Winch Lubrication
 

Looking around for some information on this topic and came across this:

Lubrication Basics for Wire Ropes

Probably doesn't get any better than "Lubrication Engineers" for advise...

normally you shouldn't worry about the wire cables , they are designed for weather ,

but if you want to , ( i did ) roll out all the cable.. and reel back in , while spraying the cable with WD40 , or silicone spray..

Wire rope may be designed for weather, but it does need maintenance and lubrication.
WD-40 isn't really a good lubricant for wire rope, though it's better than nothing.