There will always be fishing situations that we have no control over which will result in losing a fish. It hurts, especially when it’s a big fish, but it happens it’s part of the sport. What we can have control over is making sure that we don’t lose fish because of faulty equipment. Spending some of your off water time taking care of your fishing tools will help you spend your on-water time being a more productive angler. Let’s take a look at some ways to care for fishing equipment.

Rods

Even though a fishing rod is nothing more than a lever it does have components that need to be checked. Start with your rod handles they should be glued down firmly and not be able to spin around the blank. Are the handles smooth enough to not cause blisters during a days fishing use? Make sure that the reel seat is glued in place and not cracked. Do all the screw down parts work smoothly and hold the reel tightly in place? Examine each guide and the tip making sure that none are cracked and that the thread wraps holding the guides in place are not torn or frayed. Check to see if the tip is loose and that all guides and tips are in line with the center of the reel seat.