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Heat 'N' Tackle
Hey all,
Here in Rhode Island, the temps are climbing to summer levels. I'd like your take on what affect heat has on various fishing components. Think:
A. Rods - fiberglas, bamboo, and graphite (I fish all three);
B. Line;
C. Miscellaneous.
As I write this, my gear is in the car. Came back from fishing a few minutes ago, and plan on going out tomorrow. Gear's in the trunk; should I get it outta there?
Thanks,
Hugh
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Hey Hugh, How are you doing?
How hot - is hot, where you live?
It's only supposed to reach 91 degrees here today, yet from spring until fall our temps should run from the mid 80's and top out in 110's. 90 to 104 is pretty typical, luckily I love hot dry weather.
Back before there was an internet, I had a matched set of ( name brand ) one piece glass rods that on very hot days would twist so much that the first guide and tip top would end up being nearly ninety degrees off from one another. It would take about two days of being indoors at room temperature for the tips and the rest of the guide to re-align. When I contacted the manufacturer about this phenomena, they told me it wasn't possible. Yet, every time they were used on days over 100 degrees, it happened. So....?
I will not store any gear in one of my autos. None of my fishing gear, including float tubes, waders, boots, flats boots or anything that uses or contains any type of plastic, neoprene, rubber, etc. is ever stored in my garage.
This area has a plethora of relatively young, off white, rough textured fiberglass boats, that were anything but white or rough textured when they were new.
The life expectancy of hoses, belts and batteries in our vehicles are shortened compared to the more temperate climate areas of the state I've lived in. Extreme heat and cold kills gear, plain and simple.
Good luck and stay cool, Dave
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I wouldn't leave a bamboo rod in a car; don't think the heat has much effect on graphite rods, fibergalss either. Prolonged exposure to sunlight not good for flylines, leaders & tippet either and even though my trunk doesn't get much sunlight, I take them inside. Waders & boots come inside too.
Regards,
Scott
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I leave a rod strung-up at all times behind the seat of my truck.
It's just a $13 W*lmart rod with an extremely experienced line, but there's never been an issue
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I think you could leave it in your trunk. Just find a nice cool spot to park it. LOL.
: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h252qhUTZAs .;)
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I don't leave my gear in anyplace I wouldn't spend the time. I find car trunks rather hot and dark in the summer so I don't spend any time there, neither does my gear.
REE
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Hey guys,
Dave E - you have me beat. This week will be in the low 80's, but will be around 90 and humid Saturday. (Yuck!) We get way more hot, humid days than hot and dry.
All - guess I have to get off my lazy butt and bring the gear inside! Though I do like dudley's idea of keeping a cheapo in the car for "emergencies"! ;-)
Thanks,
Hugh
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Hi All,
I have read quite a bit on rod building in the past year, and while doing that found out that keeping a graphite rod in a hot car in the sun is bad business, even if in the rod case. You especially don't want to keep one in the front or back window, and the trunk would be in that same category. Over time, it will weaken the polymer that binds the graphite fiber material together in the rod blank. Thus over time, it will weaken the blank.
I left one of my rods in the vehicle for quite a few days while on vacation a few years ago, and it was also left where the sun could hit the rod case. The rod case is no longer straight, so I bought a new rod case for the rod. The rod is still nice and straight, so it is only the case that was bent a little bit. The rod was not one of their super high dollar models, but is from one of the top manufactures, thus not an inexpensive rod, so I am glad that it was not bent. However, I am quite sure that the life of the rod will be shortened somewhat.
If you are going to keep one in the car on a hot day, make sure it is in the passenger compartment out of the sun. If you have a camper, it would be much better to keep it in the camper. We crack the windows a little bit, and that keeps the car a bit cooler.
For what it's worth, we are working on remodeling our bath upstairs, and I am doing part of the work. Yesterday after church, I had to work outside on parts of it. It got up to 113 degrees here yesterday, and I would work about 45 minutes or up to an hour, and then go inside to drink gator aid and cool down for up to a half hour each time. So, equipment is not the only thing that heat effects. With the 113 degrees we had yesterday, and wind gusts up to 30 miles per hour or so, there is no way I would have gone fishing. Just plain too hot. The wind felt like being being in front of a blast furnace when you would get hit straight on with it.
Regards,
Gandolf
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I'm with Ron Eagle Elk on this one. Here in Georgia, the summers are long and hot. This spring we've already had a number of weeks where it stayed in the mid-upper 90's. There is no way I'm leaving my gear in a closed car to be exposed to that heat. If you want to know how hot it gets, let your garden hose sit out in the sun until mid afternoon, then turn on the water and let it run on your hand. I'll bet you could boil and egg in the water that comes out of the hose. It's even hotter in a closed car. For me, I don't leave my rods, lines or tippets in the car unless I'm going fishing. Just my two cents worth.
Jim Smith
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I keep gear in the truck too. Heck, I've had a spool of mono in there for years (kept out of the sun is the trick) it gets stupid hot inside vehicles here. My stuff really hasn't had anything bad happen. Did learn not to store hot glue eggs behind the seat in the summer