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…

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