Storing Fishing Gear in a Car? 2024
keltonz reply :
So, I'm just wondering what effect storing all my gear (rods, reels, baits) in a car 24/7 would be? I imagine it gets pretty hot in there, and that it would soften some of the soft plastics - but would that really damage them? I did notice my Megastrike scent becomes pretty watery when it gets hot... I hope it's not breaking down or anything.
RoLo reply :
27/7?
I would think the overhanging threat of theft would itself be a deterrent.
cgolf reply :
I leave mine in my truck at work, but make sure the Liquid Mayhem is in the shade or goes into work with me. My gear bag is in the shade too, but goes in on super hot days, which in WI there aren't that many. I have been doing this for years. I guess it depends on where you work too as to if you would feel comfortable leaving your gear in your vehicle.
NYWayfarer reply :
I take care off my fishing gear and by doing so I extend the life of my gear.
The extreme temps that can be reached in a trunk in summertime can damage your line, rods and reels over time. If you live in the north, like I do, the cold of winter then the heat of summer extremes will be murder to your gear kept in a car.
Why take the risk? I used to keep a cheap set-up in the car and when I needed it the line was so damaged it was unusable. I had to go home and get something else anyway so it didn't save me a trip
WRB reply :
Heat, cars can get over 130 degrees inside, several fishing tackle item degrade in temps above 105 degrees.
Tom
blckshirt98 reply :
Even if you don't have high temps, UV rays will do damage over time if any of your gear is exposed. I keep a old sweatshirt in my car and after a few months the side exposed to the UV is faded. Anything plastic in particular will become brittle.
kroberts9 reply :
to me it shows lack of pride in your gear. i mean no disrespect at all but if you buy something like a megabass rod or a c0ncept c reel high end equipment and just let it sit in the extream hot/cold to waste away to me is wrong.
my gear is stored in a climate controled area when not in use.
MassYak85 reply :
So much of our fishing equipment has plastic components, at extreme temperatures the properties can be changed, and exposure to UV light can degrade the material. I'll leave rods in my car if I know I'll be fishing the next day. But I don't store them in there long term under any circumstances.
Oregon Native reply :
I remember many many years ago when I was fishing almost everyday and carried an ol eagle claw four piece and a mitchell 300. This outfit saw lots of action and even when I went into the Navy it still served me well even though it took most of my line just to get over the side of the "DE". Hair jigs were my favorite then for all species. Don't remember parking in shade or sun but my guess I parked mostly in shaded areas...I do know I sure fished a lot!!
N Florida Mike reply :
I carry a decent outfit in my work truck tool box but not my best stuff.I dont seem to have any problem.
keltonz reply :
On 3/25/2017 at 11:23 AM, kroberts9 said:to me it shows lack of pride in your gear. i mean no disrespect at all but if you buy something like a megabass rod or a c0ncept c reel high end equipment and just let it sit in the extream hot/cold to waste away to me is wrong.
my gear is stored in a climate controled area when not in use.
Well that's part of the problem. I live in a tiny apartment with nowhere to store my gear inside. I keep all the rods in rod socks, so they're not in direct light, and everything else is in the trunk where no light hits it, so UV isn't the problem... just heat.
So it sounds like the general consensus is find a place for the rods/reels, but the baits are fine?
DogBone_384 reply :
I keep a tackle bag with some Rapalas, Senkos, and Berkley soft baits in the back seat of my truck during the Summer. I keep all my soft baits in their original bags. My two travel rods are in their cases behind the back seat. I've never had a problem with melting or color fading.
Bass_Fishing_Socal reply :
I was plan to leave my 2 pieces spare rod in trunk of my car 24/7 becuz I fish almost everyday but decided against it. The California hot sun can be brutal. I do leave a few setup on my front seat a few days a time but I make sure to leave window down a little bit.
fishwizzard reply :
I guess I am the lone dissenter here who keeps gear in the car all the time. Usually a small duffle bag full of lure and plastics and two to three combos. I change them out depending on the season and what lures/styles have caught my attention at the moment. I also keep a second duffle with my waders and other cold weather fishing gear in there, my wading boots, my hiking boots, a third duffle with a full change of clothing, rain gear, and some heat/cold resistant snacks. There is usually a case of water, a pint of bourbon (hid under my jack), and a case of energy drink mix. Under the drivers seat there is a small bag of common automotive tools and a spare belt. I also keep a growler or two incase I discover a new place that fills them. In the summer I also keep my PFD, break-down paddle, and my water shoes in there too. I have a little RAV-4 and have already had to take one back seat out and I am eyeing the other one for removal.
I have never noticed any issues with my combos or tackle, but everything is out of the sun and covered with packing blankets. I am not too worried about theft as my renter's insurance covers things stolen from my car. I keep it all in there mostly out of laziness, but also because my work schedule is so weird that I like to be able to hit the water whenever I get a free moment without having to go home and load up. I am even looking at buying an old beater minivan so I can keep my kayak loaded up too, sort of a "Fishing Mobile Command Center".
