How do you store your rods and reels? 2025

I was just wondering how everyone stores their rods and reels here. Do you leave your combos put together or separate them? I separate mine after almost every trip. I say almost because sometimes if I know I'm going out again in the next couple days I'll leave them together, and my ultralight combo gets left in the car for most of fishing season. The rods all go in a rod rack, and the reels all go in their orginal boxes inside a large plano tackle box with the drawers removed, which is also where I keep all my line spools.

Once spring rolls around mine stay on my buddies boat until winter.  I roll the drags off if I know it will be a while between trips.  I don't separate the reels from the rods until winter boredom really kicks in.

I made a rod rack out of PVC pipe. My combos stay together for the entire season. Drags get backed off after every trip and covers go on the reels. They only get broken down in the winter. 

in the rod locker during the season, in the man cave in the off season.

i rarely take the reel off the rod. the only time i do so is for a clean/lube.

I put the rods in rod socks and set them in the corner of my basement, and put all the reels back in their original boxes.

bicycle hooks hanging from the ceiling in the garage. They're coated so they don't damage the finish on the rods and it keeps them from getting knocked over or stepped on. They're only about a dollar apiece and you can hang about 4 combos on each pair of them. Plus you can always add a couple when the bait monkey gets to you.  ;D

I have a rack system that stores all my rigs ( bait cast, fly cast, spinning) horizontally just below the ceiling in my shop. I also keep the reels wrapped in plastic newspaper bags to keep dust out of them.

mine stay together on rod racks during the season and off season. i have a smaller rod rack that i move to a better area during the season for easy access. they stay in my unheated garage. i just take off the lures and put them up for the season though this year i am buying stick jackets and reel covers. btw my dad and i's seldom used rods(fly,steelhead/salmon, etc.) stay on 2 dressers sitting on top of bins. it sounds bad but we have been doing for about 10 years now with no problems

Mine will stay on my boat all season but come off and stored in my house over winter. When in my rod locker I use a stick jacket on each rod and a reel cover.

Tight Lines

Pa Angler

Our season never really ends, so I just leave the reels mounted on the rods, and everything hanging on my wall-mounted rod rack. The only time the reels come off the rods is for service, line replacement, or to be sold.

I vacuum pack them to keep in the freshness.  Just kidding. Combos intact, drags off and upright.  Soft cloth covers the rack system to keep them dust free.

I take the reels off, disassemble each one, clean and lube, put on neoprene reel covers and put them in the top drawer of my tool chest. I wash the rods with soap and water and put a coat of UV resistant wax on them to try and protect them during the year. Then I put them in my rod racks. I'm probably the sickest guy on here as far as keeping everything neat and clean.

Kevin Davis

When at home, my rods just lean in the corner of my bedroom or family room, which ever place I happen to store them until my wife wants them moved somewhere else.  That's gonna change though, I'm building a nice rod rack from wood to stain and varnish for storage on a wall horizontally.  I never leave them in the boat unless it's just overnight to go again the next day.  After each trip I back the drag off to prevent drag lock too. 

The reels always stay on the rods unless I take them off for cleaning and relubing, which is once a year for each. 

It looks like I'm one of the only ones who breaks down my combos between trips, lol. I just started doing this last year, for a couple reasons. One reason is that I currently have more rods than reels, so instead of having set combos I'll put the reels on different rods depending on how I'm planning to fish. A second reason is that the slots on my rod rack are pretty close together, and the rods don't fit too well if they all have reels on them. I have actually had rods fall out of the rod rack because of this. Finally, if I'm driving a long way to fish, like the 4 hour trip to my buddies cottage or my grandparents house, I feel that the reels are better protected better for the trip if they are tucked away safely in their boxes than bouncing around in the car on a rod the whole way. Although I think overall it is better for my rods and reels for me to store them this way, I do sometimes wonder if I'm shortening the life of my reel seats by screwing and unscrewing them more often than most people do.

I wish I didn't have to store my rods haha

I usually support them so there is no lean in a rack or somehow.

reels come off and drag and spool tension backed off cleaned and put back in their boxes.

Then I cry.

http://www.piranharodrack.com

Got a few of those down here a while back when they were dirt cheap at a local show.  Never had a complaint with mine.  Reels stay attached to the rods unless they're getting cleaned.

I just back off the drag so I don't mash the drag washer's, and leave them in the boat (garaged) or put them on our rod racks.

During the season the rods and reels stay together, in a closet that I put I rod rack in. Off season the reels come off, get cleaned and re-lubed and stored in there original packaging and put in a file cabinet until spring.

Always....

Rods standing straight up in rod holders.

Reels in a breakfront.

Lures in drawers.

All in my Man Cave.

Will keep a baitcater and a spinning rig in my car during the summer months along with a tackle box with baits and tackle.

Otherwise, all equipment and baits are in the house.   

As a follow up...Wayne Knabe who repairs rods and reels in the greater Richmond, Virginia area, says to loosen the spool tension knob and back off the drag when storing reels.

As for rods, keep them straight up as best as possible without any tension from line on them.

Just a follow up. 

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It looks like I'm one of the only ones who breaks down my combos between trips, lol. I just started doing this last year, for a couple reasons. One reason is that I currently have more rods than reels, so instead of having set combos I'll put the reels on different rods depending on how I'm planning to fish. A second reason is that the slots on my rod rack are pretty close together, and the rods don't fit too well if they all have reels on them. I have actually had rods fall out of the rod rack because of this. Finally, if I'm driving a long way to fish, like the 4 hour trip to my buddies cottage or my grandparents house, I feel that the reels are better protected better for the trip if they are tucked away safely in their boxes than bouncing around in the car on a rod the whole way. Although I think overall it is better for my rods and reels for me to store them this way, I do sometimes wonder if I'm shortening the life of my reel seats by screwing and unscrewing them more often than most people do.

