Reel Maintenance

[Clem Henry]

Hey Guys,

I have been servicing a lot of gear here (Dubai) as we are now in the off season.

Whilst I am relatively new to popping I have fished most of my life and serviced reels as a hobby for about 20 years. There have been significant changes and improvements regarding design and manufacture of reels over that time however, saltwater will always be a major problem when it comes to the longevity of our equipment.

There are lots of claims from manufactures regarding their proprietary coatings and materials used in the manufacture of their reels - fully sealed - water poof - anti rust/corrosion - all come to mind. Some of these claims are correct and some are not, I think it is important to understand some of the limitations of these claims.

I have a few photos below of a Stella and a Dogfight to show some of these issues and just what saltwater can do..

The first one below is of the Line roller assembly on the Stella, in this case the reel has been wet on a few occasions and not cleaned - the saltwater has dried and salt crystals have built up. If left long enough it will destroy anything. I was able to remove the lock screw but only 50% of the retainer was left and will need to be replaced.



The next 2 photos are of the the roller (external corrosion). I have seen this on a number of occasions and is generally caused by storing the rod/reel with wet line (on the roller) for an extended period.





Washer



Inside the roller assembly




All of the above is avoidable through regular maintenance you can do yourself. There is a lot of debate regarding how to maintain your reel and everyone has there own way - in short, as long as you do the basics you should be fine.

It is reasonable to expect a "new" reel to fish well straight from the box and in most cases this stands to be true. The problem is that we all place different demands on our our gear and in different environments...some reels are fished 3 times a year and some are fished 300 days a year, this ultimately dictates the type of maintenance required to keep your reel in top condition.


The Dogfight below has a great sealing system surrounding the gear case which is "arguably" better than the Stella... however if you look closely at the photos below you will see there are cavities outside of the sealing where salt is staring to build up...this will eventually cause problems if left...





Corrosion staring to get a hold on the rotor...




For those not aware, Alan Tani (www.alantani.com) has a site dedicated to reel maintenance. There is a lot of good information there that might assist you should you be interested. The redesigned Okuma Makira SE includes many of the maintenance initiatives that Alan and Jim have advocated over the years.


All reels will eventually need some level of maintenance, if your not comfortable doing it yourself send it back to the service center...will likely save you money in the long run.


For those with Stella's, don't be afraid to use the service port...as per the photo below this one was starting to get a bit dry (which you could actually feel through the reel)




What I like to do is coat the entire inside of the gear case with a light grease before reassembly (any of the main brands are good)

Stella





Dogfight




As above, even the best reels will require maintenance...if you have any questions or need a hand just let me know.

[Mark Harris]

Good photos and good tips Clem.

The first pic of the Stella line roller looks like it has not been washed properly after use?  It is very easy to avoid that sort of external build up by just basic washing and lubing after each use. Certainly a reel should never be stored with line on the roller.

For the inside build up of salt inside that line roller mechanism, I am not surprised to see that given the dreadful state of the outside! I make a point of working running fresh water into the line roller after every single use, allowing it dry and then spraying Shimano spot oil onto the edge of the roller and working it well into the mechanism.

The external corrosion on the Dogfight rotor is also surely avoidable if the reel is washed properly after each use.  I have used a Dogfight heavily for many years without that sort of problem.

Internal stuff is different and I make a point of having all my reels thoroughly serviced after every 2nd/3rd trip depending on the intensity of the trip.  Costs relatively very little and as you say is very worthwhile.

Much of what you picture can be avoided by simple but thorough washing I think.

[Ed Nicholas]

Just picked up my reel from Clem after he made some upgrades including fabricating certain parts so they could accommodate extra bearings. End result is one super smooth reel punching out some serious drag for a 5k. Man is real/reel genius and super stoked to find such a DON in Dubai. Thanks again Clem

[joe sciberras]

It would be interesting to know how old the reel was .

[Alex Jordan]

Hey Clem - great post!

Would you advocate less is more - I have tended to pack out my Stella's with waterproof bike grease through the service port ... any negatives to that approach?

[Clem Henry]

Hi Alex,

There are various thoughts on this but in short no...(with some exceptions)

Where possible it is wise to use the recommended lubes/oils however, this is not always possible or viable. There are some very good products in the aftermarket category which are very good...TSI, ZPI, ReelX, Super Lube (Synthetic), Cal's, Quantum, Boca Lightning lube, Boca Pre-soak etc etc

In regard to the amount of oil/grease...This really depends on the type of grease/oil you are using, amount of use (fishing) and the time between servicing. If you are using the "port" you wont be able to see inside the reel - this comes down to feel, how easy/difficult is it to turn the handle/rotor?...is the reel noisy?...grinding etc. I would start with a little and go from there...

From memory the Stella (for example) is supplied new with a small bottle of Shimano oil only, no grease. Adding oil is OK, but eventually the oil will start to combine with the grease and it will start to thin it out.

Most people are of the opinion that a reel should be ready to go from the box...and generally they are, however that is on the assumption that they are maintained and serviced regularly (according to use)...is the reel dunked often?...long storage periods?...high salinity...high use etc

The best advice I can offer is to have your reel serviced when "new"... sounds a bit odd, but if this had been done to the reels that I have serviced in the past..more than half would not have had issues and would have lasted longer than they did. This relates to all reels but particularly game/charter reels...these get a thrashing and once the boys set them up they don't like taking them off line until something doesn't work.


Recommendations..


Rinse/wipe off reel at the end of the day (pay attention to the line)
Apply grease to exposed screw heads regularly (including alloy/steel retainers, handle shaft/pinion - hinge)
Apply small amount of oil to external moving parts (side of line roller, bail arms, handle joints, t-bar/knob)
Ensure reel is dry prior to long term storage (service prior to storage - remove line if viable)


Products

Lots of options here, I have had great results with the following

TSI 301 - (penetrating oil/lube), used for seized parts and bearings...great for spool bearings (faster than any other high speed oil I have tried) excellent protection (minimize contact with plastics)

Cal's - comes in 2 options...thick/thin, Mainly used for drag washers but can be used on parts

Hot Sauce - Thin HS oil, great for bait casters..bearings etc

Lightning Lube (Boca) - Light grease, use this mainly on spinners

Super lube (synthetic) - can be used on drag washers (CF) and moving parts..medium/heavy weight (tacky) - can mix down with Super lube oil

Pre-soak (Boca) - good for bringing life back to bearings

Yamaha (blue) - grease, used mainly on conventional reels - medium/heavy weight grease

Lightning oil - HS oil, bearings


As above lots of options and everyone will have their own way of doing things..the key though is "doing it" or at least getting someone else to do it..

If you intend to open up your reel and are a bit unsure, make sure you have at least the schematic and plenty of time to do it. Alan's site has many tutorials (incl pictures) and is a great resource.

[Nick Bowles]

Hi Clem,

Great read and advise, definitely helped me a lot! Look forward to meeting up and sorting out a few reels!

Cheers,
Nick

[Troy Marien]

Good read. The exterior shot of the Stella's line roller is interesting. Must have been stored under pressure for some time/multiple times. That's pretty server. I like the idea of coating the inside shell with a thin layer of grease. I have noticed corrosion on the inside of a few of my older, smaller salt water reels. That could have been avoided if grease was added on top of a good clean.