Properly Prepping And Storing Your Ice Fishing Gear
Posted on: 24 March 2018
With winter coming to an end, it's time to put away your ice fishing gear. When done properly, your gear will require little work come next season and will last many years before needing to be replaced. Here, you'll learn a little about packing and storing your ice fishing gear properly.
Gear Cleaning
Prior to putting everything in storage, it must be cleaned. Failure to do so will result in terrible odors, possible mold growth and corrosion and a lot more work when it comes time to use the gear next season.
Fishing Poles – Clean the poles from top to bottom. Set them out in the sun so that they can fully dry before you pack them up. Poles can be stored in PVC piping to ensure that they are not damaged while being transported.
Gutting Equipment – Hopefully, you've kind of kept up with the gear that you use to gut the fish you catch. Give it all one more good cleaning to make sure that it is all gut-free and completely dry.
Tackle – Go through your tackle box to make sure that you've removed any bait that won't be good by next year, as well as anything that could decay while it's being stored. Wipe out each compartment and each lure and set it all out to dry.
Shelter Tent – This is a big investment in many cases, so you must take good care of it. Pop it up on a warm sunny day. Mix a cup of white vinegar with three gallons of water and use a cloth to wipe down the inside and outside surfaces of the tent. The white vinegar is strong enough to kill any mold spores, but gentle enough that it won't cause damage to the material. Let it stand in the sun until it has fully dried.
Boots – Use a stiff brush to brush away as much mud as possible. Wipe them down and then condition them with a quality waterproofing product. Let them out to dry.
Store the Gear
Now that you've gotten everything ready to be put away for the next several months, it's time to find a place to store it all. Instead of just throwing it all in the corner of your garage where it could potentially get damaged by moisture and/or just get in the way, consider leasing a storage unit. You'll be able to keep all of your gear in one location that is out of the way.
The storage unit can be used to not only store your ice fishing gear, but you can also store your snow blower, plow attachment, shovels, sleds and other winter gear that you won't need until next winter. Contact a company like AA All American Airborne Self-Storage for more information and assistance.
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