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By DAN BROOKS
© St. Petersburg Times, published August 29, 2000
The term "maintenance free" should not be associated with saltwater tackle and equipment, which is not cheap. One rod and reel can cost from $80 to several hundred dollars.
If you expect your gear to last more than a season or two, you'd better take care of it -- and not just on a semiannual basis.
I know the last thing you want to do after a full day on the water is clean your gear, but that's the time to do it. Don't give that saltwater time to do its damage. Throw a rag in a bucket with some soapy water and wipe down your rods and reels. Then give them a good rinse with freshwater, shake them off and put them away.
Remember to back off the drags on your reels when you're not using them, and they will last longer and work better when you really need them.
Don't forget to rinse the lures and terminal tackle you used before you put them back in the tackle box. A salt-cured lure is a waste of time to fish and contaminates the rest of the tackle box.
An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
- Dan Brooks charters out of St. Petersburg. Call (727) 867-7856 or e-mail wildd1@gte.net.