Fish Sniffer On Demand Digital Edition Issue 3703 Jan 18-Feb 2 2018 | Page 34

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SALTWATER
Jan 18 - Feb 2, 2018
G
VOL.37 • ISS. 03
Sand Crab Classic
Will Benefit
Monterey Bay
Salmon & Trout
Project
Starting The New Year Off Right!
rowing up in America’s favorite ghetto
(San Francisco’s Chinatown), our family
didn’t have a whole lot of exces-
sive things. We were blessed with
a (rented) roof over our heads,
enough to eat, warm clothes to
wear, and the love of family. We
didn’t have a lot of “stuff”; toys,
games, recreational equipment,
cars, electronics, etc., so what little
we had we took extra good care to
maintain.
As a young lad, I remember
walking into Land Brothers sporting
goods store with my cousin George.
Slyly, he said he wanted to tap into
my vast fishing knowledge to help
pick out a good but affordable all
around fishing outfit for freshwater fishing.
I walked up and down the aisles of rods,
carefully testing and flexing items I had only read
about in the Finnysports mail order catalog. I
then perused the reels section of the store.
Finally, I made my decision. I chose to match
a Heddon 6616 rod with a Zebco 202 closed face
spinning reel.
My cousin George took my selection, paid for
it, then surprisingly, turned to me and said, “Here,
I wanted to buy you your first rod and reel set.”
Was I shocked at what he did? You bet! Did I
appreciate it? For sure!
Did I take care of the outfit? You know I did!
Over the decades, like most Americans, I
continued to add to my inventory of things that
I love. By the time of the Great Purge of 2013,
I had amassed a collection of over 160 rods.
Friends that have come over to visit me have
often been of the opinion that these rods have
never been used, but that is far from the truth.
That is simply testimony to how well I
maintain my possessions.
Rods are some of the easiest things
to maintain, and I like to keep on top
of their condition. After a day on the
water, I like to scrub them down, not
just rinse them off.
Salt water is one of the harshest
environments one can encounter and it
behooves one to rid a rod of its effects
as soon as possible. Even rods that are
used in the delta need to be cared for.
After a day of fishing I usually
strip a rod of its reel and take it into
the shower with me. Using a nice
microfiber cloth, I like to soap the rod
down before rinsing it, being especially careful
to work the cloth in and around the guides. A
potato scrub brush is just dandy for removing
gunk such as dried on slime from the foam grips
of the rod.
A nice microfiber cloth is also useful for
wiping the rod dry after its bath to avoid water
stains. Extra protection of the rod can be
obtained by wiping the rod down with a little
furniture polish such as Pledge Lemon Scent.
Never, and I repeat, never use WD-40 on your
rods! That stuff has a way of penetrating little
micro fractures in the finish of your guides and
damaging and staining the threads.
Most of us don’t do a lot of fishing in the ear-
ly part of the year, and if you haven’t been taking
good care of your tackle, this is the perfect time
to do it. NEXT TIME: Reel maintenance ... high
tech reels need extra care!
SALTY TIPS
by Steve
“Hippo”Lau
S
ANTA CRUZ- The
14th Annual Sand Crab
Classic Perch Tournament, held
the second Saturday of March