When you’re done fishing for the day, it’s very important to clean all your gear. Partly, it’s just good for your gear to keep it clean, but cleaning your gear also helps keep all your favorite streams healthy. 
 
It’s really important NEVER to carry any plants, animals, or soil (and the tiny animals in the soil we can’t even see) from one stream to another. A lot of the time, animals and plants from one stream just don’t belong in another stream. This means we don’t ever want to move fish or bugs from one place to another, not even for bait. This also means we need to make sure we’re not accidentally moving plants and animals on our gear. So if you clean your gear right away, it will be ready for you the next time you want to go out. Look closely at your boots, waders, and anything else that got wet. Pick off all the plants, bugs, or snails that might be hanging on. Rinse off any mud or soil. Then, set it all out to dry completely—this might take a couple days. Let’s see someone go through cleaning gear . . . [VIDEO COMING]