Tackle check time: Pre-season prep for Bass lure fishing
Its March, the seas cold, and we are in the calm before the storm of the Bass season.
That said, I don’t fully stop fishing but my attention does shift elsewhere, as the effort vs reward ratio put the Bass fishing down the priority list!
Now is the perfect time to get your Bass lure fishing tackle ready for action.
April is nearly upon us, and so are the Bass!
Before the season starts though, getting your tackle in order now will save time and heartache while out fishing. Broken rods, dropped fish & broken bags are all bound to happen, this post will help alleviate those problems and get your kit fighting fit!
So, get a brew going, your favourite program or YT channel playing and lets get cracking on sorting our gear out!
What you will learn in this blog:
How to service your fishing tackle and make sure it’s in the best condition
Cleaning and servicing your rods to extend their life
Cleaning and general servicing procedure of your reel
Checking your line
Cleaning & tuning up your lures with new hardware
Cleaning & servicing of bag zips & tackle boxes
Servicing your Rods
Fishing rods are pretty simple and there’s not a lot to go wrong, but its good to know that its in good order and that you can trust the rod to cast well and land a fish.
How to check your rod’s health
1. Checking the condition of the rod eyelets
Check rod eyes for any cracks, these can slice your line if you’re not careful!
First, perform a visual inspection of each rod eye, look for cracks or chips. They are made of porcelain so they can crack easily.
Run your finger nail around the rings, again checking for cracks or nicks.
This eyelet is in fine condition. (The blue bit)
If you find a crack:
You will need to replace the rod eye assembly, or replace the rod. Depending on the rods cost, you can get the eye replaced by a local rod builder which may end up more expensive than a replacement.
If you are handy at DIY, you can repair it, but its tricky! We wont go into detail here but you the basic premise is this:
Scrape the epoxy from the blank that holds the eye on
Using heat (be careful), prise the rod eye off.
Sand the excess epoxy left over.
Wrap the rod eye onto the rod with some rod whipping
Coat in epoxy and allow to dry
2. Check the condition of the rod blank
The ‘blank’ of a rod is basically the tube bit of the rod, without anything on it. The blank is the main component of the rod.
Cracks or crazes in the finish of the rod may indicate damage thats come from compressions, hits or whacks that you might not have noticed.
Damage to the blank might end up in a snapped rod, a nightmare! So it’s worth checking periodically.
Sadly, there is not a whole you can do about damage to the blank. But you can be aware of it before it ruins a session. If you have damage, you can order replacement sections of rod from most brands.
How to check the rod blank:
Visually check for any imperfections in the surface finish of the rod.
Run your fingers along the rod, feeling for any cracks or crazes.
If you find any damage, assess where the damage is and how bad it is.
If the damage looks okay, go gentle on your next session to test the rod, start with light lures and work your way up to the rods heaviest rating.
3. Inspect the reel seat
Reel seats are different on each rod but they basically comprise of a seat and a threaded locking ring.
The key priority here is to make sure the threaded section is clean and clear of debris which affect the mechanism.
As you can see, a bit of dirt and crud has built up on my rod. I tend to keep my setups assembled all the time so this is normal.
How to service the reel seat:
Remove the reel from the rod if it is attached
With a cloth and warm soapy water, clean the area, focussing on the threads
If there is any rusty metal, take a piece of fine scouring pad or scotch brite and remove the rust if you can, using a dab of WD40 to help lift the rust if needed.
Dab a small amount of WD40 or similar lubricant to the thread, wipe around the area with a cloth. Work the locking ring back and forth a few times to make sure the lubricant is spread evenly.
Reel seat post cleaning & lubricating
4. Clean the rod eye frames
The eye ‘frames’ are typically made from metal and depending on the quality can be stainless. If you keep your lure hooked to the eye frame, this can cause rusty deposits to build up on the frame over time.
Rust built up on the from storing lures hooked to the rod eyes.
How to clean the eye frames:
With warm soapy water, clean the rod all over but focus on the eye’s.
With a cloth, wipe the rust away, if it sticks then take some WD40 and dab it on and try again.
If the rust persists, take a small piece of scotch brite or scouring pad and work at the rust, it should come away.
Rod eye post cleaning
Getting your reel ready to fish
The reel is really important part of your tackle to maintain, arguably the most important. With its moving parts and vulnerabilities to salt water, keeping the reel clean and getting it ready is an easy way to maximise the time you get to fish!
Reel anatomy
Maintaining your reel is simple, but if you can keep it clean and serviced through the year it will prevent the chance for salt to get into the gears and do any damage.
A classic scenario that your reel faces is being left in a bag, shed or other dark and damp spot. This is not great for the reel, especially if salt deposits have got into the mechanism of the reel. Rust and corrosion will form and come spring, yo
Even if your reel if neglected, these pointers will help you get back out there and winding in nice and smoothly.
Cleaning & servicing your reel
A good clean is a good place to start as it can sort out a few issues you might be having and it’s simple to do!
