Who has fished in the rain or had there gear in the bed of a truck when it rains? If so what do u do to dry them and protect them??

Dry out after each outing oil um often

A little rain is joy going to hurt them. Heck, they get wet cranking in wet line. On the other hand, if my reels are out in a downpour, they get a complete tear down, clean and lube before they get used again. Ditto, if they get a bath in the lake.

Leaving your prized rods and reels in a truck bed is not a good idea. Been there, done that, paid the price.

You should consider neoprene reel covers all the time to protect them when traveling.

Tom

Would a PVC holder for the rods work for keeping them dry and from moving around

lol i fish with them in the rain, they get wet in the back of my truck, i dont clean them....i just buy quality reels and never have problems as for the rods if you use good guides you shouldnt have a problem either just wipe them down or do what i do...leave them standing up in the garage...if you have to baby them all the time then they arent for me

A common practice for me is a hose rinse after each outing as I mostly fish saltwater, in essence it isn't much different than getting the reel wet from rain.  I know fishermen that just put their reels in a bucket of freshwater to rinse them down.  My reels get serviced or oiled only when they need it, my freshwater reels that are used 12 months a year, get no special treatment other than a drop of oil maybe 2-3 times a year, they still perform as new.  IMO a real worth it's salt (excuse the pun) should be made to fish in the harshest of conditions, my wife kills plants with too much kindness and that could be said said for more reel maintenance than is really needed.  Dunking is a different story, the water may contain sand.

 

There is a thread going on now about a reel binding when it's wet, that should not happen. We don't always fish in perfect weather conditions and the equipment should be built to take it.

As I sit here in the mancave I look at my shelf of long ago reels. Most more than 65 years old. Never dried, oiled or anything else after a rain. Oiled when ther needed. Also never allowed to ride in a truck bed. Still work they way they were designed. Oiled when they needed it which was usually at the start of each fishing trip.

lol i fish with them in the rain, they get wet in the back of my truck, i dont clean them....i just buy quality reels and never have problems as for the rods if you use good guides you shouldnt have a problem either just wipe them down or do what i do...leave them standing up in the garage...if you have to baby them all the time then they arent for me

That's got to be the most absurd post I've ever seen.

Swan, you bring up an interesting point that we rarely, if ever, discuss on the Forum:

 

"Making sure your reel's screws are tight and the reel is water tight."

 

If your reel's screws are properly in place you have nothing to worry about.

 

Reels are waterproof as long as we make sure they are secure.

 

How many of us grab a reel, throw it on a rod, and run out to fish without checking the reel's screws, magnets, pawls, drag, etc.? I would venture to say all of us have done this a few times.

 

As for your rod, it can't get damaged by the rain. It can get damaged by too much heat and cold and freezing does nothing good to a rod.

 

Great post. Keep 'em coming!

 

 

ive fished in the rain plenty of times, but i dont purposely leave them sitting out in the rain. they will dry off and work just fine afterwards. ive seen people dunk their reels purposely, thats not something i do either. plenty of times when night fishing at SML it will rain on and off or a thunderstorm will pass through. i will leave rods out in the rod holders and sit under the roofed part of the dock watching my rods, they get soaked but theyve never suffered because of it. sometimes they get wet from reeling in line and water flying off the line, dew early in the morning and late at night. doesnt really concern me too much

I have fished in heavy rain, and even purposely submerged my reels to clean them off. as long as you let them dry after they will be fine, unless your in salt water