Winter Preps

[Crestliner2008]

It was 3 degrees this morning when I went out to get the paper - around 5 am. Moderate snow pack covering the ground. Most water ways are solid ice. What to do? Besides going bonkers, there are many excellent videos on YouTube and here on this forum, to occupy your frustrated hours & days, until spring arrives.

However, if you are semi-OCD (not sure there is such a thing!) as I am, you just can't sit still that long. Not only that, but what follows could give you the confidence in your gear to make a significant difference come spring.

I start off with removing lures, hooks and jigs from all your rigs. Put them in one of those plastic food containers for later when the "itch" becomes unbearable.

I am very fortunate to have a local guy that specializes in cleaning, lubing and repairing reels at a reasonable cost. These 75 yo eyes and arthritic fingers just can't do what use to be a very pleasurable winter activity for me in years past. If you are a bit younger and dexterous with your fingers, then by all means, this is the time to disassemble, clean and re-lube your reels.

The rods are what this post mainly focuses on. They look a mess, don't they? At least mine do after a season of catching many crappie, perch, bass and whatever else comes my way. Once the reels are off, break apart the two piece models. Clean the rods thoroughly with paper towels and Dawn dish detergent (use whatever your wife has, with her permission of course!). Don't bother with the cork at this point. Focus on the blank and rod guides. Rinse and dry.

This next step is very important. Take a Q-tip and run it around each rod guide. If you have any "hangs" of the cotton, replace that guide immediately! That can make or break a day on the water.

Now that your rod blanks and guides are in good shape, the cork handles come next. If you have synthetic handles, skip this section, obviously. Some of us old timers will never renege our prized cork! Get yourself a pack of Mr. Clean Magic Erasers. Wet one and rub the cork lovingly. This will clean your handles back to near pristine condition. Let dry thoroughly.

Next, get yourself a jar of U-40 Cork Sealant. This is available for about $10.00 on Amazon.com (shipped free if you're a Prime Member). I use a folded paper towel to dip and spread this stuff lightly over the cork. Will seal and protect your cork for the entire season - and longer in most cases. I reapply it - just because (OCD remember!). Let dry thoroughly over night.

Finally I take a spray bottle of AmorAll and spray/soak a piece of old t-shirt with it. I coat the rod blanks, eyes and yes, even the prepped cork handles with the stuff. I do this a couple of times before declaring the project to be complete. Now the rods are rip rarin' to go! Before I put the reels back though, I usually replace the line. As some of you may know I'm a staunch believer/fan of Fireline Crystal. It will last several seasons, with only a leader change to start the season off with. However, I don't like the "looks" of it sometimes, as it gets "dingy" looking to me. And again, Amazon.com comes through for me with excellent pricing, so I just do it.

Now you're all set up for the coming ice out and spring thaw. It just makes me feel better doing all this and it occupies those long, cold days of winter for me. Try it.....you'll like it!

[A-Jay]

 Thank You and Nicely Done ~

While my reels are getting cleaned (DVT), 

My rod arsenal can certainly benefit for a cleaning & conditioning as well.

The A-Jay process is very similar with a few minor variations but the goal 

remains the same; Clean, Check, & Prep. 

 However, I haven't started on the stick work just just yet as I'm putting the finishing touches on a couple of 

veteran (insert old) spinning rods I re-did the guides on. 

Perhaps once February roll a round. 

Open water's getting closer by the day.

A-Jay

 

[MN Fisher]

Nice write-up.

 

My schedule for the winter.

October - reels off soon after my last outing, strip line from those that are getting replaced

November - Review what I have, make up wishlist - do this before Black Friday

December-January is filled with getting items, sorting them and prepping for maintenance.

February - rod/reel maintenance. I've only got 8 rigs total, so one-reel every three-four days handles it

March - warm enough in the garage now to do the upgrades on the canoe...I've got a list

April - spool line on reels, finalize organization of tackle-bags

 

With luck, the water opens up mid-April and I can get out...though it's only panfishing as bass season doesn't start until mid-May.

[jbsoonerfan]

I think I may go fishing this weekend  

[MN Fisher]

10 minutes ago, jbsoonerfan said:

I think I may go fishing this weekend  

[redmeansdistortion]

I usually work on my own reels in the spring.  When winter is in full swing, I have charters that send me their reels to refresh before April comes around.  I just started repairing reels under a business name less than a year ago and I'm already way overbooked.  Hard to do when you also have a day job to tend to.  I pretty much wrench on reels from 6pm to 11pm every night and most of the day Saturday.  Sunday is my day of rest, or if the weather is descent, I go fishing.

[redmeansdistortion]

4 hours ago, A-Jay said:

Open water's getting closer by the day.

C'mon down state, open water down my way

[Spankey]

I Just started my rituals with my lines , reel tear downs, cork and foam cleanings on rod handles. Dinning room looks like a tackle shop. 
 

I have a relatively short list of things to stock up on and new things or colors I want to try. Don’t need all that much. 
 

Last season I fished some McCoy line and some SUNLINE Super Natural. Liked them both. Want to see if I can find them in bigger bulk size spools. 

 

Cured one bout of depression last Saturday and picked up a new St. Croix Rod I had ordered the week before. Will do a reel search on my next depressed state of mind. 

[GreenPig]

I service all my gear in the heat of summer when I go nocturnal. I only carry 3-4 rods on night excursions. It's something to keep me busy in the AC. Here in Georgia we fish right on through the winter, spring, summer, and fall. It's really tough fishing all year but we manage.?