Jump to content
Fly Tying
xterrabill

salt question

Recommended Posts

My inlaws live on ft myers beach, thinking of making a trip down there sometime.

How bad will the salt mess up my fly gear in 3-4 days of fishing?

I think I read somewhere that i would need to clean it everyday or something, but I don't remember.

 

Last time I was there I did a little bait fishing off docks in their canal and caught about 20

mangrove snapper, 3 sheephead and 8 jacks in about 8 hours total over 3 days.

the dolphins show up, then nothing till next day.

 

getting my 2 piece 9 weight down there without a rod tube might be an issue. (airlines)

maybe make one out of pvc?

 

I don't think I would bring my 4 weight.

 

thanks in advance.

 

 

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

9wt better than 4 wt

Check with airline on restrictions

Wash all tackle with soap and water as soon as you get back home from fishing and it should be ok. Rinse reels well in freshwater.

It depends on the quality of the tackle, not only the fresh/saltwater designation. Better guides may have better coatings, etc... cheap metal will start rusting more quickly.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

rod is a older lamiglas, don't know what guides it has.

wash it all down daily...got it, thanks!!!

 

(kidding)

only fished with a coated guide once.....he was coated in wax worms.

true story...

went fishing with spence petros, he had waxies in his coat pocket and they crawled out,

he must have had 20 of them crawling all over him, he didn't know it, was funny at the time.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

In my travels, I've fished salt many times. I don't use fly fishing gear, but my spinning gear isn't "salt water" gear either. At least once a week, take EVERYTHING you use in the salt and wash it off. Just rinsing in the sink won't get all the salt off.

Dawn dish soap, I've found, is the best general cleaner. Clean your reel, rod, line and all lures you use. (Flies, if you're fly fishing)

 

Oh, and do not put wet flies back in with unused flies. As the salt water evaporates out of the flies, it will carry just enough salt to contaminate all the other flies in there. Or, at least, it seems to do that with the lures I've used.

 

It's terrible on your equipment, but with sufficient care, you can save it all.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

All advice so far is good. Any equipment can be used, and has been for a long time. Yes, there is expensive gear that is made to resist salt damage, but it only delays damage. Rinse your equipment daily, always. If you do not expect to use it the next day, then wash it down with Dawn as Uncle Mike said.

 

I travel to fish a lot. The best case for a rod can be made cheaply at home. I use the light-gauge pvc of a diameter that suits the number of rods that I intend to carry. Cement an end cap on one end, and leave the other loose. Drill a small hole in each cap so a vacuum will not be created when you close it. I like to screw on a carrying handle using some old nylon strap from a piece of junk in the closet. Leave enough slack so your hand can comfortably fit through. Put the screws on with the heads inside the tube, so you don't scratch your rods. Grind off any of the screw that extends past the lock-nut washers. Additionally I run alternating bands of brightly colored tape around the tube, spaced every several inches. This prevents someone from taking your rod case off the plane and walking with it. I have seen that happen more than once, especially in the Bahamas.

 

Good luck.

post-55273-0-37620000-1509206242_thumb.jpeg

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

The only thing I can add to the daily rinse is once you think you rinsed it good enough rinse it again for double the amount of time as the first rinse.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I put my stuff in the shower. Turn on shower and go do something else. Buy a rod carrier and take on carryon. Done it many times.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

thank ya kindly gents,

I do have a big bazooka rod carrier thing, super overkill for one fly rod,

I could get 5-7 rods in it, used it for an Alaska trip for myself and 3 others.

there are plenty of rods and reels down there for me to borrow and maybe a boat too, but no fly stuff.

 

ok , ok....I get it....wash it down daily....then wash em again, put the used flies in a baggie

not back in the fly box, don't forget, don't screw up, don't pass out.

gotta love you guys LOL

 

I been tying bumblebees like a mad man today, I was invited to a Halloween party last week,

and I found out last night its for kids!!

I had my costume all set but its to gory for little kids so I had to figure out something else quick,

found my bug hat and it almost looks like a bee keepers hat, so I tied a bunch of bee's on toothpicks

and have em hanging all over me and off the hat on springs and 6 lb mono.

yike's! LOLOL (I tied em to look kinda cute, most out yellow pompoms)

well its time to get ready, catch yall later.

thanks again.

peace

 

I know you guys wanna see a pic.....no way man....no freakin way LOLOL

later

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Good luck on the trip man. If the docks have lights, fish them at night on a moving tide and you'll be sure to get snook, tarpon, and others. If you are looking for a more adventurous day, hit up the tamiami trail. I was actually there this morning, fishing was slow because of the cold front I believe (high 50s-low60s this morning in glades city) but just all the nature more than makes up for it. Even got up close with a biggg but dead gator, vultures hadn't gotten to it yet. Sad to see it dead, but still cool to get close to such a cool animal.

 

Let us know if you have any questions. There's a couple west-coasters on the forum and maybe they'll chime in and help

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I, too, have a few PVC rod tubes. One extra step I take is to pad the inside of the caps. I use those standard pvc end caps and a koozie. Press the cap into the foam hard enough to make an indentation and cut out the circle. Never used any adhesives to secure it.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I would recomment HOT water for washing your rods. Salt will desolve and rince off with hot water much better than using cold water. I Have been rincing off my gear like this for 4 years now, and have no rust on guides, seats, or reels. I soak the lines as well, and lay them out in the garage to dry.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

All I fish is either brackish or salt.... Here's the routine I've been following for years - works pretty well. If I'm going day after day the rods don't get touched - the moment I have a day or two off every fly rod has the fly line pulled off of it and dropped on the grass. Each rod and reel is thoroughly rinsed off with a garden hose in fan mode - no hard direct spray (that might drive salt into areas it never reached on its own...). Once the reel, rod, fly line and backing are all thoroughly rinsed off (backing stays on the reel - only the fly line is stripped away...) then the fly line is wound back on while still wet, the drag on the reel is backed off to zero -and the rig is stood up to allow it to air dry thoroughly (if you put rods or reels in cases or covers make as sure as you can that it's all dried out first.... That's the extent of my freshwater rinse - if the next time I go to use it I feel the slightest drag on the line - it gets stripped off again, wet down, and carefully cleaned with a 3M cleaning pad using only freshwater - no detergent ever, then carefully dressed with Scientific Anglers line dressing - then carefully polished away with a soft dry cloth (I keep my silicone line dressing, the abrasive cleaning pad, etc - in an old white cotton sock which doubles as my drying, polishing line cloth).

 

That's all there is to my maintenance routine for salt exposure - I keep six rods ready to use from a 7wt up to a 12 and this routine has worked quite well for years now. Since I'm also a rod builder and a guy who repairs gear for others I keep a close eye on all the hardware on every rod - the only problem I ever run into is an occasional snake guide (chromed stainless steel snakes) will need replacing - but that's may once every five or six years... Whenever I hear someone advocate using soap and water on reels or lines used in the salt I cringe - since the detergent removes the necessary lubricants from critical surfaces.... I much prefer just to add an occasional tiny drop of high quality gun oil (Gunslik, BreakFree, Kroil, etc.) to a moving part and carefully remove any excess with a paper towel... that's for the reel -the line dressing is what protects the fly line (every now and then you'll hear someone advocate Armor All or something similar for fly lines - avoid it like the plague since it will break down the plastic surface of any fly line, and pretty quickly...).

 

Hope this helps

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...

×
×
  • Create New...