4 Saltwater Fishing Gear Maintenance Tips

Want to make sure your saltwater fishing gear holds up during those moments on the water that matter? There are few quick and easy saltwater fishing gear maintenance tips that you can follow now to make sure your gear performs as it should, and lasts as long as possible.

1. Rinse your rod and reel thoroughly with freshwater after each fishing trip. Leaving saltwater residue on your gear will cause the interior gears and exterior components to corrode. Find a hose and rinse everything off thoroughly before storing. Since I live in a condo and don’t always have a hose available, I occasionally jump into the shower with my rod and reel — you just want to be sure to take the hooks or lures off of your lines first.
2. Keep a small bucket and a gallon of fresh water on the boat. Once you’re finished using your hooks and lures, just drop them into a bucket of fresh water for a few minutes before you put them back into your tackle box. This will help prevent corroded hooks and lures. There’s nothing worse than buying a bunch of new lures, and then opening your tackle box a week later to find them all rusty and stuck together.
3. Clean and lubricate your reels. Cleaning and lubricating your reels is another important part of saltwater fishing gear maintenance. Once a year, or before you store your reels for any extended period of time, take your reels apart, clean out any dirt or salt residue, and then spray with Blakemore’s Reel Magic to prevent them from sticking or icing up.
4. Check your line after each fishing trip for abrasions and replace if needed. Monofilament line should be replaced every six months to a year depending on use. A great way to test your line for abrasions is to take a small piece of nylon stocking and rub it along the length of the line, if it snags, the line should be replaced. If you use braided fishing line, you’ll know it’s time to change the line when you start to get wind knots or if you begin to see signs of fraying.

If you’re not completely sure what kind of saltwater fishing gear you should purchase given the type of fishing you want to do, read the saltwater fishing gear pages at TakeMeFishing.org.