Discover Boats

Cleaning your reel is important I’m afraid, if you want it to last, and to continue to perform. And nothing is worse than hooking that big one, only to have problems with your rod or reel. Not to mention it’ll last a lot longer if you clean it once in a while!

You’re reel really only needs cleaning once or twice a year–twice if you’re in salt water often. Reel cleaning is not difficult but you do need to do it right. Let us begin with the tools required:

* one clean towel

* a small screwdriver (typically it’s a Phillips head)

* a small bottle of reel grease, not WD-40 (WD-40 can leave residue which attracts dirt. Use a high quality reel oil and grease)

* some Q-tips

* a few paper towels

First, remove the reel from the rod. Use a couple of paper towels to wipe it off completely.

Next you’ll need to remove the handle of your reel. It is generally removed one of two possible ways. There will either be some sort of screw in the handle, or you simply hold the reel in one hand and turn the handle backwards with your other hand. Set the handle down on a clean towel.

Next, remove the three to five screws that hold the reel together and sit them next to the handle. This then exposes a small “plate” which too should be removed. Place the plate next to the screws.

You should now see inside the reel. Clean any dirt you see in the reel with one of the Q-tips. Next, put a few drops of your reel grease on each of the gears.

Note: More is not necessarily better here! Too much grease will clog everything up. You really only need a tiny bit of reel grease to do the job properly.

To reassemble, simply reverse the above process. Put the plate back into place and screw in the screws. Before reattaching the handle though, add some grease to it as well. Finally, re-install the handle.