Fishing Gear Preparation and Repair

AUGUST 2020

A broken reel or rod often happens at the worst possible time. I have traveled 4 hours to a fishing spot and had someone slam the car door on my fishing rod – UGH! Recently, I was on a boat in Long Island Sound and the bail spring on my reel broken on the 2nd cast. I am sure I am not alone with such bad luck. This article describes the various methods of preparation to minimize issues and options for repair to keep your fishing trips productive.

Preparation Checklist

Check before you go you can do a quick review to minimize on the water issues.

Fishing Rods
- - Guides (eyelets on the rod) – check for bends, cracks or missing ones
  - Rod shaft – check for cracks
  - Does the reel seat tighten properly?
  - Ferrules (joints in mutli-piece rods) are they tight and don’t slip
Reels
- - Does if turn smoothly?
  - Does the drag work?
  - Do all screws and handle seem properly tightened?
  - Does the bail spring and trip work well?
  - Are there any squeaks?
Recovery Kit
- - Bring Spares – an extra rod and reel can save the day
  - Lubricating oil or spray
  - Small screwdriver
  - Small pliers
  - Duct or similar heavy-duty tape
  - “Crazy” glue

DIY Fishing Repairs

It is often simple to repair your own fishing equipment. Start a repair in a clear, clean workspace. Fishing reels have small screws and parts that can be easily lost. Take pictures as you disassemble pieces to assure you know how they go back together. When using lubricants, oils (most moving parts) and grease (internal gears) are required. Products like WD-40 could be useful in a pinch, but are not long term lubricants as oil and grease are. WD-40 is great at cleaning parts and removing water.

For reels, parts lists and schematics can be found online either at manufacturer websites or via Internet searches.

There are YouTube videos for specific brands and models that describe frequent problems and repairs.

Gear Repair Symptoms and Resolutions

[table id=1 /]

Sources for Parts

There are various places where you can buy replacement parts for fishing gear. It is best to find the parts list and schematic for your specific brand and model to assure you get the exact replacement part. If you get the exact part number, it is often easy to do an eBay search and find a cheap replacement. I have found that eBay sellers have parts that the original reel manufacturers have discontinued.

Reel Parts

Rod Parts

Mudhole

Commercial Repairs

If you want a professional repair, most reputable local tackle shops can do repairs and get parts to fix your gear. Basspro and others have online repair shops where you can fishing gear fixed.

I have been maintaining and repairing fishing equipment for 40+ years and have built many types of custom fishing rods. If you have any specific questions or problems, please feel free to reach out and I will try to help.

Please send any constructive feedback or suggestions. You can contact me by email [email protected].

Tight lines … Captain P.