Fishing rods and reels are arguably the most important pieces of the puzzle when it comes to fishing that’s the starting point at least and maintaining those rods and reels can be a hassle but in the long run will save you money,time and could even save you heartache from that big one that got away. 

All too often I commonly hear when I’m out fishing “my reel is going out” or “ I need a new rod this one is worn out” “my reel is making a funny sound” and more often than not after asking a few simple questions I’ve come to find the “average” fishermen doesn’t even think about doing general maintenance on their rods and reels. 

General maintenance on your rods and reels is key when you’re out on the water it will save you money and time, If you maintain your rods and reels even just a little bit it’ll save you from “having to buy a new one” every year. General maintenance is extremely easy and not that time consuming you just have to understand and know what you’re doing as not to make what could be a costly mistake. 

Maintaining a reel is very easy all your reel needs is a little bit of oil and grease every now and again ( for me it’s every 6 months) I personally prefer using Lew’s reels and they’re very easy when it comes to maintaining for your bait-caster usually one side of the reel face will come off and you can get to the spool from there the rest is a piece of cake one or two drops of oil and a little (finger tip of grease on the bearings and your good to go”

 Everyone uses something different so when you purchase that reel make sure and read the handbook it comes with and it will tell you exactly where and what needs oil and grease. The spinning reels are extremely easy as well again just read the handbook and see where you need to oil and grease it most reels are constructed the same so it’s almost the same again I just prefer lew’s reels. Take a Q-tip as well and run it under or over every inch of your reel extremely well you will probably need 2-3 Q-Tips per reel this will help you get Dirt,Sand,Leaves etc out of the reel and places where your fingers are too big to reach

Maintaining your rods is even easier I like to do this after every tournament I fish with my Denali Rods,Through the eyelets (guides) run a Q-Tip through each one of them and the fiber from the Q-Tip will tell you if you have any cracked or broken eyelets you need to replace,after that I like to wipe my rods down with a wet cloth to clean them of any dirt,rock,sand etc that may have come from the lake and that’s honestly how easy it is to maintain a rod. Doing all of the adforementioned will save you time and money out on the water you don’t have to buy new rod or reel every year. 

I hope this article helps you out and saves you some money and time out on the water. Thank you as always for reading. 

Nathan.