I have noticed that my fly rods have a haze/dirt on the outside of the blank, this is from use. I was wondering how you all go about cleaning your fly rods, our season here does not end, it slows down, so I thought I would use this time to give the RODS a wipe down.
So the question is
How often do you do this
Do you use anything, wax, cleaner etc…
Is there any special stuff?
Hello flyfishfairwx, i use Pledge furniture polish, spraying some on clean worn out t-shirt matl. (read very soft) and cleaning/wiping down sections. I’ll do this a couple or so times a year for the lake rods and once or twice for the river rods. Sometimes more for the smallie rods.
Cheers,
MontanaMoose
Hi Montana Moose…
I like it , better then some of the other suggestions I have from BB in my location namely…
WD40 on the rod, then wiped off…
Rubbing alcohol, this maybe ok but not sure…
Not sure i’d put rubbing alcohol on a flyrod either but then no reason to since Pledge cleans so well. I should have mentioned that i preface the Pledge treatment with a piece of clean cotton t-shirt that is just wet with warm water and a tiny bit of dawn dishsoap…this helps if there is a lot of junk on the rod.
Then another clean piece of t-shirt with just warm water then dry, then the pledge. Sometimes just the Pledge is fine.
WD 40, well i don’t know why that would hurt anything but i still don’t see a reason for it, plus if left on i’d tend to think it would gather airborn particulates having used WD so much on machinery and such. It does repel water nicely though.
Cheers,
MontanaMoose
Great thanks for the extra info…
I never thought about the water repelling properties of the WD40
I also use Pledge. Mine are in saltwater all the time and it seems to help protect the rods and guides.
I also use Pledge on my rods.
I use alcohol and water for cleaning the cork. On the blank I use Pledge, Armour All, or just warm water.
On the risk of getting laughed out of town I take my fly rod into the shower with me and wipe it down with a terry type cloth. For the cork I use one of those kitchen scrubbers that has plastic on one side and a sponge on the other. I have some rods that are 20 years old and they still have good looking cork.
Tim
Well Tim if they laugh at you then they will laugh harder at me, I used to take my rifle, Army issued that is in the shower, to get the oil, carbin and CLP off it before I reapplied the CLP to protect it …
So that does not sound strange to me at all…
I really like using 'Scrubbin Bubbles bathroom cleaner to clean my rods. No Q-Tips and such needed as the foam simply lifts the grime away. A quick once-over with a towel and all is well.
For shining them up I used to use a gun cleaning cloths that you can get at gun shops. It did indeed slick the rods up but then I started worrying about the silicone the cloth is treated with. Any refinishing of the rod could be tough I’m told because of the silicone. Now rarely use anything once they’re clean.
I like the Pledge idea but worry that waxing a dirty rod would just trap the scum under protective layers (that was what I was told would happen by a fine furniture maker anyhow)
If the rod is a real scum bucket…a little liquid hand washing soap on a damp, white washcloth. Rinse well…when dry use the Pledge.
Thats for GRAPHITE rods…no idea about 'Boo rods??
I wipe my rods (graphite) down with a warm damp cloth after every outing. I make sure that I clean the guides and wipe down the grip as well. I haven’t felt or had the need to clean them anymore than that.
How 'bout some Ajax and an SOS pad?? No?? Well, warm water, mild soap, a soft wash cloth, and finish off with a good grade of car wax, would be my second (:rolleyes:) preference!!
showering with your rod and rifle is fine. if its real bad soak in cock a cola classic over night and rince well. the stuff eats away dirt and works great on sap. when i was in basic training we have a guy lean his rifle up agenst a pine tree that was running sap like mad. filled the barral right up and covered the weapon. the di’s after making hin push for a while took 10 2leater botles of coke classic and covered the weapon with it. next day washed it off and poof sap gone. now think of what it does to your stomach. heheheh
Glass & graphite rods can be cleaned with a mild cleanser and rinsed clean.
I always clean new rods & apply automotive polish, this protects the finish, and then follow with a coat of automotive wax, this protects the polish. Then once or twice a year I apply wax again depending how much use the rod gets. Makes the cleaning process easier and keeps the rod in very good condition.
Sage recommends using Pledge to clean/wax their rods. I use to wax my rods with automobile wax which worked fine, but since I started to use Pledge, I’ve found it so so quick and easy that I simply use Pledge several times / season on the rods I use all the time.
After ever fishing trip I wash the rods in warm soapy water, wipe down and air dry. Once dried I wipe down with Pledge.
Gee, I thought all that fishing funk/guuk was supposed to remain on the rod from season to season to improve luck down the road. What am I gonna do now?
Kelly.
My rods get many good baths in the winter. i find my self swishing them in the water every few minutes to keep the ice out.