Reel Maintenance

[Gottagofishin]

What is the official Shimano recommendation for how to treat our reels after a day fisghing in the salt water?

I have green Curados, new Curados, Citigas, and Chronarchs. At the end of a day of fishing, what should I do to my reels to make sure they are ready for my next trip?

Spray them with fresh water? Spritz them with Reel Magic? Tear them down and do a full cleaning?

I have heard all of the above recommended and denounced. What is the right answer?

[Aggieangler]

See the shimano link in the sticky above for reel maintenance step by step. The baitcaster one was very informative for me.

[Gottagofishin]

See the shimano link in the sticky above for reel maintenance step by step. The baitcaster one was very informative for me.The sticky was the one thread I didn't look at before posting. Thanks.

[Aggieangler]

No problem. I only knew about it because I was bored at work today and read every single thing on the board! :)

[Bantam1]

Follow the steps and you'll be fine.


Here is what I do to my personal reels after each trip in salt water. I lightly rinse the reels with fresh water. I wipe the exterior with a towel. Then open the side plate that allows access to the spool and leave it open to let any excess water drain from the reel. I let it dry out over night and then I remove the spool from the frame. I then take some q-tips with rubbing alcohol and clean the spool lip, spool raceway on the frame and anywhere I see salt deposits. This seems to keep my reels free of any corrosion. I also make sure all the drain holes on the reel are free of obstructions to allow any water that migth enter the reel to exit.

I also tear the reels down after every few trips and inspect and/or service the reel. If the reel becomes submerged then it will need to be torn down that day and cleaned thoroughly to remove any salt deposits.

Here is what I do not recommend:

Soaking the reel in a bucket of water

Taking the reel in the shower with you (Don't laugh I have heard this several times)

Spraying the reel with WD40, Corrosion X or any other kind of oils. The oils will break the grease down from the gears and drag. I have repaired thousands of reels from your area and every reel that has been soaked in WD40 has been ruined. It causes the drag to become "jerky" and premature failure of the gears. It didn't really prevent any corrosion from taking place either...

Cleaning the reel with carb cleaner or Gasoline (obvious)

Submersing in fresh water to "rinse"

I have seen that the humid and salty environment lends itself to corrosion. Try if at all possible to bring the reels into a dry place for storage. I realize the climate can be humid in the summer months, but the reels will not loose the trapped moisture in your area.

Try this and let me know any other things that each of you have been doing :)

[johnyb777]

Bantam, how about the reel/line sprays that are available at Academy, there is one that is made my Penn, I think it is called Reel Magic, and there is another by another brand. Are these just as bad as WD-40 or are they ok to use?
Anthony

[Bantam1]

Just avoid getting the reel magic inside the reel. The reel magic is a silicone based product and it should be OK.

[Gottagofishin]

That's not too different from what I have been doing, but I do admit to occasionally soaking a reel in fresh water and the opening it up to dry.

[texasflyfisher]

I've also rinsed and/or dipped/submersed my reels in a solution of Salt Killer and water thinking that would help but from what I'm reading dipping your reel is a no no.

[BondBroker1]

Dropped my Calcutta in the water last weekend when I was unhooking a redfish and took it apart to the last screw to clean it and noticed that it had a pad in one of the gears that holds grease for the real. my garcia brand grease didn't look like it would work and I bought the shimano grease that has kind of a creamy consistancy. I was told to just put it on that pad and it works its way through all the gears in the real. The guy at the discount tackle shop said that I shouldn't put them in the shower because it just works the gunk into the bearings.

[Life Aquatic]

I’m still experimenting. My current routine back in the dive motel after a day on the water is to lightly mist the reels with a salt terminator. Then wipe down with a damp cloth. I think this will remove most surface deposits including buildup in the corners and hard to reach spots. So far I haven’t noticed any detriment to the reels with this method.

No drenching - I don’t want to drive water into the housing. I avoid any dunking during fishing or cleaning. I think the bearings are by far the most sensitive components to water.

Back at home between trips I will wipe down my reels with a soapy cloth using Dawn liquid for soap. This will provide a means to “lift and separate” the salt from the reel. Then take the handle side plate off for an internal inspection. Any oil or grease is applied sparingly. Just a drop of oil in the right spot is all that is necessary. Too much oil can slow the reel action and rob distance. I’ll reserve lubrication as a separate topic for discussion.

Gauging by the size and fit of the parts Shimano reels are truly designed with precision.

After every few trips I will breakdown the reel for a thorough cleaning. I use lighter fluid as a degreaser. No, I don’t soak the reel in it but will swab individual parts as I remove them with a Q-tip dipped in lighter fluid. I’m interested in what other degreasers 2Coolers use.

The reel cleaning takes place on our kitchen table where I’m subjected to my wife’s wrath during the process. Yes, we do eat dinner with a partially assembled reel on the corner of the table. As I remove parts I keep them in leftover prescription containers. The worst thing that can happen during this stage is for the cat to decide he wants to join in and jumps on the table. Then I end up searching for a micro-sized c-clip on the kitchen floor and hear my wife say in a smart tone, “Sweetie, what are you doing on the floor?”

[SPECtackle]

In addition to "reel magic" @ Academy, they also sell "reel scrubber" which seems similar to lighter fluid / carb cleaner / gasoline. Where is it's use recommended? I use it to "flush" debris (salt, sand etc) off the partically dis-assemballed reel but it appears based on this thread that I don't know ship!

[Mustake]

I spray mine with the water hose while washing the boat, then throw it in the garage. I take it apart and clean it once a year or so. Never had any trouble from it. My son had a non Shimano brand reel that was treated the same way but did not last very long. My old green CU100 is the best hundred bucks I believe I've ever spent!!!

EDIT: I forgot to mention that I always back the drags all the way off...I was told to do this by a guy years ago. I don't know if it does anything or not, but it's now just a habit. Bantam, can you shed some light on this subject? Or should I start another thread?

[Bantam1]

Keep the drag tight while rinsing and back the drags off for storage.

[just yakin]

Hmmmm....sure wish I would have read this post before I sprayed wd40 inside and out of my reels tonight. Is there a cure at this point or just rinse them off and lube them up with shimano oil and grease?

[Bantam1]

Yes strip the reel down and clean everything thouroughly. You can then relubricate the reel. My only concern could be that the drag washer is now ruined. If the drag does not feel smooth after you clean up the reel then it will need to be replaced.

[stew1tx]

The only time I soak mine or anyone else's, and I repeat the only time, is when I am getting ready to tear them down completely and start over from scratch with a complete relube/reel cleaning or rebuild. This will loosen the salt debris but again it will float around into bearings etc.. and they go from sink to bench... Water and oil do not mix remember that folks.... Be very cautios spraying wd40 etc inside the reels as they will tend to break down grease and eat on the drag washer and you don't want to be left holding the bag so to speak when you break off that trophy trout of a lifetime due to a sticky drag...