Cleaning fishing rods

[airshot]

I know this is a vass fishing forum but wanted to ask about cleaning your fishing rods in hopes some of the experts may point me in the right direction.  I live near Lake Erie and fish for walleye and yellow perch as the family loves to eat them.  Our most popular vait is lake erie shinner minnows, they have very small, very shiney scales.  And yes, they stick to everything, from fingers to my fishing rods.  Once dried they are like glued on to the point where you almost need a scraper to get them off.  Is there a product I can put on my rods to get the scales off easier ??  With boring winter here, thought I might clean up my rods and reels and get all the little scales off.  Some areas are so thick you can't tell the color of the rod.  Tried just soap    (dish detergent) and water with a soft brush but made little progress with lots of scrubbing. These also cover the cork handles so....woukd soaking them be a bad idea ?  Any help would be well appreciated, thanks and Merry Christmas to all.

[casts_by_fly]

Dawn dish soap. Dampen the rod for a little and then wipe it down. A scotch brite pad for the soaked in bits in the cork. 

[airshot]

Thanks, wasn't sure if soaking the rod would hurt anything.

[swhit140]

Magic Eraser with some water does it all. It really cleans the cork well also.

[Jar11591]

6 hours ago, swhit140 said:

Magic Eraser with some water does it all. It really cleans the cork well also.

Another vote for Magic Eraser. 

[padlin]

Just did mine the other day, another Magic Eraser user. I do spray down the handle with  Simple Green first, just cause it’s hanging next to the sink, no idea if it helps any but they do come out clean. You could consider using U-40 to seal the cork, I don’t but many here do.

 

I noticed I even get some color on the eraser from the rod shaft itself, I’m thinking it may be from the braid.

 

Go easy with the Magic Eraser if you go that route, they shred pretty quick if you don’t.

[MickD]

I would not soak rods, especially factory rods.  Some of them have cardboard shims between the cork and the blank, and that does not like water for extended periods.  A friend was told to soak his rod after salt water, and after about a week of daily soaks the grip was loose on the rod.  This was a big name, fairly high priced  fly rod.

[Dwight Hottle]

9 hours ago, airshot said:

Thanks, wasn't sure if soaking the rod would hurt anything.

I don’t soak my rods but I have fished all day in the rain and that never caused a problem unless my rain suit leaked. 

[airshot]

2 hours ago, Dwight Hottle said:

I don’t soak my rods but I have fished all day in the rain and that never caused a problem unless my rain suit leaked. 

Yes....a leaky rain suit and a wet rod is not a fun experience !!   

[casts_by_fly]

12 hours ago, airshot said:

Thanks, wasn't sure if soaking the rod would hurt anything.

just to be clear (given some of the replies above), I don’t mean to dunk it or submerge it. Just wet the outside of the blank with some lightly soapy water, let it sit for a couple minutes, and wipe it all off with a rag. I don’t like a magic eraser because even though it’s a soft foam it will still grab grit and dirt on the rod and become abrasive. That’s fine for the cork, but I don’t want to run scratches onto the rod. 

[Catt]

For the rod I use Windex & a microfiber cloth. 

 

For the cork, Magic Eraser.

[Dwight Hottle]

I have caught enough perch on Erie to know what your talking about regarding the emerald scale problem. I found if you clean the rod after each outing it takes care of the problem.

[WRB]

When fishing live bait like anchovies for Albacore tuna scales left to dry in anything are a pain to clean off. The key is spray the rod with WD-40 and wipe down before and after fishing, scales come right easily. The handles Mr Clean Magic pads work good after the handle is dry.

Tom

[airshot]

1 hour ago, Dwight Hottle said:

I have caught enough perch on Erie to know what your talking about regarding the emerald scale problem. I found if you clean the rod after each outing it takes care of the problem.

Got some things to try during this winter down time.  Thanks for all the responses, gues some food ole fashion grunt work is what it is gonna take !!  After a day on the lake and cleaning fish for an hour or two, can't say I would be thrilled to be cleaning rods on top of that........wishfull thinking there might be a quick and simple solution !!

[Mike L]

Use Pam Cooking Spray

Spray a light coat or apply with a cloth. 
 

It doesn’t build up and it’s not a harsh chemical that can dull the finish. 

It’ll keep everything from sticking. 

 For you Northern guy’s, it’ll also keep ice from accumulating on the rod or in the guides.

 

For you Southern guy’s, it’ll keep grass and bugs from sticking or they will come right off with a light spray of water. 
 

 

 

 

 

 

Mike

[A-Jay]

Quite an assortment of very interesting responses & ideas in this one.

While I've used different products (including some of what's mentioned above),

few seemed great or poor. Most were effective and sort OK.

That said, and because I always have a bunch of it on hand,

I use vehicle (truck) care products.

If it's safe and effective on the clear coat,

usually works fine on the Blanks.

The newer Ceramic containing deals seem especially good.

(Don't use the leather care at all here)

My cork all gets sealed when new so I rarely need to do any thing there. 

A-Jay

 

 

[Delaware Valley Tackle]

The magic eraser is great on cork or for light scrubbing but they are an abrasive. Avoid them on painted or gloss surfaces. Simple green is a safe and effective cleaner. WD 40 has solvent and will clean greasy stubborn spots. For something less oily use denatured alcohol.  Like mick said don’t submerge reel seats for long periods. 

[DogBone_384]

3 hours ago, Delaware Valley Tackle said:

Simple green is a safe and effective cleaner. WD 40

I use diluted Simple Green on the rods & Magic Eraser on cork handles.  

 

And WD-40 fixes EVERYTHING!

[Hytekrednek]

clean the cork good. Seal it with u40. Then possibly wax it?  I would try one rod first to see how it works, but wax is very good at not letting stuff stick to it.  If for some reason you dont like the wax treatment, just wipe it off with a rag damp with mineral spirits or naptha.

[airshot]

Many thanks for all the recomendations !!

[Skunkmaster-k]

Carry a couple of rags to wipe your hands off while you’re fishing. 

[airshot]

14 hours ago, Skunkmaster-k said:

Carry a couple of rags to wipe your hands off while you’re fishing. 

Always have a bunch of rags with me !!  Wife replaces all the bath and dish towels every few years, so guess where all the old ones go??  I have matched rag sets in my boat !!