While there is certainly an avid Winter fishing season, most Northeastern anglers shut down their fishing activities towards the end of the calendar year.  This is the perfect time to perform end of year reel maintenance and inspect your fishing gear so it is fully operational and ready for the Spring season.   Fishing reels are the most complex gear that an angler uses and require maintenance to work at peak performance.

If your reel needs to be repaired you can refer to our article “Fishing Gear Preparation and Repair” for some tips.

Preparing to Maintain your Reel

Anyone can do basic reel maintenance.  You should work in a clear, clean workspace with good lighting.  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.

What do you need?

• Q-tips
• Shop rags
• Reel Oil
• Reel Grease
• Small cup/shot glass– for any solvents or holding small screws
• WD-40 or alcohol – use for wiping away grease and removing grit
• Small screwdrivers both philips and flat head
• Needlenose pliers

Reel Grease vs. Reel Oil

Fishing reel grease and oil each serve important roles in keeping your reel running smoothly and minimizing corrosion.  Both grease and oil lubricate, but oil can reach and fill smaller gaps and tighter areas as it is of liquid consistency.  Grease is thicker and sticks to gears and other parts more effectively.  Some high quality reel oils have lubricating and adherence properties like grease.

When fishing in very cold weather, reel grease can stiffen up and cause the reel to operate sluggishly.  You can use a lighter grease in colder weather or lubricate with oil to assure you will have a smoothly running reel in the Winter.  It is best to reapply grease when you use these reels in the Spring.

It is best to use oil and grease that are made for fishing reels.  They have the proper lubricating, adherence, corrosion, viscocity and water repellent properties that are required.   There is a a lot of marketing hype around the best oil and grease for fishing reels and even “specialized” lubricants that some anglers swear by such as: Cals Grease, CorrosionX, and others.   I have found that the products from the major vendors such as Penn, Quantum and Ardent all are widely available and work quite well.

How to Maintain a Fishing Reel

Inspection and Assessment

There are some basic questions you should consider when you are maintaining your reel as it will dictate how deeply you take the process.  For reels that are heavily used in demanding conditions and have not been services in a while, they need to go through the complete and detailed maintenance process.  For others that are more lightly used, a shorter process and be used.   

How long has it been since the last serviced?

• Last month
• Last year
• I can’t remember…

How hard have you fished with this reel?

• Very often – 10+ days a month.
• Have you used it in Saltwater?
• Has it been subjected to sand or dirt?

How is it working?

• Does the reel spin/turn smoothly?
• Does the drag work smoothly?
• Does the bail spring and trip work well?
• Does the line roller spin properly?
• Does the level wind mechanism function properly?

Light Fishing Reel Maintenance

Fishing reels tend to be quite dependable and don’t require significant maintenance, but over time dirt and debris can get into critical areas and lubricants need to be refreshed.  The light process should take about 20-30 minutes to complete.  A light maintenance routine would involve the following:

• Clean the exterior of the reel and rinse gently with fresh water.
• Remove the spool (unscrew drag) and clean out any grit or dirt with Q-tips
• If the drag has been inconsistent or sticky:
  • You can remove the clip that holds the drag washers.
  • You can use a small screwdriver in the middle of the stack to remove the washers.
  • Take pictures to assure you return the drag stack in the same order you removed it.
  • Use Q-tips and either alcohol or WD40 to remove any grease or oil.
  • You can reapply very light grease to the washers and reassemble the drag
• Clean and lubricate the reel shaft and washers with reel grease.

• Unscrew the reel handle – turn it backwards or unscrew the cap on the opposite side
• Remove the handle and clean any dirt from the handle shaft and the bearings and apply reel oil to these points.

• If the line roller is not spinning when line is pulled out under drag
  • Remove the line roller screw.  Be careful as small washers and bushings can slip out. 
  • Take a picture or take careful mental notes about the sequence of the roller, bearings, and bushings so they can be reinstalled later.
  • Remove all parts and clean with a Q-tip and either alcohol or WD40.  Make sure every bit of grit is removed as this is a very temperamental part of the reel and only works properly if exceptionally clean.
  • Use very light oil on the parts prior to reassembly.
• Re-stack the bushings, washers, etc and screw the roller back together firmly.

Detailed Fishing Reel Maintenance

Here is a great YouTube video on the detailed maintenance for a Penn spinning reel by OregonLife – How I clean my fishing reel and do regular maintenance.  This video shows a complete reel disassembly and lubrication which is only required if you have used the reel very often and in extreme, dirty, saltwater scenarios or haven’t performed regular maintenance in few years.

SUMMARY

I have been maintaining and repairing fishing equipment for quite a while and have even built custom fishing rods.  If you have any specific questions or problems, please feel free to reach out and I will try to help.

Tight lines …  Captain P.