How To Prepare Your Fishing Tackle For Fall & Winter

If you don’t use your boat in the fall and winter — and temperatures in your area tend to dip toward freezing territory — you may be thinking about winterizing your ride for the cooler months ahead. A few simple steps can help prevent your on-board pumps and plumbing from frosting up while your boat is taking a break, but what about your tackle?

You’ve invested in collecting all the right tools for the job, so be sure to protect it during the cooler weather ahead! Here are our top tips for winterizing your gear — so that your return to the water in spring is smooth and seamless as possible.

Fall Cleaning

If there’s one season associated with large-scale cleaning efforts, it’s spring — but for anglers, fall cleaning is just as important as its warm-weather counterpart! Now is a great time to sort through your tackle from the last several months and see what’s held up, and what hasn’t. There’s no reason to bring in damaged or past-their-prime hooks, frayed fishing line, and other imperfect tackle to your next season, so feel free to ditch what you can’t use and repair what you can.

Speaking of which…

Grease Your Reel

Greasing your reel before stowing it away for the season is a good way to ensure that it works as well as possible — and that it’s ready to go come spring! In addition to winterizing, make this a regular part of your tackle maintenance.

The pros recommend greasing the gears once or twice a year, depending on how frequently you fish (and if you’re an avid saltwater angler, even more — the salinity of the ocean is generally tougher on tackle).

Air Out Your Gear

Once it’s finally time to box up your tackle, do so on a bright, sunny fall day! We say this so that after you’ve gently cleaned your gear with mild soap and water, you can lay it out to fully dry before stowing it all away for the fall and winter. This will prevent your tackle falling into disrepair during its winter storage due to rust, mildew, or other potential issues.

Upgrade Your Storage Solutions

For boaters and anglers who “close up shop” during the cold winter months, this is a natural time to think about what you could improve upon once warmer weather rolls around — a better tackle box with more organization, or high-tech cooler, for example. But as you take inventory of your storage, you might also wonder if it’s time to upgrade your ride! Blackfin Boats are equipped with standard storage and convenient amenities anglers love. Depending on your unique model, that might include in-floor fish boxes, rod holders, seating that doubles as storage, and so much more. Our team would love to help you find the perfect ride for your on-the-water style!

We hope that this brief guide helps you prepare your tackle for the fall and winter months! Stay tuned to Blackfin Boats as we continue to share tips and tricks for fishing success.