J._Bricker reply :
Keltonz- a lot of interesting thoughts and reasoning on this topic. In my opinion, don't leave anything in your vehicle that you don't mind being stolen...... Continued good fishing, JB
RoLo reply :
That'll be the day when I leave a $500 outfit in my car.
At home and at every motel, I always take all my outfits inside.
Smash & grab isn't just for exposed gear, but also to see what makes that bump in the blanket
Roger
fishwizzard reply :
Oddly enough, when I go on little trips, I always bring my stuff inside at night. Even if insurance will replace it, my trip would still be ruined.
My car, in addition to all my gear, is full of enough other general clutter that it would take a "Where's Waldo" master to be able to pick out anything in specific even with one's nose pressed to the glass. I travel for work about 80% of the time, so when I am home, any day has the potential to turn itn a fishing day.
geo g reply :
I do not like the though of keeping my more expensive rods in a vehicle in the hot Florida sun. The heat is not so great for your line, or plastic lures either. The heat down here is intense during our summer months. I believe it will shorten the lift of your rods for sure.
Raul reply :
Plastic crankbaits can bloat and crack at the seams as the air inside them expands with the heat. Soft plastics specially in those with salt and oil can loose the salt and bloat when hot oil dissolves the salt. Rubber bands in spinnerbaits dry up and crack.
bh91 reply :
My zman plastics usually melt in a hot car and my light colored gy senkos melted a little too
Bankbeater reply :
The only fishing related items I leave in my car are rags, lure retrievers, and an anchor. Everything else gets taken out when I get back from a trip.
Neil McCauley reply :
Really bad idea, and it's not about the plastics to me, I care a lot more about the hooks. The heat greatly accelerates corrosion of hooks, even if they're dry. Oxidation is just electron transfer to the atmosphere and so temperature is a big factor in how fast it happens.
iiTzChunky reply :
If I know I'm going fishing, I'll leave my rod and reel in the back of my truck or maybe the cab if I don't trust people. I noticed last year that any soft plastic worms left in my cab where pretty much useless after 1 fish. So I've been taking those into work with me. Or even keeping them in my lunch box since I'll have ice in it to keep my food cool.
Fishes in trees reply :
I wouldn't ever store fishing gear in my go to work car. I keep enough stuff in my go to work car as it is. I do keep quite a bit of gear stored in my fishing truck locked up & ready to go. Fishing truck stays locked up in the shed connected to the boat, so it doesn't take me long to get ready to go fishing when the opportunity happens.
bigturtle reply :
leaving all your tackle in the car is just asking for stuff to break
seyone reply :
i have kept soft plastics in my car, and for the most part didn't have too many problems. The big exception is with zman, they all melt together.
fishwizzard reply :
On 3/27/2017 at 8:15 AM, seyone said:i have kept soft plastics in my car, and for the most part didn't have too many problems. The big exception is with zman, they all melt together.
This is been my experience too. I discovered this when my well-meaning wife picked up a package for me containing about eight packs of the new TRD tubes. I was out of town for work and she ended up leaving it in her car for about a week. In early August, in Maryland, where it regularly gets in the high 80s to high 90s. The tubes definitely ended up rectangular rather than round, but with a little massaging they still fish just as well as some other ones I picked up at the store a few months later.
I found if I remove a few baits from the pack so they are not crammed in tightly they do perfectly fine. I also always make a conscious effort to park in the shade, even if I have to hoof it bit further to get where I'm going.
Raul reply :
On 3/27/2017 at 8:49 AM, Bunnielab said:
This is been my experience too. I discovered this when my well-meaning wife picked up a package for me containing about eight packs of the new TRD tubes. I was out of town for work and she ended up leaving it in her car for about a week. In early August, in Maryland, where it regularly gets in the high 80s to high 90s. The tubes definitely ended up rectangular rather than round, but with a little massaging they still fish just as well as some other ones I picked up at the store a few months later.
I found if I remove a few baits from the pack so they are not crammed in tightly they do perfectly fine. I also always make a conscious effort to park in the shade, even if I have to hoof it bit further to get where I'm going.
High 90's .......omg ----> 
it gets THAT HOT here in the middle of the winter......
fishwizzard reply :
On 3/27/2017 at 4:20 PM, Raul said:
High 90's .......omg ---->
it gets THAT HOT here in the middle of the winter......
I think this is why there are divergent opinions about keeping stuff in cars. A temp of 100f will make the news around here and even an inch or two of show will cause schools to close. The mid-atlantic is very very temperate most of the time.
TX-Deluxe reply :
You guys think all this stuff is stored in climate controlled distribution warehouses? Lol
RMax reply :
I keep all of my stuff at home in the basement where the temperature fluctuates the least (at least in my house) and remove it if I know that there is a chance at being able to fish.
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