
Guest post by Grant Spolander
It’s every fisherman’s worst nightmare…
It often starts with a nibble, then a bite, then before you know it fishing line is stripping off your reel faster than you can say “Zzz Zzz Zzz!”
Suddenly, the spool jams, the rod bends under the strain, and the line goes tighter than a guitar string playing ‘The One That Got Away’.
Your mind frantically searches for a solution as the nylon rapidly reaches its breaking point. Then, without warning, the line goes slack. You stare at the ocean in disbelief, then glance down at your reel and sob: “Why? Why now?”.
But let’s face it, you do know why… because maintenance sucks and very few people want to spend their time cleaning and servicing their fishing gear.
The truth is, however, that fishing reel maintenance shouldn’t take more than a minute or two.
Although reels are typically manufactured with grease as their primary lubricant, if you’re a saltwater fisherman, you should be oiling your reel every second or third outing as a form of preventative maintenance.
A total strip down of the reel should only be carried out by a professional, or as per the owner’s manual. That’s when the reel should be thoroughly cleaned, greased, and new gears or bearing fitted if necessary.
Until then, you should be applying oil on a regular basis to keep corrosion at bay, drive out moisture, and to maintain the reel’s operation and performance.
Here’s where and how you should be applying oil…
Start by removing the drag adjustment And the spool Apply a small quantity of oil on the spool’s centre shaft. Add another drop of oil on any internal S/S screws Remove the handle Apply a small quantity of oil to the handle’s threaded section A small drop of oil on the pivot section of the the handle’s knob A small quantity of oil in the main body Remove the cap on the opposite side and squirt some oil in there, too The ‘Bail Arm’ pivot points should also get a small drop of oil Move the ‘Bail Arm” back and forth so the oil seeps in A small drop on the line roller to protect against corrosion Reassemble the reel Squirt some oil on a rag and use it to wipe down the body of the reel