TackleThief.com - Reel Maintenance Tip- The Between Trip Basics

Reel Maintenance
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The Between Trip Basics - By Al Chirinian

There's nothing worse that having a big fish on and hearing that screeching sound from the bowels of your fishing reel. You know the feeling. You're probably thinking, please, let this reel hold up for just this one fish! That's no fun. You want your reels to be bullet proof and worry-free.

Whether you use your baitcaster for fresh water or saltwater, there are a few simple things you can do between fishing trips to keep your reel reliable for that once in a lifetime trophy fish. Remember your reel is likely the most complicated device you use that is directly involved in catching fish. In spite of that, the manuals that come with most reels are pretty vague when it comes to any kind of servicing, so here are a few basics that I recommend to all my clients:

1. Get the reels out of your boat. Bring them inside a covered shop or in your house after performing the items below.

2. Rinse the outside of your reel in fresh water. Use distilled water if you've got it. The key is to remove any salts that encourage corrosion. Don't use high pressure, just use a good volume of water.

3. Dry the reel off. You can use a water displacement product like WD-40 if you like as well. Go over it with a towel afterwards.

4. Go over the reel carefully and look for nicks on the finish. Plastic won't be harmed by scratches, but aluminum and chrome plated metals that are scratched need help. Use some clear nail polish to fill in scratches.

5. Loosen up your drag during storage. The metal crush washers in the drag stack will thank you for it.

6. Tighten screws. You would be amazed at the number of reels sent to my shop that are coming apart or "blew up" with a fish on that just needed to be tightened. The torque placed on the reel from casting, yarding up fish or cranking up on a snag has a tendency to loosen up those screws.

7. Take care of your levelwind. Shoot a drop or two of oil(not grease) on your levelwind gear. More on lubrication in a future article.

That should do it for the in-between trip basics for baitcasters. I hope you found them helpful. If you need professional help on your reels and need them back quickly, be sure and check out the web site at ReelMeister.com.

Al Chirinian
Al@reelmeister.com