Many areas of the country have seasonal fishing grounds. While some of us are not so lucky to encounter great fishing weather all year round, we have to prepare for the off-season. For those looking to maximize their investment and get the most life out of your fishing reels, keep reading.

Greg K. from Causeway Bait and Tackle has put together an in depth two-part “how-to” article explaining how to properly care for and maintain the life of your reels. If you have additional questions or do not see something covered in this series, just add a comment.

With the season winding down, it’s time to start discussing how to care for and store your rods and reels for the off-season. Don’t get me wrong, many of us still fish in the winter and are hoping for a repeat of last years cod fishing, however, there are those who “shut it down” for the season now.

We see many, many reels every season for repair of various descriptions, some from heavy use (if you’re lucky), manufacturers defect, and neglect. With regards to neglect, one might think of a person who throws their rod and reel around, leaves it in the weather all season, and doesn’t back the drag off after use or oil bearing every so often. Then there is what I will call “unintended neglect”, by that I mean, someone who does care for their gear, but at seasons end they store their gear and forget about it. In order to get a clear picture I’ll give a scenario.

You use your rod and reel from May to November maybe twice a week, keeping it relatively clean externally with no major failures. At seasons end life gets in the way and you store your rod and reel for the winter. Little did you know there’s some salt water on the spool shaft, which over the winter rusts and corrodes the shaft to the pinion gear or spool bearing. This turns into a costly repair. Sometimes the pinion or bearing can be saved, cutting down on the expense but, in my opinion this all can be avoided with a little attention at seasons end.

To avoid these issues you can either have your gear serviced over the winter by a reputable tackle shop or repair center, which with the complexity of some of today’s reels is the best bet for most anglers. This especially holds true for reels that have been purchased during the current season. The reason for this is unfortunately most manufacturers do not grease and oil their products correctly in my opinion (I have countless pictures of this). When done correctly, this servicing should get you through the season aside from a few drops of on oil on the spool shaft or worm gear mid season.