Cleaning reels

[dan25]

hey guys

over the past years i havent taken much notice of cleaning my reels , over the past few months ive gotten a few new combos and would like to maintain them as well as possible.

i was just wondering if there is good ways of cleaing up your reels after fishing or just to give them a spray of water, i know this may sound like a really stupid question but ive never really taken it into consideration..

Thanks

Dan

[plugga]

When I come back form a day of fishing I spend 1 hour up to 3 hours clean ALL my gear. What I do is take the spool off and wash inside then put it back on and turn the handle really fast so all water goes away. hope this help

PLUGGa

[noname]

tighten up the drag and spray rod and reel with a mist with the hose, give it a good soaking, and simply shake off water, i wouldn't recomend spinning up the spool, and let sit and drip dry in the sun, a drop of oil on the handle and the likes if your worried at all, when totally dry loosen the drag and your done. i then place in rod bags for the next time.

[Leighton]

Mine get the same sponge that the boat gets, a good soapy wash and a hose

I dont bother with fussing with the drags etc or trying to be carefull with them.

A spray with inox and it ready to be used again in the next day or so

[yoyo]

Does anyone use braid conditioner?

[shortie]

after a trip mine get hung up with the others on the wall.

[chaujern]

a good spray of WD40 of moving parts after washing down ...

an added benefit of cleaning reels is that, apparently WD40 acts as fish attractant ...

[shortie]

using WD40 is a contentious issue.

My belief. is it is good as a light slovent. It will degrease any grese that is currently in your reel. It also helps attract dirt sand and other nasties.

Use a good quality reel grease only.

[yoyo]

You should most definitely not use WD40 on your reels...

[shortie]

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[Do$tylz]

wd-40 is good for lures so that they don't rust.... keeps me from changing split rings and trebles so often.

[chris_stewart14]

Yeah WD40 is definately not a go'er for reels.. Get one of those reel lubes that come with the syringe on the end so you can get in all the nooks and cranny's.. I take my reels apart, handles, spools off etc and drop em in a bucket of fresh water - let them have a ten minute soak, shake off the excess water and let them dry in the sun, then I'll put them back together. Every 2 or 3 uses I will give every moving part another going over with the reel lube. Had my reel 1.5 years and still works like the day I bought it.

I also find this to be a good trick with your lures aswell.. If you fill your lure box with fresh water and let it soak after every use (even the lures that didnt get a swim) the hooks dont rust.

[namyau]

plugga wrote:

When I come back form a day of fishing I spend 1 hour up to 3 hours clean ALL my gear. What I do is take the spool off and wash inside then put it back on and turn the handle really fast so all water goes away. hope this help

PLUGGa

shouldnt do that just tighten up the drag - rinse under warm water or dry it then wipe over it with inox. add a bit of greese/oil to the moving parts and thats it

[chris_stewart14]

hey guys, why do you tighten up the drag and then rinse it? I've been loosening it right off and even taking it apart Am I doing something wrong here?

[shortie]

Tighten the drag so that water does not get into the drag washers. IT can help deteriate them.

[namyau]

+1 to what shortie said

[HookedOnTackle]

Tackleguard is specifically engineered for, well obviously tackle. i like to open up the reel housing and give it a quick spray and give it a good turn when back together.

Some reels can handle the drag being kept tight, but you need to know what washers you have in there, it is far easier and less complicated and less risky to loosen up the drag after washing.

Wash down your rods too, they build up salt around the guides and this can corrode and weaken your guides or create a rough surface for stray line to be damaged on.

Most reels come with a diagram and tips on servicing your reel, also it is recommended to take it into a tackle store once a year or before a big trip. A little care now is the best thing and will have your gear in the best condition for years to come.