In the northwest, clamming and fishing are a way of life for many folks. Even if you don’t make a living on the water, you likely enjoy fishing and clamming because it’s fun and relaxing. Few activities are more enjoyable than spending the day on the water, catching your own dinner! Of course, at the end of the day, storing your clamming and fishing gear is important so that it stays in good condition. To help you with that, the storage experts at Northwest Self Storage put together this list of the best tips and hacks on how to store your clamming and fishing gear. Read on to discover them all, and ensure your gear is ready to go the next time you head out on the water!
Best Tips and Hacks on How to Store Your Clamming and Fishing Gear
1. Before Storage, Rinse Your Clamming & Fishing gear with Fresh Water
There’s no denying that salt water is an extremely corrosive liquid. Since much clamming and fishing in the northwest is done in saltwater, thoroughly rinse your gear with fresh water before storing it. This will remove most of the salt, which, in turn, will prevent corrosion and rust from damaging and destroying your expensive gear. Even if you fish and clam in freshwater, rinsing your gear well before storage is still a good idea.
2. Let Your Gear Dry Thoroughly in the Sun Before Storing It
Even though rinsing your fishing and clamming gear in freshwater is highly recommended, any water can cause corrosion, especially on metal crab traps, fishing reels, rods, and fishing lures. For that reason, letting your gear dry thoroughly before storing it is essential. The best way to do that is to leave everything in the sun for a few hours so that everything dries completely. This is especially true if you’re storing your gear for a few weeks or months because, if not dried, water will have a much better chance of causing damage.
3. Hang Your Crab Traps in Storage
Although hanging your crab traps in storage won’t prevent damage, per se, it’s a great way to increase your storage space. Hanging your crab traps keeps them off the floor and out of your way, opening up more floor space. It also prevents them from getting crushed by other, larger items (or the occasional misstep). Consider purchasing collapsible crab traps, which fold flat for easy storage and take up far less space than non-collapsible crab traps.
4. Store Your Gear in a Dry Area
We’ve already mentioned how important it is to thoroughly dry your crabbing and fishing gear before storing it. Once dry, storing all your gear in a dry area is just as critical. That excludes, for example, your basement, where humidity is often a problem. You can store your gear in your garage, of course, but in the northwest, humidity in winter can be high, and garages can stay pretty damp. Wherever you store your gear, it should be as dry as possible so that moisture can’t ruin it.
5. Use PVC Pipes and a 5-gallon Bucket to Make a Fishing Pole Holder
Using PVC pipe cut to size and a 5-gallon bucket, you can easily make a fishing pole holder that will hold up to a dozen (or more) fishing poles in a small space.
6. Repurpose an Old Dresser for Your Fishing Tackle
If you have an old dresser lying around that isn’t used for anything, storing your fishing tackle inside is a great idea! That’s especially true if the dresser has several smaller drawers where you can organize your gear for different fishing and clamming activities.
7. Use Magnetic Strips to Organize Lures
Magnetic strips, which you can find at most big-box retailers, are great for organizing fishing lures. You can place them practically anywhere in your storage area and organize as many lures as you like quickly and easily.
8. Be Sure to Remove All Bait from Your Crab Traps Before Storing Them
Bait is one of the most important things to use when catching crabs. However, when you store your traps, leftover bait can cause several problems, not the least of which is a foul odor and a big attraction for pests. Therefore, removing all of the bait from your crab traps before storing them is a must.
9. Hang Waders, Life Vests, and Other Gear in Mesh Bags
The beauty of mash bags is the gear you store in them can breathe, stay dry, and stay in good condition while stored. Also, when you hang mesh bags for your gear, you free up more storage space on the floor.
10. Use a Retractable Clothes Line to Dry Your Gear Before Storage
Having a clothesline to dry your fishing gear before storage is very helpful, but it can get in your way when it’s not used. A retractable clothesline, however, lets you hang stuff when needed but get rid of the line when you don’t.
11. Mount a Basket on the Wall to Store Clamming Gear
If you clam a lot, you likely have gloves, small shovels, clam bags, and other gear. To store those well and increase your storage space, you can mount baskets on the wall to store it all. Not only does it get your gear out of your way, but it also allows it to stay dry while stored.
Rent a Storage Unit from Northwest Self Storage to Store Your Clamming and Fishing Gear
Northwest Self Storage offers storage units that are secure and affordable. If you have a lot of clamming or fishing gear, a storage unit is a great choice. It will help you keep all your fishing gear pristine while it’s being stored. Until then, we hope these tips and hacks on how to store your clamming and fishing gear have given you the information you were searching for!