CaptEco
2nd Mate
Joined: Feb 13, 2008
Posts: 25
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 Posted: Tue Dec 22, 2009 10:53 pm Post subject: Coastal Eco-Charters: Myrtle Beach Fishing Gear Tips |
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Since my Myrtle Beach fishing reports pertain to tips and tactics, there is one very important point that can never be overlooked. It is care and maintenance of your fishing equipment. As a professional Myrtle Beach fishing charter captain, my fishing equipment gets pushed to its limits; therefore, I have to follow a methodical pattern of maintenance of my fishing gear before and after each charter.
Here are some tips:
(Pre-Charter)
-Pull of a rod's length of line and re-tie my rigs. Line that stays tied to a rig bends at the rod tip and leaves a memory. I want straight clean line to tie rigs. If line comes off and loops alot, it is time to change the spool. Knots weaken and corrode from salt, so I re-tie rigs with fresh knots.
-Sharpen hooks with a file.
-Test drags by pulling line from the rod tip.
(Post-Charter)
-I fill up a bucket of freshwater and completely submerge my reels a couple times. This way the entire spool of line and reel get flushed of salt and sand. As opposed to spraying reels with a hose. I believe this just pushes salt and debris around and embeds it deeper into the line and inside the reel.
-I hose of my rods from top to bottom making sure to clean each eye, while cleaning the line, hooks, and rigs.
-Attach rigs to the clip near the rod handle. Attaching to rigs to an eye will cause the eye to bend and become out of alignment.
-Loosen drags and store. Loosening the drag let the drag gears rest during storage.
-Rest rods on a wall mount. Throwing them in a corner to rest with the rod tip leaning against a wall will weaken the rod tip eye.
-Cover rods and reels with a clean towel, so they stay free of dust and debris.
*My post-charter routine always consists of more steps versus the pre-charter. A benefit from a detailed post-charter gear routine is that is saves time the next time you go fishing because the gear is left in a state of ready. This rule of thumb holds true for cleaning my boat, too.
At least each month, I dismantle my reels and lube bearings with Penn oil and spray parts with a dry lubricant. The dry lubricant does not leave the reel greasy. It's important to clean the guide roller on the reel because it traps dirt. Also, I spray the rod and rod tips with lubricant and wipe each eye out with a cloth.
Make sure to crank the reel prior to re-spooling line to remove any excess lubricant, then add new line.
I replace my line, usually weekly in the summer. I use a smoke colored mono on my light spinning gear. It is easy to tell when it needs changing because it starts to look dull. I am not one for using overpriced braids, because it is expensive I think people try to stretch every penny by not changing it often enough. I buy big spools of mono and just change it very often.
When I change line, I run the line through one bottom eye and tie a clean knot to the reel by cutting tag ends of the knot very precisely, so no bulge is created when new line is added. Then I put the spool of line in a bucket and begin reeling. I tighten the drag and reel slow and steady, so line is tightly and uniformly added. A big mistake is adding too much line, this creates a backlash mess. A line yardage counter is a handy tool, but I stop adding when the line is just inside of the the profile of the reel.
Each step in maintenance is crucial. If one gets overlooked, it creates a ripple effect of problems. Saltwater is a very demanding medium to fish in, so every precaution should be taken to ensure gear is well cared for.
Posted by Captain Rutenberg
Coastal Eco-Charters- Myrtle Beach Fishing Charters
843 685-2737
www.CoastalEcoCharters.com |
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