3 Ways to Ruin your Fishing Gear

Stop! Wait! Don’t do it! If you recognize any of these three fishing gear blunders, make sure you avoid them henceforth. Otherwise, your treasured tackle will need replacement long before it’s expected lifespan should have ended.

1. Leaving the drag cranked down when a reel will be sitting for more than a few days. This can cause pinches and depressions in the drag material, which will turn that smooth drag jerky and uneven. Whether you’re dealing with spinning reels or conventional gear, every time you hang the rig up for a week or more it’s best to back the drag all the way off. Note: do this after washing down the reel, not before, to help prevent water intrusion in the drag system.
2. Leaving reels spooled with monofilament (or rigged with fluorocarbon leaders) stored in an area where they’re subjected to direct sunlight. UV rays degrade monofilament (and yes, fluoro is a type of mono), and over time that 20 pound test will become 15 pound test, then 10 pound test. Instead, make sure rod racks are located in areas away from windows or in a closet or garage where direct sunlight won’t hit them.
3. Leaving a Gulp! lure on a jig head or bucktail. These things become rock-hard when they dry out. A worse tackle offense is trying to rip them off of a lure after they’ve hardened, because you’ll probably bend the hook before the Gulp! gives way. Remember to remove the Gulp!s after every trip, and if you forget to, instead of wrestling with the lure simple drop it into a bucket of water. The Gulp! will rehydrate and after half an hour or so, slide easily off of the hook.