end of season maintenance

[vineyard fisher]

Hi all,

I am a newby flyfisher, and have just returned from my last trip of the season (the Derby). This is my first year owning a fly rod. I am ready to put my TFO and Tioga 10 away for the year. Naturally, after the last time on the water, I washed the whole rig down with fresh water. What else should I do to the rod, reel, and line before I put the rig in the closet for the winter? Does the reel need lubing? Does the fly line need to be dressed? Any advice appreciated.

John

[Ray]

I clean my rods and reels with hot water that is only slightly soapy. Pull all the fly line off the reel and clean that too. I simply strip it into a sink and give it a good rinse with hot water then pull it through a clean towel to dry. Store the frame and spool apart. This will prevent trapping water from the cleaning. If you store them together put a little oil on the drag body and drag plate (the plate with the grooves in it). Now is a good time to remove the handle and clean and lubricate (with grease not oil) that too.

Rinse the rod with hot water too. Make sure to get into all the details of the reel seat and guides. Use a soft abrasive cleaning pad to scrub the cork. Again dry the entire rod with a clean towel. Make sure clean inside the blank where the sections connect. A cotton swab works well here.

Let the rod and reel sit out for a day of so to evaporate any remaining water.

And finally....don't out that rod away now, it's the best part of the season ;)

[mcurtiss]

anyone used Lefty Kreh's advice on polishing the reel and spool with a light coating of car wax? it seems like a good idea, but i can imagine that stuff like that would build up eventually

[Ray]

anyone used Lefty Kreh's advice on polishing the reel and spool with a light coating of car wax? it seems like a good idea, but i can imagine that stuff like that would build up eventually

To act as a water/moisture repellent? Imagine wax stuck in all those little features, what a mess.

[mcurtiss]

To act as a water/moisture repellent? Imagine wax stuck in all those little features, what a mess.

so true, though i would think a good buffing would remove the excess. seems more bother than its worth

[vineyard fisher]

Thanks for the advice, guys, especially Ray (I knew I could count on you). I will follow all your steps. And believe me, I wish it wasn't the end of the season for me, but I live outside of New England and the derby is my last hurrah until next year.

John

[PSUstriper]

I was going to ask the same question (also have a TFO and Tioga) ... did the line rinse in the sink but wasnt sure about the lube part... does it really matter what kind of oil or grease you use? Also, do you need to strip off all the backing too to rinse that? Seems like that would be a total pain to do.
Thanks!
Jan

[Ray]

I just use 3-in-1 oil.

If you do strip off the backing make sure you lay it out over a large area.

I once spent the better part of a night untangling 300 yards of 30# dacron!!!!

[PSUstriper]

Thanks Ray,
I was hoping to just use 3 in 1 oil and not spend some crazy $ on special reel oil/grease. Do you think you really need to rinse the backing? I want to avoid that very thing of having my living room covered with tangled line! :)
Thanks again,
J

[BobG]

I prefer my tried and true method of shoving all my equipment in the garage, and forgeting about it till spring. (#$119)

[Ray]

I have some backing I haven't rinsed in 5 years and it's just fine.....and used!!!

[KayakerStan]

All good stuff posted above. I will add I usually use a 5 gallon bucket and will fill half way with water. I will then mix in some mild soap and will then strip off the fly line from all of my fly reels starting with the fast sinking line and ending with the floaters. I will let them sit there overnight and will then clean each line with a soft towel. If I need to change any loops I change them now and will then wrap the fly lines back onto the spools they came with when I bought them. They will stay on the spools until I'm ready to put them back onto the reels for early spring fishing.
I also use Mr Clean MAGIC ERASER on all the cork on the fly rods. You won't believe how well this stuff works on cork. They will look brand new again no matter how dirty they are. :cool: