Fishing tackle that’s used consistently requires periodic examinations, service and occasional repairs. That’s about as simple and straight-forward as it can be said.
Tackle available to the average angler today is some of the best ever made, but it’s still machinery and requires basic care and preventive maintenance. If not, it’ll break at some point — period.
The worst part is tackle never seems to break when it doesn’t matter. Machinery usually only breaks when under a strain. With fishing tackle that usually means when a really big fish is at the end of your line.
Some anglers trust chance; some have rods and reels cleaned and serviced at their favorite tackle shop; some send their reels back to the factory warranty/service center each winter. A few decide either they have enough mechanical knowledge to service their own equipment or they want to learn about it so they can repair broken elements.
My recommendation is to become an angler who services his own fishing equipment. When you take care of your tackle, you’ll know if you’ve taken any shortcuts to save time or money.
Tackle owners who don’t trust their own skills as repairmen must decide if a service technician does an excellent or marginal job. If it’s the latter, the first thing the angler should do is find another expert.
Hooks, leader connections, lines and rod and reels are the only connections to a potential state or world record, tournament-winning or trophy fish. Anglers owe it to themselves to be sure tackle components and other equipment are in working order.
During February, when cold weather and lockjawed fish make on-the-water excursions problematic, it’s a good time to prepare equipment for the approaching season. Anglers can relax, work inside where it’s warm and use cold weather as the reason to service tackle instead of honey-dos.
Pete Allred was an excellent fisherman and ran a well-stocked and informative tackle shop (Pete’s Tackle at Arendell Street) in Morehead City. But he was best known as a superb repairer and servicer of saltwater reels.
He always reminded me to maintain my equipment properly. Most Morehead City and Atlantic Beach charter captains also remember his advice. He took care of most of their equipment and scolded them when they let remiss in timely checkups or repairs or abused their tackle.
Allred convinced me to service my equipment, and now I do it religiously. If something breaks, I know who’s to blame.
Most anglers, unfortunately, tend to be on the lax side when it comes to maintaining equipment. The problem begins when they use a new reel without proper lubrication and continue everyday use.
Allred told anyone who’d listen that all reels are shipped with a minimum of grease so they’d be smooth for in-store demonstrations but wouldn’t stain shipping boxes or packaging. He was serious enough to add grease to each reel he sold.
Taking care of rods and reels begins with properly washing them. Most anglers mean well when they wash their equipment but often think high-water pressure will blast off gunk, similar to cleaning a boat deck. Unfortunately, high-pressure water is exactly wrong for cleaning reels. High water pressure in a direct spray forces water, salt, grit and other unwanted crud inside reels.
The proper way is to use low water pressure, a misty spray. The correct use of water is for wetting and rinsing reels. A soft rag or cleaning mitt and a mild salt-removing soap will clean reels properly.
While frequent and proper cleaning is important, reels still need regular servicing. For the average angler, once a year is probably enough for a thorough inside cleaning and servicing. If you use your equipment on a daily or almost-daily basis or subject it to extreme stress, then it requires internal cleaning and servicing more frequently. Waiting too long between servicings flirts with disaster.
Anglers who aren’t mechanically challenged should be able to clean and service reels and rods. Reels have a few complex assemblies and a few special tools are needed, but all reels come with an exploded parts list that’s helpful for taking apart and reassembly.
First, remove line and thoroughly clean the exterior of the reel. Monofilament line is fairly inexpensive and should be changed regularly (at least annually). Most of the newer superbraids have a longer life and may be stored on an empty line spool and re-spooled after cleaning and servicing.
But many times salt works its way past the line and corrodes the spool if it isn’t removed in a timely manner. The only way to be sure is to remove the line then clean the reel.
But never use gasoline to clean reels. On the exterior of reels, fittings and parts can be irreparably damaged by harsh solvents, including gasoline. But kerosene works well as an all-purpose reel solvent. It has an oil base and can be used at the inside and outside of a reel.
