Should I be rinsing my reels off after use?

[WestOzDesertFisher]

Yesterday, as always, I lightly rinsed off a couple of my reels - one Shimano and one Daiwa with fresh water after a bit of use and thought it would be a good idea to give ‘em a proper clean on the inside as well. On inspection of both reels I found some of the fresh water had found its way inside of the spools (this can’t be good?), creating a milky liquid under the drag knob of the Daiwa (fresh water mixed with some of the reel grease?). I thought what the hell? I tighten all of the drags right up when I rinse them so how could it of gotten like this? It made me think - should I be rinsing my reels off after use? Since I started fishing I’ve always rinsed my reels off after a bit of use and have never noticed this before - although I’ve never serviced my reels directly after being rinsed which is probably why.


Look forward to some opinions.

[Platitudinus]

Hi Westoz
I have fished around the world -fresh, salt and brackish water for 50 years. I have learnt the hard way that ALL reels will corrode, lines will deteriorate if not kept clean, and reels do need maintaining with oil/grease regularly. I fish mainly
light tackle for large fish so need to have very reliable gear.

About 15 years ago I forgot to rinse my Penn and Mitchell reels off after salt water fishing and a month later they were so corroded I had to chuck them out. Humidity, dampness, undried lines etc combined with warm air are a potential corrosion guarantee.

I now fully immerse all reels used in a days fishing (loaded with braid or mono) into a sink full of medium to hot water with a small amount of washing up liquid. I then carefully dry them off the next morning or a few hours later. After every 10 or so trips I open the reels, reoil and grease them and check for wear and tear. After the first drop/cast of the day any remaining soap has been removed and by using a new leader the fish are probably none the wiser anyway.

I have not had any problems now in 15 years and my gear still looks pretty new and is fully functional. I would recommend you stick to main brand rods and reels as spare parts can usually be obtained if gears, washers and springs need replacing.
Good luck
Plato

[nigelr]

Great reply plato.
West oz, at least a very good rinse in warm water.
Cheers.

[Kleyny]

When i come home my wife makes me have a shower and my rods come with me.

She thinks I'm made but i find it the easieast way to desalt them.
After they sun dry i give them a quick spray with inox and store them for the next time.

neil

[alantani]

Questions about general reel maintenance are the most common questions I get. After all, you’ve just spent $50 to $500 on a brand new reel and you’d like to keep it looking like new. You’d also like to keep it WORKING like new. Think of the dozens of reels in your lifetime that have died and gone to reel heaven. Now you’re buying a new reel to replace an old one and you want THIS one to be different. That’s the way it works, isn’t it.

Maintaining the outside is a simple matter. Try not to drag it around on the deck, rinse it with fresh water at the end of the day, dry it with a towel, and maybe even wipe it down with a little bit of light oil. The problem is the inside. Do you use a lot of water or just a little? What about Salt Away? Should you back of the star or leave it buttoned down? Should you leave the lever in the strike position or free? How do I keep this reel from seizing up like the last one did?

Personally, I only use star drag reels for local fishing. Northern California saltwater fishing is pretty light duty most of the time. After a long day on the water we’ll get home, I’ll hand off the rods and reels to the kids and turn them loose with a water hose. If I’m lucky, they might even get around to actually drying everything. Just as often as not, the rods and reels are stowed in the garage, dripping wet, with some of the drags buttoned down and others loose. The next week, we’ll load everything up on the boat, go fish and usually not have a single problem with our tackle. Most guys will run into problems with a lax maintenance schedule like this. We will do fine because the reels had been serviced when they were brand new.

The most important thing you can do to maintain your reel is to service it when it is brand new. The mantra is greased carbon fiber drag washers, spool bearings that are open and lightly lubed, level wind assemblies that are lightly lubed, non-spool bearings that are packed with grease, grease on all the screws and a light coat of grease on all the non-exposed surfaces. Do a thorough job the first time and your reel should last for years. Done properly, the only things in your reel that should remain at risk are the spool bearings. If you pack the spool bearings with grease, they will never rust, but you won’t be able to cast either. If you lube them and leave them, they will eventually rust. The best maintenance schedule, then, is to thoroughly service your reel first. After every fishing trip, rinse your reel with fresh water and dry it with a towel or compressed air. Finally, lube the bearings and the level wind assembly with a light oil. Stick with this schedule and your reel should last for years.

[revs57]

the short answer WODF is yes, rinse your precious

then hit them with a water disperser - inox will not hurt your line either and acts like a braid conditioner

Follow the instructions above and your precious will last you well and catch many fish over a long period.

One tip from me - I usually wind the drags up before hitting them with a cold spray followed by a warm rinse and coat of water dispersant.

I then back the drags off when they have dried out the next day

Cheers

Rhys

[WestOzDesertFisher]

Thanks guys.

Steering away from the topic a little - I've got some general purpose reel lubricant and was wondering where and where not to apply it in my reels.

Thanks in advance for any help.

[reidy]

I tend to wipe down with a warm wet rag rather than rinsing as water can enter the reel under pressure eg tap pressure esp. around the drag stack and from under the spool.Then a quick spray with inox and shes good for next time.
Chers
Reidy

[tailorboi99]

WestOZ, I always rinse my reels and rods off after every trip. Once dry, I loosen the drags and spray mainly every part that are accessible quite easily down with WD-40, this method hasn't given me any problems as of yet (Touchwood).


Plato

Very informative reply, nice effort. Just a few questions from me, how long do you leave your reels in the mixture of both warm water and washing liquid? Also does it matter what type of washing liquid, for example a lavender one etc... Don't really want my gear smelling like that! Going to try this method very soon ;D

Cheers Tom

[Tim_N]

What about the fresh water spary off, then a trigger gun application of SaltEx, air dry for a while, then a towel off?
I know you cannot use saltEx on Magnesium reels, but I don't have any of those, so am I wasting my time????
Tim

[3Gang Hooker]

I always rinse my reels every trip. Use a hand held spray bottle on mist spray filled with warm water and small amount of dish washing liquid. You only need to desolve the salt build up on the outer reel surface. This will revent any water penitrating the internals. Then I tap the rod butt on the ground to remove excess water, lightly spray with WD40 and wop dry with a towel. I get each reel serviced by my local tackle shop once a year. This will give you trouble free fishing for many years.

[jayvee]

WEST OZ- Daiwa service department advise NOT to wash reels down with pressured water (with hoses or taps) as it can force salt/sand and other foriegn objects inside of the reel itself. they say simply wipe down with a rag dipped in warm soapy water. i would also advise not to spray your reels over with WD-40.2 of my mates have had spin reels start to run very rough and the reel repair guy at there local said it was from the WD getting in,yes it gets rid of water but can also cause oils and grease to break down aswell.Inox is a far better and reccomend'd option.
JAYVEE

[JB]

A light spray of cold water from the hose and a quick spray of inox.. all my reels ever get (more time fishin less time cleanin up i say). Only ever had to replace a bearing in my tss4 but that thing copped a thrashing.

Jas