Do you have the winter fishing blues? For guys, such as myself, who don’t ice fish the winter is a long time to go without fishing. Even though we are not fishing there is still plenty to do. First, we should take this time to clean and repair our baitcasting and spinning reels. This could be as simple as adding grease or oil to the gears, or the reel may need bearing or have other warn out parts. Second, organize your tackle. For most fisherman this could be very simple. However, for tournament fisherman this is a process that could take a couple of days depending on how indepth you are willing to get. Remember the more time you spend organizing the less time you have to look for something when you are on the water.
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hey man i have a question for you..
do you clean your reels yourself? or do you guys send them out and have a professional clean them? if you want, shoot me an email at jtmoslak@gmail.com
I’m in the need of a good reel cleaning..
I clean my reels myself. The biggest issues is making sure you get your reel back together correctly. The first time you clean it make sure you really take your time. If you don’t have a schematic of how the reel is put together search Google and you will more then likely find one. That will help you if parts start flying every where, been there done that.
Get some clean rags, rubbing alcohol or a degreaser of some kind, light oil or WD-40, q-tips, tooth picks, and a toothbrush. Take your time and clean all the grease and dirt off everything. Once it’s clean put a little bit of oil on the bearing and gears.
Personally I don’t think it’s worth sending them away to get them cleaned.
You could also get a reel cleaning kit from Bass Pro or Cabela with everything you need in it.
I clean all of my reels myself as well. In the winter I usually have enough time to go through and give the reels a good cleaning. Jon is right a schematic is nice to have while you are putting the reel back together.
Personally, I think that if you have a gun cleanning kit you have everything you need already. I like to clean with Q-tips though. There are many lubricants that are specifically made for fishing reels. I would stick with those because they are designed to deal with water better.
Those reel cleaning kits Jon talked about are nice, and the money you spend on it will save you a bunch of money in the long run.