It was a perfect day of surf-fishing -- bluebird sky, light breeze and first bull redfish for several kids. It was inevitable something would go wrong. Sure enough, one of the youngsters neglected to firmly secure his sand spike, and a pricey rod-and-reel took a tumble into the brine.

Instead of giving the tackle last rites, I retrieved it from the sheepish lad and sprayed everything from reel seat to rod tip with one of the biodegradable miracle solutions that removes salt, leaving a residue that protects the rod and reel from the next dunking. The tackle performed flawlessly for the rest of the day. And best of all, I didn't have to worry about disassembling the reel for a total cleaning later that evening.

In my grandfather's era, saltwater tackle maintenance consisted of a freshwater rinse and a coating of heavy petroleum-based spray. He probably spent a fair amount of time cleaning his reels and a fair share of money on replacement parts, as well. Nowadays, we have new weapons in the fight against the harmful effects of moisture and salt. But first, let's learn a bit more about the foe.

Knowing The Natural Enemy
The metals used in fishing tackle and accessories exist in a temporary physical state. At some point -- after several years or several centuries -- they'll revert to the ore from which they were made.

Corrosion is the natural process by which metal returns to its original state. However, corrosion can't take place without a conducting solution, commonly called an electrolyte. Because of its chemical composition, salt water is the king of electrolytes.

The corrosion process causes oxidation on the surface of metals, resulting in the nasty brownish-orange substance we call rust. Once rust starts, several things begin to happen, none of which are good. The metal weakens, friction increases between corroded moving parts, and pieces of oxidized metal break free and lodge in moving parts that aren't corroding, causing them to malfunction.

The best way to defeat corrosion is to defeat the electrolyte -- in our case, salt water. If you replace the salt water with a different solution, you slow corrosion or even stop it in its tracks. Plus, you eliminate the residual salt crystals that cause further damage to moving parts, even those made from corrosion-proof composites.

A Weapon Against Salt
Fresh water, while still an electrolyte, is much less damaging than salt water, but sometimes a freshwater rinse is impractical or impossible. Plus, fresh water won't remove all residual salt. That's why many anglers opt for a salt-removal solution like Salt-X (www.saltx.com) or Salt-Away (www.saltawayproducts.com). These biodegradable, non-toxic and non-hazardous compounds dissolve salt through a chemical reaction and leave a residue that protects the metal.

Manufactured as a concentrate, these liquids are mixed at a prescribed rate with fresh water for a variety of applications ranging from spraying fishing reels to flushing outboard engines. A little goes a long way: A quart of Salt-X makes 16 gallons of product.

These salt-removal solutions can be used on any metal or composite commonly found in fishing and marine applications. Buy a few inexpensive plastic spray bottles from the local garden supply, fill them with diluted concentrate, and keep one on the boat, one in the tackle room and one in your vehicle.