Winter Tackle Prep Primer

Prep time starts now with a full assessment, sorting, inspection, repair and pruning of your battle-ready arsenal. If you haven’t yet started cleaning, culling and updating your gear, you are already running late.

 

BEGIN WITH BASICS

 

Where to start? That’s a tough call if you are rough on your tackle like I am. Often, I’ll pick smaller tasks to get going, but some years I just dig in and dedicate an entire weekend to getting a good grip on things.

• Assessment and organization of primary tackle and gear.
• Wipe down everything that has come in contact with salt water using a damp rag and a little non-degreasing soapy water.
• Toss out any unsalvageable gear and keep note of what you need to restock.
• Lures and plugs: Check hooks, eyelets, split rings, lure body, skirts.
• If motivated enough, consider repainting the bodies of time-worn plugs.

 

DON’T WAIT ON REELS

 

Today’s rods and reels are magnificent pieces of equipment, machined with tight tolerances, or rolled and expertly wrapped with amazing precision. They are also relatively expensive, so keeping them in good condition and in perfect working order is imperative. Smaller spinning and conventional reels, or those used only in freshwater environments, don’t really require much maintenance, but if you don’t give them at least a little TLC each winter and throughout the season, they can still become discards. Most problems can be avoided with merely a good cleaning now and then, but a lot of people wait too long.

• Smaller spinning and conventional reels require no more than a soapy-water wash-down, complete drying, and a tough of WD40 to moving parts.
• Use high viscosity oil or graphite on moving parts, but only drag grease on the washers.
• Lubricate ball bearings and rollers on spinning reels.
• Any moving parts of the reel, including the pushbuttons and handles on the lever drags, can use a small squirt of WD40 or reel oil. Don’t squirt any lubricant into the body of the reel, just get the external moving parts.
• After cleaning, be sure to perform a full functionality test.
• Don’t over-lubricate.

 

KEEP ON ROLLING

 

The last part of your reel maintenance routine should be to inspect and change lines as necessary. Up until the widespread acceptance of braid, most sharpies changed their line at least three times a year, once each for spring, summer and fall. If you are still fishing mono, follow that schedule. If you favor braid, however, you might only need to cut away the first few feet if it appears to be in good shape.

• As a rule, there’s no need to replace the backing.
• Check that all guides are in good shape. Aligned, aren’t chipped, bent, or simply broken.
• Check also the inside rim of each guide to make sure there are no nicks or grooves. Do this with a dry cotton swab by wiping the end along the inside of each guide.

 

ALL THE OTHER STUFF

 

Do you fish the surf or wade in ponds and rivers? That small hole in your waders might not seem like much to worry about right now, but when the cool water of spring starts seeping into your boots, you’ll wish it had been sealed. Patch it now, before the action starts. Patch kits are available from most bait and tackle stores.

• Check head lamps, pliers, weight scales.
• Prevent corrosion by removing batteries and put fresh ones in at the start of the season.
• Good stainless-steel pliers, should be washed with plain water and thoroughly dried.
• Hang waders upside down and in a dry place. DO NOT sprinkle the insides with powder. This will clog pores on breathable models.
• Give some love to your knives and other cutting tools as well. Wipe them down, and run them through the dishwasher.