Knowing how to store fishing rods is something every angler needs to learn.
It can help protect your fishing gear from extreme temperatures, humid conditions, and other factors that could lessen integrity.
Undoubtedly, most fishing rods are designed to handle a lot of wear and tear.
However, their longevity depends primarily on how you store them at the end of your trips and the season’s end.
Below, you will find pro-rated tips to help protect your fishing gear, whether you store them in your shed, boat, garage, or basement.
General Fishing Rod Maintenance
Before we talk about the best tips for storing your fishing equipment, let’s first review some key maintenance steps.
It is always important to ensure your gear is ready before you package it up for the season.
Here is a short list of the most critical steps to get your fishing rods prepped for storage:
1. Clean Your Rods
Cleaning your rods before storing them is particularly important for anglers who enjoy fishing in saltwater environments.
Always clean your rods using fresh water after heading out on an excursion. Yes, this includes your saltwater rods.
Even if your rod has been treated with an anti-corrosion coating, rinsing with fresh water helps eliminate any salt residue that could cause corrosion over time.
This is particularly important before storage as it helps remove salt that could cause major damage during the off-season.
Simply do a quick rinse with fresh water and wipe the rod with a soft, microfiber cloth to get it prepped.
Sometimes, mild soap can also help eliminate caked-on dirt and grime.
2. Get Annual Servicing
If you’ve spent a pretty penny on items like your fishing reel and rod, you should service your gear annually, whether you do it yourself or hand it over to a pro.
Some anglers prefer to service their gear at the start of the season, while others like to do it at the end.
Regardless, annual servicing is essential to guarantee your rod remains in good working condition over the coming years.
During servicing, you will likely have all the fittings checked, from the guide to the line spool.
You will also want to take the entire rod apart and clean each piece, ensuring it is in tip-top shape.
If you find any components that look worse for wear, replace them ASAP to prevent them from affecting the performance of the rest of your rod.
3. Wax Your Fishing Rod
With any break between fishing trips, an often overlooked step every angler should be doing is waxing specific rod components.
You will want to pay special attention to the ferrules, which are the joints between the sections of your fishing rod.
With wax, you can guarantee the joints fit well together and don’t experience excessive wear when you disassemble and assemble your gear.
Paraffin wax is often the preferred material for fishing trips. It’s eco-friendly, waterproof, and used for other water sports, like surfing.
You can also use candle wax if you want a less expensive option.
4. Keep Everything Dry
The most important step to note before prepping your rod for storage solutions is to guarantee the entire rig is dry.
Like removing traces of salt, getting rid of excess moisture protects the integrity of your rod’s material.
You won’t have to worry about rotting or mildew during the offseason if water gets trapped in your rod holders and can’t evaporate.
How To Store Fishing Rods
Now that you know the steps to take to get your gear ready for fishing rod racks or fishing rod holders for garage, let’s get into the pro storage tips.
1. Always Choose Vertical Storage
Although it might be tempting to use a fishing gear organizer to keep your gear horizontal, vertical storage is a far better solution.
There are numerous options for vertical storage, whether you create a DIY multipurpose storage rack or purchase a deluxe vertical fishing rod holder.
Vertical storage is often preferred over horizontal racks because it keeps your fishing pole upright and stops the blanks from bending over time.
However, horizontal storage is possible if you don’t have the option of keeping them vertically.
You have to take extra care to ensure your tips aren’t weighed down, which will surely bend the blank and permanently curve your gear.
2. Use a Protective Sleeve or Case
Whether working with a full-length or compact fishing rod rack, always ensure your gear has an extra layer of protection before being stored.
Protective sleeves and cases are a great way to keep fishing poles dry while protecting your gear.
You can even consider a fishing rod tube. It’s a special item that slips over the end of your rod and protects it against fall damage, knicks, and scrapes during the off-season.
Keeping your rods in a fishing rod storage rack is the first step, as doing so helps keep your fishing rods safe and off the ground.
However, an added sleeve is recommended to ensure setting up before the upcoming season is more manageable.
It can even help you carry your gear safely if you like traveling to different fishing destinations.
3. Find a Cool, Dry Storage Spot
The next step is choosing a safe storage spot for your rods, reels, fishing tackle, lures, hooks, and other fishing gear.
Ideally, you will want to find a spot in your home that’s cool and dry, like a basement or a garage.
It can also be helpful to keep your fishing supplies & equipment in a storage shed off your property, but make sure it is temperature controlled.
Although most fishing rods can withstand the elements, exposure to extreme temperatures and wetness can cause serious issues over time.
The last thing you want is for your rod to deteriorate during the off-season and break due to waterlogging or rotting.
When it comes to keeping your quality fishing gear protected, always keep it in an environmentally-controlled storage spot.
4. Avoid Extreme Temperatures
As mentioned, extreme temperatures are a massive no-no for your spools of fishing line, any fishing rod, and reels.
Most pros suggest keeping your rods out of temperatures of 110 degrees Fahrenheit for extended periods, as it ruins the materials and any glue used to hold the rod together.
You don’t want to loosen any components, which could severely impact your fishing capabilities.
It is important to note that these tips are particularly important to follow during the regular season.
The last thing you want is to keep your rods in your car, have them bake in the heat, and become unusable for your next trip!
5. Keep the Drag Loose
Every fishing rod comes with many mechanical pieces that work together to help you cast and reel.
That said, when the mechanical parts are tightened by drag, it can damage the rod over time.
Keeping your drag loose can help prevent a pre-spooled line from snapping when stored and will stop your blanks from bending.
The Gentler, the Better
The most important thing to remember when learning how to store fishing rods is this: the gentler, the better.
Although your rod is designed to handle almost anything, it won’t fare well against direct sunlight, too-hot or too-cold temperatures, or dust and dirt.
So, if you want to keep your gear in excellent condition, follow all the steps we listed when storing your angling tools.
