Wednesday, February 8, 2012

A clean break: the proper way to polish and store your flyfishing gearfor the winter off-season

Spring water of Mt. Fuji by Takechan-400
Spring water of Mt. Fuji, a photo by Takechan-400 on Flickr.

Too many of us make the mistake of stowing dirty fly gear in winter. Don't be lazy. Take an hour or so right now to properly winterize your tackle. Those rods, reels, lines, waders, and flies you spent good money on will last longer if they're stored clean and dry. And you'll be better prepared to hit the water when the spring hatches turn on.

Fly Line If you leave a gritty, gunky fly line wrapped tight on a reel for months, it's almost certain not to float properly next time on the water. Clean it with warm water and mild dish soap. Pull the line through a wet paper towel or cloth, feeling for major nicks and abrasions. If you find some, it's time to toss that line and buy a new spool. Otherwise, store it on a wire coat hanger by bending the "elbows" of the hanger to create two notches. Loosely tie the end of the line to one notch, and wrap it lengthwise. Storing it on a hanger minimizes memory and ensures that your line fully dries. Label each hanger with the line type (e.g., WF5F). In spring, as you respool the line, pull it back through a pad or towel treated with fly-line conditioner.

Reels Use a mild soapy water mixture and an old soft-bristle toothbrush to clean away grime. Pop the spool and remove any grit. (I suggest removing the backing here. Wrap it around an old coffee can for the winter.) Rinse the reel and towel dry. Leave the spool and case apart overnight to air-dry. Sparingly lube the reel, then reassemble and stow the reel in its case.

Rods Wipe the surface grit off your rod, let it air-dry, then pack it in its sleeve and tube for the winter. For rods that don't break down, clean the cork handles with mild soap and water, and stand them upright (handles down) against a wall in a place that won't get too hot or too cold. If that means your basement, use a plastic bucket as your base to guard against moisture.

Gore-Tex Waders Hose down the outside of your (Gore-Tex waders, and hang them overnight to air-dry. Once dry, turn them inside out. Dab rubbing alcohol, which shows up on leaks better than water, on suspicious areas to check for pinholes and abrasions. Smear Aquaseal on the holes, and let it set. Store waders on a rack or a coat hanger, in a dry, cool place. Don't wad them up. Don't put them back in the box they came in. And don't store them in the garage if your temperatures drop well below freezing or fluctuate significantly in winter months.

Files Organize your flies in a large plastic compartment box or bin. Take three dry paper towels and line the box's lid to wick moisture from the flies. You can also get silica gel packs at a camera store to place in the box for added moisture protection.

Vest or Chest Pack Leave it unzipped, and drop a silica gel pack in a couple of the compartments to dry it out over the winter.

Deeter, Kirk

Source Citation
Deeter, Kirk. "A clean break: the proper way to polish and store your flyfishing gear for the winter off-season." Field & Stream Dec. 2011: 56. Gale Power Search. Web. 8 Feb. 2012.
Document URL
http://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CA274408964&v=2.1&u=22054_acld&it=r&p=GPS&sw=w

Gale Document Number: GALE|A274408964

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Too many of us make the mistake of stowing dirty fly gear in winter. Don't be lazy. Take an hour or so right now to properly winterize your tackle. Those rods, reels, lines, waders, and flies you spent good money on will last longer if they're stored clean and dry. And you'll be better prepared to hit the water when the spring hatches turn on.

Fly Line If you leave a gritty, gunky fly line wrapped tight on a reel for months, it's almost certain not to float properly next time on the water. Clean it with warm water and mild dish soap. Pull the line through a wet paper towel or cloth, feeling for major nicks and abrasions. If you find some, it's time to toss that line and buy a new spool. Otherwise, store it on a wire coat hanger by bending the "elbows" of the hanger to create two notches. Loosely tie the end of the line to one notch, and wrap it lengthwise. Storing it on a hanger minimizes memory and ensures that your line fully dries. Label each hanger with the line type (e.g., WF5F). In spring, as you respool the line, pull it back through a pad or towel treated with fly-line conditioner.

Reels Use a mild soapy water mixture and an old soft-bristle toothbrush to clean away grime. Pop the spool and remove any grit. (I suggest removing the backing here. Wrap it around an old coffee can for the winter.) Rinse the reel and towel dry. Leave the spool and case apart overnight to air-dry. Sparingly lube the reel, then reassemble and stow the reel in its case.

Rods Wipe the surface grit off your rod, let it air-dry, then pack it in its sleeve and tube for the winter. For rods that don't break down, clean the cork handles with mild soap and water, and stand them upright (handles down) against a wall in a place that won't get too hot or too cold. If that means your basement, use a plastic bucket as your base to guard against moisture.

Gore-Tex Waders Hose down the outside of your (Gore-Tex waders, and hang them overnight to air-dry. Once dry, turn them inside out. Dab rubbing alcohol, which shows up on leaks better than water, on suspicious areas to check for pinholes and abrasions. Smear Aquaseal on the holes, and let it set. Store waders on a rack or a coat hanger, in a dry, cool place. Don't wad them up. Don't put them back in the box they came in. And don't store them in the garage if your temperatures drop well below freezing or fluctuate significantly in winter months.

Files Organize your flies in a large plastic compartment box or bin. Take three dry paper towels and line the box's lid to wick moisture from the flies. You can also get silica gel packs at a camera store to place in the box for added moisture protection.

Vest or Chest Pack Leave it unzipped, and drop a silica gel pack in a couple of the compartments to dry it out over the winter.

Deeter, Kirk

Source Citation
Deeter, Kirk. "A clean break: the proper way to polish and store your flyfishing gear for the winter off-season." Field & Stream Dec. 2011: 56. Gale Power Search. Web. 8 Feb. 2012.
Document URL
http://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CA274408964&v=2.1&u=22054_acld&it=r&p=GPS&sw=w

Gale Document Number: GALE|A274408964

ArabicChinese (Simplified)Chinese (Traditional)DeutchEspanolFrenchItalianJapaneseKoreanPortugueseRussian
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