Caring for Your Fishing Reels

Fishing reels are an important piece of your equipment. When you purchase one, you’re making an investment in a favorite pastime and that’s going to require some maintenance. You can’t just leave it in the corner when not in use and expect it to continue performing at peek capacity for years to come. That just won’t happen. Following the tips for caring for your fishing reels below will help ensure a long life for your reel.

Preventing Problems with Your Fishing Reels

The main problem with fishing reels is that you simply can’t clean them in just any old way because of the materials they are made from. For example, if you’re using an aluminum reel it could corrode pretty easily and that’s not what you want. However, titanium is pretty resistant to this problem but the average fisher can’t really afford to purchase that type of high end equipment. Even if you could, there are other parts of the reel that are not quite as resistant.

One way to save yourself from having to deal with this problem is by not putting the reel into water unless it’s absolutely necessary. The more contact with water your reel has the more likely it is to be damaged. That’s especially true if you’re dipping it into saltwater. Additionally, if you’re fishing from a boat you want to protect the reel from any of the spray coming back into the boat. The force of the spray can get the water inside the reel and that’s not good.

Cleaning Your Fishing Reels

After you return home from a fishing excursion, you should always make sure to thoroughly clean your reel. Make sure to only use low pressure water and to remove the spool afterward so you can get rid of any extra water before you put it back together. You definitely don’t want that water sitting around inside your reel. If you’ve gone on a saltwater fishing trip, then you’ll want to be even more thorough. You should take apart the reel, scrub everything with soapy water, rinse it all down, and dry it completely. Only when it is completely dry should you start putting the fishing reels back together. Make sure there are no salt crystals left on any part of the reel because these can be very destructive.

Routine Maintenance for Your Fishing Reels

Fishing reels should be well-maintained obviously. If you do salt water fishing, then this is even more critical because that salt can be so destructive. You’re going to want to spend time about four times a year to really take everything apart on the reel and clean it with hot water. You’ll also want to apply new lubricant to the reel at this time.

Getting Good Fishing Reels

Of course, the best way to ensure that your fishing reels are well taken care of is to pay attention to the maintenance but also to purchase high quality equipment from the beginning at sites like Sea Isle Tackle.