Second, open the reel. Most conventional reels open by removing the handle side plate and most spinning reels have a side plate that removes for internal access. Most star-drag baitcasting reels are pretty close in design. The spool is on a shaft and turned by gears connected to the handle. The drag washers act as a clutch and allow controlled slippage.
Once open, all the goop and gunk must be cleaned out of a reel. Remove the spool and loose parts then clean. An accumulation of goop could hide a problem. so be sure to remove all goop and examine all parts for wear and/or corrosion. A mild solvent, such as kerosene, some elbow grease and a fine grit emery cloth or extra-fine steel wool should allow an angler to clean parts without scoring or scratching them.
Pay special attention to springs inside conventional reels. Most conventional reels have one or a pair of springs that keep the anti-reverse mechanism working. The other spring that all conventional reels have is the freespool spring. This spring, which disengages the spool from the drag mechanism, must be cleaned at the proper tension and functioning in order to cast the reel.
Generally, the drag systems of conventional reels use several alternating fiber and metal drag washers. While there may be some corrosion on the metal drag washers, it usually cleans off easily. Unless bad corrosion or severe wear is visible, clean the metal drag washers and replace the fiber ones. For most reels, the cost of a full set of fiber drag washers is minimal.
Lever-drag reels are usually durable but have a few idiosyncrasies. Be careful washing lever drag reels and keep the reel in gear. Even with a light spray, washing a lever drag reel in freespool can let water get around the edge of the spool and into the reel. Many parts, especially the metal-drive plate, can rust and/or pit after exposure to water.
If pitting or corrosion is visible on the drive plate, polish it to prevent the rust and/or pitting from returning. Six-hundred grit emery cloth works well.
With lever-drag reels, also check and clean the tensioning spring in the pre-set knob assembly. This spring requires proper tension to prevent the preset drag from changing.
If a part seems worn, it’s best to replace. A a part pronounced “good enough” rarely is.
Once the reel has been cleaned and inspected, the next step is to lubricate each moving part (except the drag washers) before reassembling. Two spinning reel components often overlooked that cause problems are the bearing under the line roller and the bail spring. Corrosion and lack of lubrication are almost always the culprits if they fail.
A good lubricant for fishing reels is one of the lighter white waterproof Teflon varieties. They lubricate and protect without gooping up interior and exterior parts. Heavier lubricants can cling to shafts, bearings and gears so well they hamper a reel’s casting ability. For larger trolling reels that’s not a problem but certainly isn’t needed for a casting outfit.
Allred recommended Slick 50 grease. A few years ago engineers from Penn Reels teamed with the engineers at X-1R Products of Daytona Beach to produce a line of lubricants designed expressly for fishing reels in the saltwater environment.
With a thorough cleaning after each use, especially after saltwater use, and a regular cleaning and preventive maintenance program, fishing reels should last for years. Problems will occur occasionally and anglers may be able to diagnose and quickly repair them if they learn do-it-yourself service and repair.
Rods are a little simpler. They also need to be washed and lubricated, especially the ones with roller guides. A light solvent such as kerosene is good for cleaning rollers and guides.
Emery cloth will polish out light corrosion, but anything serious defects will require replacing a damaged roller. While cleaning and lubricating the rollers, also clean and lubricate the reel seat. If it’s a multi-piece or removable butt rod, also clean and lubricate the ferrule.
A visual inspection should reveal major cracks in a rod’s flex coating, guides or inserts. Rubbing a cotton ball over a rod and the guides usually will detect small cracks or chafes (cotton snags on rough surfaces and leaves a tell-tale strand).
If a crack is found in the flex coat, it can be sanded lightly and patched by dabbing a drop on the area. If a crack is found in one of the guides or inserts, it must be replaced, a task for an experienced guide-wrapper. Wrapping guides too loosely will allow them to slip, while wrapping too tightly can restrict ability to flex and create a potential breaking point in the rod blank.
Check and maintain rods and reels at least once annually. Service heavily-used tackle more often.
If you check and repair your own equipment regularly, you’ll have one less worry when you hook that fish of a lifetime.
Be the first to comment