End of Ice Fishing Season Maintenance Tips

It’s here…the transition period from late season ice fishing onto ice off conditions. Theres a little bit of downtime before the springtime fishing really takes off, so its a great time of the year to clean up from the ice fishing season. Like all other gear, your fishing gear will last longer with proper care. Before you store your ice fishing gear for the summer, make sure to take a few extra steps to make the most of your gear. Not only will your gear work better for longer, it will also make the early ice fishing season more enjoyable. Storing your gear properly is just as important as any other part of the fishing experience.

First off, lets chat about general cleanup. All of your gear has been exposed to the elements for the past few months. As the warmer weather rolls in, it make for a muddy, slushy mess. That means that your gear is likely a little dirty and in need of a cleaning. Take a rag to it all! Wipe down the sled, your fishing poles, tackle boxes, buckets and anything else that made its way to the hardware over the season. Removing the dust, dirt and any debris that has built up over the season is much easier to clean prior to storage and you’ll have clean gear to dive into when the ice fishing season comes back around.

Big or small, we love them all. This small lake trout was quickly released back to the wild.

In addition to a good wipe down, your fishing rods need a little more attention. We like to remove the line from the fishing season. This line has been wet and cold and is most likely ready for a change before the next season. We will wait until the beginning of the next season to re-spool the rods with line. Storing fishing rods with the line installed can lead to line memory issues come the following season.

Airing out the ice shelter before storing

Lastly lets talk about fishing tents. Before you store them over the summer, its highly important that they are completely dried out. Dont forget to get that storage bag dry too. If you store your tent with any moisture or snow, you’ll find a stinky problem next season. Mold and mildew can run rampant and there’s not a good way to clean it out. We dry our tent out between uses throughout the season, but we let it sit out a little longer before it goes into storage. Simply set the tent up in your yard. Make sure to stake it down so it doesn’t blow away. With it set up, give it a good wipe down and open up the windows, doors and vents. If you’ve been fishing recently, you may find some ice buildup around the anchor points. Before you pack up…give it a double check. Make sure its bone dry and carefully pack up for the long summer wait.

A little extra effort this time of year will make for an easy roundup for next fishing season. Taking these steps and storing your gear in an organized fashion will add years of life to your setup. When its time to get it all back out, you’ll have clean gear, ready for fishing!