A unique website dedicated to fishing information from Florida's Northern Big Bend. This includes the area from the Econfina River west to the Apalachicola River
It’s the dreaded thing in my fishing life; I don’t mind it but it’s not my favorite…maintenance. I understand it’s a necessity for the longevity of good times.. aka tight lines. But what tricks y’all got? How do you service your reels? How far down do you break them down? What about replacement parts; where do you order them from?
I have a corner in the house filled with setups that are for some reason or not, not in tip top shape. Some have a squeak that I can’t solve. Some reels have a tightness in the handle rotation. And others I haven’t figured out yet. Or maybe I’m not quite that bored with things to catch up on.
What tips do you have for rods? What do you do when the guides adhesive cracks? How do I keep them from fading; can I spray some clear coat?
I’m aware of the Reel repair gentleman, that comes highly recommended. But in an attempt to get some talk going on the forum, I thought we could share some thoughts.
For general maintenance I recommend a good rinse of the rod and reel with fresh water after each trip. Follow this up with an application of a salt removal product, (salt-away, salts-gone, salt-off...etc.) and then a final rinse.
Go ahead and cut your leader or lures off. Crank the handle to spin off as much water as possible. Apply a dedicated reel oil ("reel-x", "clenzoil", Penn, Shimano) to line rollers(spinning reels), handle knobs, bearings that are readily accessible, main shafts, level wind mechanisms. Crank the handle again to work that oil in. For rods, after they are dry, apply some wax to the entire rod including the guides. Car wax and furniture wax are acceptable. Car wax has some UV protectors in them which will help preserve the guide epoxy coatings.
As far as parts go, most manufacturers have parts available. Contact them via customer service email for schematic parts diagrams and parts availability. Sometimes a "Google" search of the manufacturer with the part number (i.e."Shimano part RD17672") will give alternative sources for the part you need.
I hope this spurs some discussion on reel maintenance. I hope some folks will chime in with things that have helped them. If anyone has questions of me, I am happy to talk to you about it.
I never thought of using a wax on the rods. That’s genius. There was a site I’m trying to hunt down that offers everything g you could ever need for reel parts. I’ll post it once found.
I usually get reel parts from the tackle trap but since they have moved I haven't gotten as much from them. Though I do get a bunch of stuff through plats in Japan for daiwas.
I have never thought to apply wax to a rod either, I do seal my cork, do you leave the wax on there and let it come off while fishing the next time?
If you are using a paste wax, apply it like you would on your car or boat. Let it haze, then buff it off. There are some spray waxes available that are spray on/wipe off. The important element of any wax you use is UV protection. Liquid wax can also be applied to the outside of the reel. It will help keep salt from sticking to it.
We are never going to keep our gear free of salt. Anything we can do to reduce the amount of salt getting into or staying on our equipment will go a long way to reduce repair issues.
