When you start going fishing, you might not have thought about keeping your equipment safe. However, you might need to consider what you do to look after you gear. After all, fishermen can end up spending a lot on their equipment. There are a number of simple tips you can use to care for your equipment, and help prevent it breaking. However, accidents do happen. For the things you can’t control, there’s always insurance. At Alternative Insurance Brokers, we specialise in finding specific fishing insurance policies that fit you.
Travel
Getting your fishing equipment to the water is rife with potential dangers. It would be especially annoying were something to happen to break your rod before you even get the chance to use it. Watch for how you carry your rod on your way. If you don’t make sure you point it upwards, you could end up snagging it on the ground and snapping it. It is also worth keeping the travel tube that your rod comes in. Taking your rod in the car can do all sorts of damage to it.
Starting Out
Casting your fly takes a lot more out of a rod than you might realise. A good cast can go at more than 80mph – about the same speed as a pellet from an air rifle. As such, there can be enormous stresses put up on your rod. Casting incorrectly, or knocking something with your cast, can fracture or even break your rod. If you get your line caught in a tree or on a rock, you might be tempted to pull it out with your rod. However, rods are not meant for this kind of motion, and so you ought to pull the line out by hand instead.
Catching a Fish
After you have managed to hook a fish without breaking your rod, there are still a few risks you face. It can be tempting, when you’ve got a fish most of the way to the surface, to pull it out by hand. However, this is likely to cause the fish to thrash about, bouncing your rod around and potentially breaking it. Instead, you could always use a landing net. You should also be careful with your hands on your rod. Don’t be tempted to put a second hand anywhere on your rod other than the handle. Stress is only distributed properly from the handle – so don’t risk it.