What you will need:
Warm soapy water
Cloth for drying
Acetone or isopropyl alcohol
Replacement line roller bearing
Screwdriver with relevant bit for your line roller bearing
How to clean & lightly service your reel:
Tighten the drag screw down nice and tight and rinse the reel down with warm water. You can do this under the shower or tap but don’t force the water in too much, you just want to rinse the outside down. Dry with a soft cloth.
Remove the spool but loosening the drag screw all the way. Now, inspect for any salt deposits and wipe the inside of the spool down with warm soapy water. (You only need a very small amount of soap).
Wipe down the rotor arm, checking again for salt deposits and remove.
Tip: Dont wipe away any grease you may see on the shaft.
Reel with spool off, you can see there’s a little bit of dirt but a healthy coat of grease present.
Remove dirt from inside the spool. Regular rinsing will keep this area clean.
Using an old toothbrush, scrub all the fastenings down
Dry the reel with a rag all over and re-assemble.
On the roller bearing, apply a small amount of lubricant like WD40 to the bearing, give it a spin to check it’s running smoothy.
At this point, most of the care you’ll need to do is done. But some reels need some extra lovin’ to get running properly.
Next we will detail how to deal with a noisy or rough line roller bearing
Roller bearing noisy? Read this next step
Disassembled roller bearing assembly
The roller bearing is often the culprit for noise running of a reel. It has to deal with constant soaking from the wet line running along it all the time, and if it’s not a sealed design then it will corrode and fail after normal use.
Here is how to fix it:
Take an appropriate tool and undo the screw that keeps the roller bearing in place. (Normally a flathead or Philips screwdriver).
Remove the bearing and any washers or O-rings that may be part of the assembly. Tip: Lay the parts out on a piece of kitchen towel in order of removal.
Using warm soapy water, clean the area thoroughly.
Take the bearing and spin it, if it feels rough and sticky, it’s probably best to replace.
Tip: Visit Jims reel shop for any reel parts that you need! Search Model of your reel & size + Line roller bearing and you’ll probably find what you need!
If you don’t want to order a bearing, soak the bearing in acetone for a couple of hours. Dry it off and lubricate with Penn gear oil.
Re-assemble with either the replaced or cleaned bearing and away you go!
If you have further issues with your reel, then look up your reel model on YouTube and find a video taking apart your reel, or have a look for a PDF manual online and follow that.
Most things can be sorted with a good clean, and you might just need to strip your reel down, de-grease and then re grease with Penn reel grease, re-assemble and away you go!
Line
Checking your line should be done each time you tie a new leader on, or after a session over rough ground.
But, in the case that you have neglected your equipment till now, its good to give it a check over before heading out
Checking your line:
Peel off 15 or so ft of line from the spool.
Visually inspect the line for any tears or nicks
Inspect by feel for any imperfections
Cut line off until you have good condition line
Lures
Right, now we are onto the business end of things!
Lure hooks can often go rusty when sat for some time, especially if they have been dipped in the sea and not rinsed. The Bag + tacklebox scenario is the perfect microclimate for rust to occur.
Hooks, split rings & swivels all deteriorate over time and need sorting out. Here is how its done!
A knackered Axia Vulture
Refreshing your hard plastic lures
Tuning up your hard plastics is easy, all you need to do is replace the hooks, split rings give it a clean and away you go!
What you’ll need:
Removing split rings & hooks
Take your split ring pliers and open the split ring enough to work the hook off.
Remove the hooks, being careful not to stab yourself!
Tip: Crush the barbs down with your pliers to reduce risk of injury when removing hooks.
Assess condition of the split rings. They last longer than the hooks so you don’t have to replace them that often.
Remove the split rings if they are in bad shape.
Removing old hooks
Inspecting condition of the split rings (They’re okay!)
Od hooks off, lots of rust!
Cleaning the rust & marks off
Get some warm soapy water and scrub all over the lure. This is easier done with the hooks removed.
For stubborn stains, use a soft scouring pad and some WD40 and scrub away
Wipe dry with a soft cloth
Scrub-a-dub-dub
A scourer had to be used to remove the stubborn stains
Nice and clean!
Reassembly
Fit the new split rings., be careful not to stretch the split ring as this will make them loose and your hooks could fall off.
Replace the hooks, making sure they are of similar size to the previous hooks. At this point, you can choose to replace with single hooks, this is better for the fish’ wellbeing and reduces the risk of a snag.
Give your freshly made up lure a small spray in WD40, leave to dry and wipe off. This will inhibit corrosion from forming for a while.
Repeat step 3 after every few sessions
Measuring up a single hook replacement - I went with a larger gape on this occasion
Hook layout
Nice and fresh lure!
Fixing the rear most hook with the point upturned increases hook-up potential as demonstrated by my hand.
Sharpening hooks
If your hooks aren't rusty or just have a small bit of wear and tear, its a good idea to sharpen them with a hook sharpener.
Tip: If the hook doesn’t gently catch your fingernail when gently passed over, its not 100% sharp.
