Fly rods, reel’s and accessories all need maintenance and does anything else that you own and care about. It’s not right that you go fly fishing, catch fish, then go home and neglect your equipment. This is especially true if your equipment is on the expensive side. As mentioned elsewhere on this site, some rods and reels can run in excess of $1000 each or more. And to neglect equipment of this caliber should be punishable by death. Just kidding.
All joking aside though, for your equipment to last a long time, and for it to perform to your expectations, you do need to do periodic maintenance. But this maintenance should not take you a long time. Let’s go through some quick maintenance steps that you can do to ensure that your fly fishing rod and reel are in top-notch condition.
Let’s say you have been out fly fishing, and your rod and reel ended up in the drink. Is this a bad thing? Well it could be a bad thing depending on where you were fishing, the type of fishing you are doing and if your gear went underwater, how long your rod and reel were underwater. Subjecting your fly reel to the water in a river, stream or lake could expose your reel to particulates in the water that will eventually bind up your reel. And if your reel is not a sealed unit, then there is a very good chance that the felts in the reel will get saturated and expand, then eventually break down, causing your reel to not perform as it should. So as you can see, a non-sealed unit getting wet is not a good thing.
In any case, I would follow these simple steps to ensure that your fly reel continues to perform adequately.
I would recommend that after you have returned from your fishing trip, you strip the fly line off of your reel down to the backing. He then hands off your reel and rod with your garden hose, then reel your file line back onto your spool. Then leave your reel and rod outside to dry. After they have dried for about 24-hours, use the recommended oil for lubricating your reel.
Speaking of submerging your rod and reel, if you must do and you have any control over it, keep your rod tip out of the water. The rod tip is the most sensitive and fragile part of your rod, and can be broken off in very short order easily. The movement of the current alone can cause your rod tip to break.
Regarding your flies, be sure to rinse these off with tap water as well and allowed to dry before storing away. This allows them to be restored to their original condition and shape, ready to use next time that you plan on going out fly fishing.
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