Ever fished on a really cold day and had ice build up on your rod guides?
If you've had this happen to you then you know how frustrating it can be.
Ice build up on rod guides cuts into your fishing time, negatively impacts casting distance and can even fray your fishing line.
Luckily there's an easy way to resolve this problem that many anglers often overlook.
Dip Your Rod Guides In The Water
It's that simple.
The water you're fishing is your best friend for controlling ice build up on rod guides.
A quick dip of your fishing rod where ice is building up is all it takes.
There are a bunch of home remedy solutions out there to help prolong the time it takes for the ice to build up on your rod guides but why not use the water that's right in front of you?
Think about it...
Water freezes at roughly 32° Fahrenheit (F).
If it's cold enough for ice to build up on your rod guides it means you're fishing in air temperatures 32°F and below.
The mere fact that you're fishing indicates that the water temperature is above 32°F or else you wouldn't be fishing at all.
Unless you're fishing from a bridge or elevated bank, chances are you have immediate access to the water.
So, to avoid the build up of ice simply dip a portion of your rod in the water in between retrieves or when retrieving your lure.
By doing this, you periodically expose your rod and rod guides to a slightly warmer water temperature to combat the cold, subfreezing air temperatures that's causing the ice build up in the first place.
The amount of ice build up that you eliminate will surprise you!
A Scientific Explanation
Water exhibits both cohesive and adhesive properties.
Cohesive in the way that water molecules are attracted to other water molecules and adhesive because of water molecules tending to adhere to other objects.
This is why when you get out of a pool you still have water on you.
The adhesive properties of water causes it to cling to your skin, hair, etc.
The same concept applies to water and your fishing line.
It doesn't seem like much but every time you reel in your lure your line is carrying small amounts of water with it.
Most of it falls off but for the water that doesn't it ends up being transferred to your line guides or even to your spool, if it makes it that far.
This is why the line guides on your fishing rod can ice up in subfreezing temperatures.
As you reel in your line you're also reeling in any water that is still adhered to it thanks to the adhesive properties of water.
Since your first few line guides on your rod are the smallest they will either deflect or gather the majority of the water.
Over the course of a few casts or few minutes fishing, this ultimately leads to a build up of ice on your line guides.
Managing The Ice
Management of the ice build up will ultimately depend on water and air temperatures.
If you're fishing late fall or early spring and water temperatures are in the 50's but the air temperature is in the 20's or low 30's you won't need to dip the rod guides near as often, if at all.
However, if you're fishing colder parts of the winter with water temperatures in the low 40's or mid to high 30's and subfreezing air temperatures you may need to dip your rod guides in the water between every or every other cast to prevent ice build up.
As stated above, the goal is to introduce your rod guides to a warmer, above freezing temperature making it harder for the ice the form.
The next time you're out there braving the cold weather and notice ice start to accumulate give this try.
You will be amazed at how much more time you spend fishing while the person at the other end of the bank spends half their day picking ice out of their rod guides.
Time to go catch em'!
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