Take your hook, and run the point away from the grip with the point facing away from you
Rotate the hook until all edges are nice and sharp
Test on your fingernail for sharpness, repeat previous steps until sharp!
Soft plastic lures
Over the season, soft plastic lures that avoid being snagged face lots of wear and tear during use.
Wrasse (AKA Cornish grouper) love to savage soft plastics with their teeth and you can quickly decimate a box of lures fishing for them.
A lovely Fiiish Black Minnow muncher aboard Unleashed fishing skippered by the fantastic Kieren Faisey.
Snags, rough ground, sitting in a wet in a box, sunlight and all sorts of things take their toll on the lures and by the end of the season soft plastics can look very tired to say the least.
Here is how you can revive your SP’s and regain your confidence fishing them again.
What you’ll need:
Super glue - Fiiish ‘The glue’ works really well
Replacement weedless single hooks (Great quality Owner weedless hooks - good for soft plastic lures)
Give them a clean!
Cleaning your SP’s in some warm soapy water and leaving them to dry without the hooks in can bring them back up to new looking condition!
It feels nice when you have a clean selection of lures in your box, ready to be presented as best as possible to a hungry Bass.
Repairing torn soft plastic bodies
Remove any loose dirt or sand from the lure and from any torn areas you intend to repair.
Take your super glue, dab a few drops of glue in the tear, and hold together with decent pressure for 30 seconds.
Slowly release the lure from your grip, making sure to peel your fingers away slowly in case any glue has managed to stick your fingers to the lure!
Lay the lure out flat and leave to dry, turn it over after 10 mins to even out the spread of glue and improve the repair strength.
Sharpening hooks
You can sharpen the singles on your SP’s very easily with a hook sharpening tool.
I would suggest doing this on regular occasion to make sure the hook point is mega sharp and your hookups definite.
Replacing hooks
Replace any hooks that have any significant corrosion along the shank of the hook, and definitely replace any hooks that have rust near or on the hookpoint.
Now is a good time to take inventory of what lures you have (or dont have) and order replacements.
I find I tend to forget what I do and dont have when fishing regularly which ends up in frustration when I reach for my desired lure to realise i’d lost it during the previous session!
Tip: Lay your lures out and hooks that you have, make a note of hook sizes and lures you have and order what you think you’ll need for the season!
Replacing the eyes!
For that extra layer of realism, you can stick on googley eyes to lure that didnt have them or, replace ones that did! Fiiish Black Minnows (Best lure ever) are notorious for their eyes falling off! I’m not sure how much difference it makes having eyes or not but it feels good having your lures complete and 100% as they are intended to look.
I wont go into detail here but basically, glue some eyes like these on!
FBM’s are famous for losing their eyes..
Tackle bags & boxes
Dont forget your bags and cases!
Your fishing bags get a lot of abuse over the season and arguably perform one of the most important jobs.
If your zip fails while out slaying the Bass, your tackle boxes might fall clumsily out, or get stuck inside your bag by a salted up mechanism! Mad annoying for sure.
Giving your zips and fasteners a once over now will again save any frustration and time while out fishing.
How to keep zips running nice:
Take some silicone lubricant (WD, 3in1 or light bearing grease will do) and apply it to your zip mech.
Dot the lubricant at intervals along the zip.
Work the zip back and forth a few times to get the whole thing covered and running smoothly.
If the zip is stuck or becoming sticky:
Boil some water
Pour the water over the zip, mainly over the buckle
With an old toothbrush, clean the area and help the hot water dissolve the salt
Gently apply pressure to the zip until it frees, don’t pull hard or you will break it!
Give the bag a good old clean!
An obvious one but emptying all your kit out and removing any crap inside along with a wipe round can really make you feel like all your gear is in top working order.
Theres nothing worse than when you have odd sections of leader floating around in there or even a pack of swivels break loose without you knowing!
I like to empty the bag out, clean round with a wet wipe, remove all the lures from their boxes and re-consolidate everything.
Clearing your bag & boxes helps you to think about what lures you take most, and adjust your daily carry of kit accordingly.
Wash out your tackle boxes
The same cleaning treatment goes for lure boxes.
Cleaning your tackle boxes means you can see your lure collection with pride. Theres no better feeling and flipping open a box full of lovely french and japanese lures, in a nice and clean case.
While you’re cleaning your lure boxes..
Why not slap on a Tidework sticker?!
Tip: Wiping your boxes round with a cloth doused lightly in WD40 can help to reduce moisture build up and reduce staining of the plastic from the metal hooks.
That about brings us to a close for the yearly Bass tackle MOT! (This is a lot less stressful than the real one 😩 )
March is a really good time to clean, service and tune your kit to get it working fully.
Once you have gone through all your kit, you’ll have the pre-season buzz going strong.
While you’re at it, why not tune in to some of our Youtube videos to keep you entertained?
I hope you’ve found this post useful - in the proces it certainly was for me! I realised I needed to get a new roller bearing for the Stradic reel, something that could have cost me a fish!
Tight lines 🎣