I'd be wondering about the reel seat life shortening too but I guess it depends on how tightly you crank them down as well.  I have a habit of tightening mine up pretty good, probably more than necessary, but after watching the Classic yesterday and seeing Todd Faircloth's reel fly off his rod on a hookset, I don't think I'm gonna worry about that too much anymore.

Combos stay  together during the season in a vertical rod rack I got at Cabela's.

During the winter, reels are removed from the rods (rods stay in the rack), drags backed off and spool tensions loosened. Reels are stored in cloth bags for the winter.

Tom

Raul, glad to hear I'm not the sickest guy with his gear! Now I can show my wife so she doesn't send me to the asylum any time soon.   

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It looks like I'm one of the only ones who breaks down my combos between trips, lol. I just started doing this last year, for a couple reasons. One reason is that I currently have more rods than reels, so instead of having set combos I'll put the reels on different rods depending on how I'm planning to fish. A second reason is that the slots on my rod rack are pretty close together, and the rods don't fit too well if they all have reels on them. I have actually had rods fall out of the rod rack because of this. Finally, if I'm driving a long way to fish, like the 4 hour trip to my buddies cottage or my grandparents house, I feel that the reels are better protected better for the trip if they are tucked away safely in their boxes than bouncing around in the car on a rod the whole way. Although I think overall it is better for my rods and reels for me to store them this way, I do sometimes wonder if I'm shortening the life of my reel seats by screwing and unscrewing them more often than most people do.

I'd be wondering about the reel seat life shortening too but I guess it depends on how tightly you crank them down as well. I have a habit of tightening mine up pretty good, probably more than necessary, but after watching the Classic yesterday and seeing Todd Faircloth's reel fly off his rod on a hookset, I don't think I'm gonna worry about that too much anymore.

I put a few wraps of teflon tape around my reel feet. I also wrap the threads on the reel seat to take up the clearance between the threads and the seat nut. Since I've been doing this I never have a problem with reels loosening up.

Between trips and during the "hard water" season they hang in my garage. I do remove and service the reels over the winter, which in where they are right now . . . . (bumming)

A-Jay

I fish nearly every day the water is soft. Rods are stored vertically in the "ready" rod rack in the garage, reels mounted, sometimes last bait used is still on the line, ready for the next day. All rods used during a day will have all knots retied before placing back in the rack. No disassembly, no storage, all ready to go.

If it's a "niche" combo that isn't used that frequently, I'll have the bait removed, drag backed-off, reel still mounted on rod and placed in the "reserve" rod racks in the garage.

This is how i do it,  made a rod rack  and a reel cabinet

It is important to relieve the drags every time you store for any significant time, both casting and spinning.  Will help keep them smooth and constant.

Check out this rack:  http://www.cabelas.com/product/Fishing/Rod-Reel-Storage/Fishing-Rod-Racks%7C/pc/104793480/c/104812380/sc/104539680/Cabelas-Solid-Oak-Rod-Racks/737572.uts?destination=%2Fcatalog%2Fbrowse%2Ffishing-rod-reel-storage-fishing-rod-racks%2F_%2FN-1102357%2FNs-CATEGORY_SEQ_104539680%3FWTz_l%3DUnknown%253Bcat104793480%253Bcat104812380&WTz_l=Unknown%3Bcat104793480%3Bcat104812380%3Bcat104539680

That's Cabelas model IK-014350 if you can't cut and paste the link.

You can easily make this yourself-look closely at how it is built, tilted bottom rest, the low dowell in front, and the higher back rest.  It works great keeping the outfits vertical with little force applied anywhere, so no tendency for rods to take a set.  Easy in easy out. Works with combos or rods.

I would not store even the modern graphites horizontally for any length of time, although I have no data to indicate it damages the rods.  I have been told by rod manufacturing reps not to store horizontally.

I only take the reels off in the fall before cleaning and lubing the reels, and cleaning and checking the rods and guides.  I keep my best rods in the house-not in the unheated pole barn, but have some cheap rods that have been stored outside without apparent ill effects.

I tear all my reels down in the fall and throw all the parts in a 5 gallon bucket. Gives me something to do in the spring figuring out what goes to what..... 

J/K

My rods sit on this temporary rod rack (I am in the process of building a custom rod closet with a lock).  All the reels go in their original boxes.  Everything is stored in somewhat of a controlled climate.

Reels are never off rods and all get fished 12 months of the year.  Rods hang from hooks ( very similar to that Pirahna rack which I really like).  Freshwater reels never get rinsed and never serviced, all perform like new.  Saltwater reels usually gets hosed down after each outing.  Lures and terminal tackle for freshwater are a mess on a rack in my garage but I know where every thing is so no problem, all inshore saltwater tackle is in the trunk of my car, my most used stuff.

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This is how i do it, made a rod rack and a reel cabinet

thats looks pretty neat.You need to make me one of those lol but I only have about 5 rods and 4 reels.I need to upgrade one and need a ultra lite combo for light lures for panfish.I just keep my reels on the rods mostly.I have my rods in my bedroom leaning against the wall.I dont know what else to get really.I have 2 spinning reels and 3 baitcasters.I just ordered a baitcaster tw reel cover today.

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