Fishing rod care and storage
A rod is rarely ruined while you are fishing. It is ruined by what happens afterwards. A few habits add years to a blank.
After every session
Rinse the rod with fresh water and wipe it dry. Sand and silt abrade the finish of the blank, and salt eats the metal parts of the guides and the reel seat.
A wet rod put away assembled dries from the inside for weeks. Dry it taken apart, at room temperature.
Guides
A crack in a guide insert is invisible to the eye, yet it cuts braid on every cast. Check the guides with a cotton bud: the fibres snag wherever there is a chip.
Joints
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wipe spigot joints dry before every assembly;
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never grease a carbon joint — grease collects sand;
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on a telescopic rod, check that the sections have not seized with dirt.
Storage
Keep the rod in a tube or a sleeve — horizontally or vertically, but never under a bend. A section leaning against a wall takes a permanent set over a single winter.
The place should be dry, out of direct sun and away from radiators: UV and heat break down the epoxy resin of the blank. Loosen the reel seat nut before storage, and do not leave the line on the spool under tension.
What not to do
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drying it with a hairdryer or on a radiator;
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leaving it in a car in summer — behind glass the cabin easily passes 60 °C;
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pulling out a snag with the rod: pull the line with a gloved hand, keeping the blank in line with it.