All fishing tackle should be wiped dry after every use. Any equipment used in salt water should be rinsed first in fresh water.
All four kinds of reels-bait casting, open spinning, closed spinning, and fly casting-need regular oiling. Follow the manufacturer’s directions. Take a malfunctioning reel to a tackle shop or send it to the manufacturer.
Monofilament line can be weakened by tiny kinks; damaged by suntan oil, insecticide, or gasoline; or fouled by minerals in the water. Before storing line, run it from one reel to another, applying line-cleaning fluid with a dab of cotton and checking for irregularities. Discard weakened line. To keep braided line from rotting, store it in a dry place.
Disassemble rods at least once a week when in use and use nail polish remover to clean the ferrules that join the sections. When a bamboo rod shows signs of wear, apply three thin coats of spar varnish, rubbing briskly with felt before each coat and letting each dry for 24 hours. Fiberglass, graphite, or boron rods need varnish only on the winding thread that holds the line guides. Replace all frayed thread. Replace any nicked guides.
Sharpen a hook, even a new one, by pulling the point, barb up, across a fine stone. Replace hooks attached to
plugs or lures when damaged or corroded. Touch up scarred plugs with enamel or epoxy paint. Renew bedraggled flies by steaming them briefly. Keep spoons and spinners shiny with fine steel wool. Trolling.)