5 steps to keep your fishing gear clean

These issues are compounded on smaller trailer boats, jet skis, kayaks and stand-up paddleboards, where tackle is often stored and used in very close proximity to the water, and is hard to protect from spray.

However, adopting this simple five-step plan will greatly prolong the working life of all your fishing gear.

Think about the storage of your rods and reels when in transit and while fishing. Placing outfits in rod holders — even high up in the “rocket launchers” set above a cabin — can leave them open to regular inundation from salt spray, especially in rough weather.

Move them out of the spray or, if all else fails, buy a bunch of cheap, elasticised plastic shower caps and slip one over each reel while underway.

Place all the lures, hooks, swivels, sinkers and other terminals you use during a fishing session into a separate container or bucket holding a few centimetres of clean freshwater.

Do not return these items to your tackle boxes or trays until they’ve had a thorough wash and been allowed to completely dry.

When you wash your boat and trailer and flush your motor after a session on the water, wash all your tackle down, too.

Begin by tightening the drags on each reel to prevent water from penetrating between the washers, then lightly spray each outfit with a fine mist of freshwater.

Avoid blasting your reels with a powerful jet of water, as this can force water, salt and grit deep into the reel’s innards.

Allow the rinsed outfits to dry as you finish your boat washdown, then wipe them over with a soft cloth or towel that has been lightly sprayed with a trusted lubricant, paying particular attention to rod runners and moving parts on reels.

Finally, back all the reel drags off before storing the outfits away, out of direct sunlight.

If you fish hard and often, consider having your reels professionally serviced at least once every year, or learn how to strip them down and do this job yourself.

It’s also important to adopt a couple of salt-busting and lubricating/protecting products that you know and trust, and to use these formulations regularly.

Personally, I use  Salt-Away and Mako Oil as my “go-to” marine maintenance products, but there are plenty of others on the market that will do a similar job.

Find a couple you like and use them.

A few extra minutes of maintenance every time you clean up after a trip, the adoption of an effective wash-down routine, and some attention to limiting saltwater exposure in the first place can significantly extend the life of your fishing gear and ensure it’s in tip-top fish-catching shape every time you head out.

Steve ‘Starlo’ Starling is one of Australia’s best-known and most respected fishing communicators.