Off-Season Reel Maintenance

Save time and money by performing basic fishing reel maintenance and you’ll be ready for action when the new saltwater fishing season begins.

Before putting away all your equipment for the winter, consider this: Opening season is a few days away. You pull your equipment out of the basement, turn the handle of your favorite reel … and it’s frozen. What now?

Well, you can try to disassemble, clean, and lube it. You may get lucky, and everything comes apart freely, or maybe not. If you’re not so lucky, you can contact the local bait and tackle shop, but they are probably swamped.

Preventative Reel Maintenance

Help me help you. It’s simple. Wash your reels! Every time! As soon as you pull back to the dock or get home from the surf, get the freshwater hose out and wash down your equipment. Get all that salt and sand out because it will quickly destroy your equipment. Salt speeds up the corrosion process tremendously, especially between dissimilar metals like aluminum and stainless steel. Sand is a natural abrasive (think sandblasting). Now, put that sand in the gearbox. It’s not good. Do you ever hear your line screaming as it comes off the reel? All it takes is one grain of sand in the line roller to cause havoc.

There’s no need to use any special product, such as Salt Away. Water works just fine. Never use any water displacement product, either, like WD-40. It will actually break down the grease in the reel and cause it to seep out. You can use CorrosionX to spray your reels because it has waterproof oils in it, though it’s needed only if your reels are stored in a salty environment, such as a boat or shed by the water.

If your equipment was stored properly, the season is approaching, and your reel isn’t due for service, some simple maintenance can help keep the reel going all season.

Step 1: Apply Reel Oil

Pick up some reel oil and put a few drops at the base of the handle knob, on the line roller (if equipped), on the level-wind worm drive (if equipped), and any other moving parts such as the star drag, bail lever, etc. Then, add oil periodically throughout the season.

Some reels come with oil ports. If the reel was serviced within a proper timeframe, it’s not necessary to put oil in the ports. The marine-grade grease inside the reel is just fine.

Step 2: Remove Line

This next suggestion might sound extreme, but it makes sense when you think about it. De-spool all your reels at the end of the season. Mono, braid, flouro, all of it. Any friction tape or backing that’s not epoxied down, remove that, too. What happens is the line holds the salt, sand, and moisture right up against your spool with no escape, so it won’t take long before it starts to corrode. That corrosion breaks down the spool, leaving behind rough, sharp edges that like to cut into your line.

Step 3: Dry Storage and Break Down

Another consideration is storage. Try to store your equipment indoors and in the driest location possible. Avoid storing your stuff on the boat, in a damp shed or basement, and definitely not out in the weather. If you live in a damp or salty environment, consider using a dehumidifier.

Also, break down your rig, separating the rod and reel. Another spot where salt likes to hide is under the reel seat. In fact, when it’s time to put the outfit back together, place a small piece of electrical tape under the reel seat. This will create a moisture barrier between the reel and the rod, which will help keep the dissimilar metals from corroding.

It’s as simple as that—a freshwater washdown and dry storage. Follow these steps and your reels should last a lifetime.

Off-Season Reel Maintenance