Winter rod/reel storage questions

[WaskaCrank12]

Hello - I hope everyone had a positive holiday

 

I have several questions about how people go about storing their rods/reels in the winter (I live in Minne-coldah so even the garage temp gets down pretty low in the winter)

 

-Do you bring your rods/reels into the house for storage ? 

-What type of "holder"/storage rack do you use for the rods ? (I looked thru the forum so I would not be asking about a topic already posted yet rod storage solutions seemed like older posts and the pictures no longer showing/not clickable) -- if you have a picture of what you use and can post it that would be great.

-Is it best for the rods to leave the reels on them or take them off for the winter ?

-Is there a "best" way to store the rods/reels to avoid damage to them ? (ie, horizontally ? vertically ?) 

  

Thank you in advance for your input 

[MN Fisher]

I built a wall-rack to hold my rods both during the winter and between trips...I don't leave rigs/tackle in the boat.

 

For the winter, reels come off and get stored in a 'rescued' kitchen drawer unit I salvaged when my neighbor was updating his kitchen

 

Both are in a room in the basement that I've dedicated to my fishing gear.

[OkobojiEagle]

Winter storage for my rods is vertically standing in a cardboard box placed in a corner of my utility room.  Reels are kept in original boxes on a shelf in the same room.  KISS system...

 

oe

[flyfisher]

same way I store them in the summer....i have a round rack and a flat rack that holds all of them.  I keep them in my garage so while it gets cold, it doesn't get cold enough for me to worry about anything.  I do usually wind all my fly rod line on the reels though as that can get pretty stiff in the cold

[Jar11591]

During the hard water season my equipment gets moved from the garage to the basement. The rods get stored vertically in a holder, and my reels usually get shipped off for servicing and that’s generally where they stay almost until opening day. 

[ike8120]

I have one wall mounted rod rack and two free standing ones. These are in my garage, also I back off the drags on all my reels. Also I clean the cork handles and recoat with U40.

[Delaware Valley Tackle]

Make sure everything is clean and dry. For extra peace of mind, wipe down with Armor All etc. store rods vertically or horizontally supported by butt and midsection. Remove reels, back off drag if you want and store boxed, drawer or covered (I use old socks). Don’t worry about cold just keep stuff dry. 

[JackstrawIII]

Why do you guys all remove the reels from your rods over the winter? 

[MN Fisher]

38 minutes ago, JackstrawIII said:

Why do you guys all remove the reels from your rods over the winter? 

I do at least general maintenance on all my reels during the winter...some get a deep clean. Hard to do that with the reel still on the rod.

[Delaware Valley Tackle]

7 hours ago, JackstrawIII said:

Why do you guys all remove the reels from your rods over the winter? 

It’s not mandatory but I like to have reels handy for service, re-spooling and dust free dry storage. Also makes rods handy for cleaning and inspection for chipped guides etc. 

[padlin]

Mine stay in the vertical rack, same as the rest of the year. I store the reels on the rods, obviously remove them for cleaning or sending out, then put em back. Mine live in the basement year round but those I know that keep em in the garage keep them there in the winter too, and yes, it gets cold here in MA too.

 

[Bankbeater]

After each trip, everything gets taken down into the basement for storage until the next trip.  Rods get stored vertically in a holder.  In the winter I remove the reels from the rods for cleaning.  Once everything is cleaned I put the reels back on.  Around here you never know when you'll get a warm winter day.

[FrnkNsteen]

Mine are all stored in racks in the garage. It doesn't get super cold here in Indiana like it did in Minnesota. I do not remove reels from rods and all have rod socks and nicer stuff has reel covers.

[wvhunt]

Mine stay in an unheated unattached garage so get pretty darn cold, but I haven't noticed any damage from the cold.  I keep them in a vertical rod rack with the reels attached.  I've been thinking about some sort of reel cover just to keep dust out though.

[Log Catcher]

Mine are stored on vertical rod racks in the basement. I leave everything together until I take the reels off to clean them. While they are apart I plan to clean my rod handles and recoat them with U40 cork sealer.

[DogBone_384]

My rods hang on racks on my garage ceiling and all reels go in a couple drawers with their drags backed off.  I live in a city and have a garage 'under', so space is limited.