Thursday, December 21, 2006

Reel Cleaning

It is way to cold to fish. For the past two nights it has been dropping down to about zero degrees, which is pretty warm for here in December, but it is still too cold for me. But even given the cold there are many things that must be done before the start of fishing season next spring.

One of these things in cleaning you reels. This is an incredibly important thing to do at least once a year. By taking apart your reel you can check for problems before they happen. There's nothing worse that going out for your first day of spring fishing, drive 20 miles, only to realize your reel is rusted so bad it won't even let line out. Here are the seven easy steps to cleaning a fishing reel.

1. Get all of the materials you will need. The items on the following list are what I use:
  • Old newspapers to work on
  • Reel oil
  • Old rags/paper towels
  • A small container to hold parts in
2. First take apart the reel completely and put the small parts into the small container. Make sure you remember how the parts went together(*IMPORTANT*).

3. Now that the reel is apart, this the time to inspect the parts for damage. It is up to you to decide if the reel will work properly given the condition of the parts. Also make sure to check the condition of the line. I replace mine yearly, but you may not want to. Just watch out for cracking, discolored line, as it may break on you near in the future (on a big fish, no doubt).

4. Now clean each metal part with an lightly oiled rag or paper towel, a rag is preferred.

5. With all of the parts cleaned and inspected, begin assembling the reel again. As you assemble the reel, make sure to apply oil to any of the moving parts as they art put into place.

6. (Optional) Replace the line. This is usually a good thing to do every year.

7. Get rid of your old rags and line. It is not recommended to reuse old, greasy rags. Also make sure you cut up the line before you throw it away. You wouldn't want an animal getting tangled up in it.

And those are the seven easy steps for cleaning your reel. Until next time, keep it reel (sorry I couldn't help myself).

Monday, December 18, 2006

Welcome to fishing in Montana! This is the first in a (hopefully long) list of articles focusing on fishing in Montana. I have been fishing in Montana for over 15 years and usually end up fishing every other day when the weather permits.

Alas, there is little fishing going on this time of year in Montana, unless you don't mind the cold. I personally do not feel bad staying home next to the fire in December.

It is not yet cold enough for ice fishing to be an option, so any type of lake fishing is probably out. You could hit the rivers in search of whitefish if that is you bag, though. Me, I'm just going to sit here by the fire and clean out my tackle box. Until next time, friends.