know other members who fish in your area. Plus, you can use it to keep a log of your catches so you can use past trips to help predict future catches.
Related categories:
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- Weekly fishing reports and TRENDS revealing exactly where you should fish every trip
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- Everything you need to start catching fish more consistently (regardless if you fish out of a boat, kayak, or land).
Good stuff, Pat. I used Magic Eraser on the cork all of my rod butts (some rods are over 25 years old) and when I finished they all looked brand new. Looking forward to your fishing reports from down south. Stay safe.
When you wax your rod whether metal guides or ceramic I always take a cotton swap and rub the inside of the guided it makes line pass through better and prevents build up.i use a silicone base product.the best is reel magic 10.00 at Walmart it is not greasy,has uv protection and makes all the line from spool work easier and helps line kink but best helps line memo thank you mike j
Thanks for the tips! I have the cork sealer but didn’t know about the wax!
Love the Bonus tip Pat. Have fun down south.
Thanks Ray! I’ll do my best!
Good tips Pat! Another step for an already cleaned-dried rod is to apply some 303 Aerospace Protectant, or similar anti-UV coating to the rod. Wipe it dry with a microfiber cloth. The 303 is water-based, so safe on rods, without leaving a oily or slick residue. I use it also on my kayak, truck dashboard.
Might be overkill to some; but if it’s a pricey rod, worth it.
Great idea Rob! I use that 303 on a lot of things like my kayak and RV but I never thought about the rod. I’ll definitely start doing that! Thanks for sharing!
Great tips Pat! Thanks bud
Thank you!!
I rinse after all if you keep them new looking it’s hard to justify buying a new one.
That salt can really mess things up if you don’t. Thanks for watching!
I rinse my rods reels and ALL tackle after every trio but after every 3 trips I don’t use soap but I flush them extra good and yes I don’t do it with a high pressure noxxel then afterwards I apply 656 lubricant to all the metal and the whole rod as well as the reel itself while it off with a clean rag and im good but I also thought I would mention instead of cleaning the cork handles of my rod I use Winn rod wraps this wrap not only helps in preserving the cork but it also gives the rod a better grip and feel but I know everyone is different but I do what works and my equipment is always in tip top condition as well as my boat motor and trailer after all its an investment and it’s only as good as what you put into it treat anything poorly and eventually that’s the performance you will get out of it thanks for the info pat and all you do by the way what happened to Richard Thomas who used to do the northeast fl weekend report haven’t seen one for my region in 2 weeks now with no explanation in why as well in fact it’s weird because the whole state of Florida is covered but here in the northeast region of Florida in fact the whole eastern seaboard of the US is covered as well except my area🤔
Thanks for watching Steven! It’s been awhile since I’ve used those wraps, I’ll have another look at them.