It goes without saying that if you are a serious angler, you understand that proper maintenance of your equipment is essential if you want to have an enjoyable fishing experience. Regardless of whether you have the best spinning reel under 100 dollars or a professional spinning reel that is worth thousands of dollars, you will always need to perform some type of maintenance on your fishing equipment in order for it to continue to function properly.
Oiling is the most important maintenance task that needs to be performed on any fishing reel. This increases the lifespan of the reel, and fortunately, it can be done by any angler almost anywhere, without the need for specialized tools or equipment to accomplish it. In this article, we’ll walk you through the process step by step and show you exactly what you need to do in order to clean and oil your fishing reel at your own convenience and convenience.
In order to avoid any difficulties when catching those large fish, it is a good idea to maintain the condition of your fishing reel on a regular basis. Oiling and cleaning operations are quick and easy, and they result in many memorable fishing experiences for the angler.
Table of Contents
Preparing the materials
You have a variety of options for lubricating or greasing a fishing reel at your disposal. You must, however, prepare all of the materials you will use in advance so that you do not have to get up and look for them in the middle of an operation while your hands are still sticky from the grease.
As well as bringing your reel, you’ll need to bring reel oil, paper towels or alternatively some rags, isopropyl alcohol, and cotton swabs for more delicate cleaning. Because you do not need these last two items to oil the spinning reel, they are not required. However, by using them, you can make the oiling process more effective.
When performing this maintenance work, exercise extreme caution in selecting the chemicals you use. Some individuals may choose to use gasoline. This, however, is a serious error, and you should never use gasoline to clean your reel because it has the potential to melt the plastic components inside. When cleaning the reel, make every effort to use biodegradable products or, as previously mentioned, isopropyl alcohol.
An additional item to avoid when cleaning the inside of a fishing reel is the use of degreasers. This can result in significant wear and tear on the internal mechanisms.
Removing and cleaning the spool assembly
After you’ve gathered all of your materials, the next step is to remove the spool assembly from the machine. This can be accomplished by turning the knob on it in the opposite direction of the clock. Alternatively, if the reel is designed with a rear drag, you can simply push a button to detach the entire assembly, which will detach the spool.
Given the ability to examine the components from a variety of perspectives, you can examine them for signs of visible wear and tear. It is possible to clean the fishing reel after you have looked through it if there is nothing that stands out in particular. Use cotton swabs that have been soaked in a small amount of isopropyl alcohol to achieve this result. Don’t forget not to use any harmful substances that could cause damage to the reel!
In this case, rubbing alcohol is an excellent cleaning product to use. By cleaning the assembly before oiling it, you will be able to ensure that the reel is lubricated to its maximum efficiency. When rubbing away the dirt and dried old lubricant with the cotton swabs, make sure to get into all of the nooks and crannies possible.
Oiling the reel
The application of the oil would be the next step. You should always oil everything that moves inside the spool assembly, regardless of how small the movement may be. The line roller assembly, the maintenance port, the bail arm, and the drive gear bearings are the components that make up this assembly. Certain types of fishing reels may have more areas that require oiling than others, but it all depends on what you have.
To physically apply the oil, you can either let it drip directly from the container or use a clean cotton swab to gently rub it around the moving parts. If you want to save time, you can use a clean cotton swab to gently rub the oil around the moving parts. Because the spool assembly is not particularly large, one or two drops of oil per component should be sufficient to ensure smooth reel operation.
Please keep in mind that if you leave moving parts unlubricated for an extended period of time, they will most likely rust and become damaged by the friction force, leading to their eventual failure. Following the lubrication, all operations involving the spinning reel must be performed smoothly.
Cleaning and lubricating a fishing reel is a relatively simple task that does not necessitate extensive mechanical or engineering knowledge to complete on your own. It’s only necessary to understand how to disassemble the spool and to keep track of the steps so that you can reassemble it later. Aside from that, there are numerous online video tutorials that will walk you through the process.
This process of dismantling the fishing reel can actually provide you with satisfaction, not to mention the fact that you are saving money by not having to take the fishing reel to a sports equipment service. Don’t be afraid to fiddle with the internal components because they are much more difficult to damage than you might expect.
However, if you are not 100 percent confident in your abilities and are hesitant to disassemble your spinning reel on your own, you can always call a friend who is more experienced than you, or you can hire professional services to do the job for you for a fee of some sort.
Conclusion
If you simply follow the steps outlined above, you will be pleasantly surprised at how simple this maintenance task can be. Once you have completed it the first time, you will not require written instructions for the second time. To summarize, you must first gather all of the materials and supplies that you will need for cleaning and lubricating the reel. Always keep in mind to stay away from gasoline and any type of degreaser.
All you’ll need is some reel oil, some isopropyl alcohol, and a few cotton swabs or paper towels to complete the task. Once you have removed the spool assembly by pulling on the drag knob, you can begin cleaning the visible surfaces with the alcohol after conducting a quick visual inspection of it. After that, simply apply one or two drops of oil to the moving parts of the spinning reel before reassembling the device.