Taking care of your gear at season’s end

It is that time of year, the recreational fishing season is coming to an end. I have a routine for decommissioning my gear and have added in some tips from the experts on putting away your fishing gear for the winter.
Line. Each year, replace used line. I do this throughout the season due to the high use of gear in season. But you can do a lot of prep work in the fall. It is a judgment call as to what is meant by “used”. Braid line may still be OK to leave on the reel, however, I usually take off line at the beginning of the reel that shows signs of wear. Experts say to cross braid line when spooling onto conventional reels to prevent the line from digging into the spool when a big fish is on.
I often fish with lead core line that is designed to sink in the water column when trolling for striped bass and bluefish in 20 to 35 feet of water in Narragansett Bay. I re-spool the lead core line putting the used portion on the reel first, this way you use line that is new as most anglers rarely use more than three to four colors (90’ to 120’) of line. You need to take the line off the spool to clean it thoroughly.
Reel maintenance starts by taking the reels off the rod, cleaning the spool of salt using mild soap, drying it and then rubbing a light oil, like W-D 40, all over the reel to help fend off harmful sale water. “You can even clean and oil the reel seat on the rod,” said Dave Morton. Give your reels a good cleaning, particularly when the line is off, and spool exposed. Grease where directed by the manufacturer, often, the reel is marked where to do this. If instructions are long gone do not hesitate to stop by your local bait or tackle shop to ask where to grease.
Rods. Calvin Wilcox of Cal’s Custom Rods (401.575.1189), Warwick said, “Clean rods with mild soap at the end of the season, check eyes for any chipping. Eyes are made of a variety of material, many with ceramic ring inserts that often crack or chip snagging fishing line wearing it out until it breaks.”
Dave Morton of Beavertail Rod & Reel, North Kingstown (401.215.5062), said, “Give your eyes the Q-Tip test, rub the inside with a Q-Tip if it snags, hanging up a thread of cotton you should replace that eye.”
Rollers and handles. Morton said, “Make sure your line roller (on spinning reels) is rolling freely, most have a screw which can be taken off and light oil applied, do the same with handles so all turn freely. Reels can be put back on rod after cleaning, but do not lock it down tight, save that for the spring.”

North Atlantic Right Whale
Seasonal Management Area
As of Friday, Nov. 1, vessels 65 feet or longer must slow to 10 knots or less in the North Atlantic Right Whale Seasonal Management Area. For Rhode Islanders this encompasses the area south of Block Island (for coordinates visit Reducing Vessel Strikes to North Atlantic Right Whales | NOAA Fisheries).
These areas are designed to protect whales in areas where they are migrating and calving. Right whales are highly endangered with an estimated 340 individuals left. Although the enforcement of the Seasonal Management Area pertains to larger vessels, all vessels are encouraged to slow down to reduce the chances of a vessel strike.
If Right Whales are observed at sea, please report sightings to RIDEM, US Coast Guard, NOAA, or the New England Aquarium. Photos of sightings are highly encouraged to assist in conservation and monitoring efforts.

Where’s the bite?
Striped bass, bluefish, bonito. Declan O’Donnell of Breachway Bait & Tackle, Charlestown, said, “Bluefish and bass continue to be caught primarily from the jetties and structure points along the south Shore. The bite continues to be good at night with an occasional 20lb and up fish. Back in the pond fishing has been great with most fish being caught on top water and swim shads.”
Chad Katch of Sam’s Bait & Tackle, Middletown, said, “Bluefish, some bonito and striped bass of all sizes continue to be caught from the Sakonnet River to Newport.”
“Striper fishing is still very good, lots of birds continue to work in the Bay and off Newport,” said Vincent Castaldi, an associate at Quaker Lane Bait & Tackle, North Kingstown. “Some striped bass may still be north of the east end preparing for the migration or we may have seen the last of the movement, leaving us with stragglers and holdovers,” said East End Eddie Doherty, Cape Cod Canal fishing expert and author.
Tautog. “Our tautog trip on the Francis Fleet was a success last Sunday. Maximus Namba of South Kingstown, RI caught the top fish, an 8.9-pound tautog. Most anglers on the trip caught at least one tautog. We fished from structure off the Sakonnet River to the Brenton Reef area,” said Scott Travers, Executive Director of the RI Saltwater Anglers Association.
Vincent Castaldi of Quaker Lane Bait & Tackle, said, “Tautog fishing is still outstanding. I caught 20 tautog last week from the shore at Beavertail and half were keepers (16” or over).”
“Tog fishing out front has been great. There still are some scup and seabass around who are also happy to take a half a crab,” said O’Donnell of Breachway Bait & Tackle. I fished off Newport in the Bay last week and one charter customer caught four nice keepers in about three hours of fishing in 45 to 55 feet of water. Chad Katch of Sam’s Bait & Tackle, said, “Tautog fishing has been very good with fishing moving to deeper water, 60 plus feet. Anglers still catching keepers. The by-catch cod bite when anglers have been fishing for tautog has been good with anglers targeting cod a Cox Ledge and the East Fishing Grounds (3 miles east of Block Island) producing cod for anglers.”
Freshwater fishing. The largemouth bass bite has been good as fish are starting to stage in fall areas. Trout stocking locations in Massachusetts are updated daily, visit Trout stocking report | Mass.gov for an interactive map. Visit www.dem.ri.gov/fishing for ponds stocked in RI.
Dave Monti holds a master captain’s license and charter fishing license. He serves on a variety of boards and commissions and has a consulting business focusing on clean oceans, habitat preservation, conservation, renewable energy, and fisheries related issues and clients. Forward fishing news and photos to dmontifish@verison.net or visit www.noflukefishing.com.