WE live in a disposable society. Because of that, we often overlook recycling opportunities that could catch us more fish as well as save lots of money!
Line
Most of us now use braided fishing line over monofilament. However, when replacing mono with braid, many of us simply throw the old line in the bin. This mono is often still in good condition, especially once you strip off the top 50m or so. When you next re-spool a reel, put the old line onto a spare spool and keep it for leader material or as backing. The easiest way to do this is to attach an empty spool via a nut and bolt with some washers to an electric drill. Use the drill to quickly remove the old line.
If your line is simply too old to have any value, once you remove it from the reel, be sure to cut it up into small lengths and dispose of it in a small plastic bag so that it can’t tangle up in any wildlife.
Braided line also has some recycling value, too. Over time, the business end of your braid can become worn and may even have a “fluffy” appearance. Manufacturers reckon that this does not significantly reduce the strength of the material, just the appearance. If you’re concerned by this but don’t want to cut off expensive lengths of braid, try reversing it. You can do this easily by attaching it to a different reel and winding from the old to the new reel. When complete, the back end of the braid will now be the front end. If you want to put it back on the same reel then you will need to remove it from the reel onto an old reel or empty spool; then, to reverse it again, put it onto a secondary spool before winding it back onto the reel. This is pretty involved but, given the cost of braid, can be well worth the effort.
Lures
When using soft plastics it’s common to have your soft plastic start sliding down the shank of the hook. This often happens when a fish either eats your lure or grabs it by the tail and fails to hook up. Snags can also cause the same result. This can be immensely frustrating when you are having success with a particular tail but start running out! Some anglers use super glue to attach the plastic tail to the jig head to reduce the chances of this happening. This isn’t always practical; however, there are a few other things you can do that will prolong the use of your favourite tail. Remove the tail from the hook and use a pair of scissors to snip off a few millimetres of the plastic at the head. How much will depend on the length of the tail you can afford to lose but you can go as much as 5mm in longer tails. By re-inserting the hook you are still using the same entry point but a new exit path for the hook and this will hold the tail in place for a few more fish.
Some tails, but not all, can also be turned up side down. By removing the tail from the hook and replacing it up side down, it too will create a new exit point for the hook, again prolonging the life of your tail. This technique works well on jerkbait style tails. Some curl tails can work up side down too.
Sometimes soft plastic tails cop a hammering from toothy critters and get great gashes along their bodies. This can be a problem if the tear occurs where the hook exits as it prevents the tail from sitting straight. You can “weld” these gashes shut by heating up a knife blade with a cigarette lighter (or similar) until it is very hot. Place the heated blade into the gash for a very brief moment (just until the surface layer of rubber melts) then remove it and hold the two surfaces together. The melted plastic will bond instantly and once cool, which usually takes only a matter of seconds, can be used again.
If you really want to get frugal, don’t throw any tails away no matter how damaged they get. Once you accumulate a bit of a collection you can use the same “welding” technique to create a functional tail from two or more damaged ones. Simply cut them with a razor knife or scissors and discard the damaged section. Match opposing good pieces, heat the two surfaces as described above, and join them together.
Rods
Broken rods are inevitable. If you break a rod and can’t get it repaired under warranty, don’t throw it away. Strip the guides off it and keep them for spares to replace damaged guides on other rods. The butt section of an old, damaged rod can be converted into a tag pole, gaff, landing net or any other implement you can think of. The finer sections of a rod can be used as an insert to repair other rods. This, however, is best left to rod building experts.
Reels
Reels that are no longer of any value can be stripped down and kept for spare parts or sold via the internet or the “For Sale” section of the Fisho website so that other anglers who have the same reel can purchase your broken reel for spares to create a fully functional reel.
The opportunities are endless. It just takes some imagination.
