Reel advice for my dad

[Anastasia]

I hope ya'll don't mind a fishing novice asking questions.  I used to fish with my dad constantly but i haven't touched a true rod or reel since i was a teenager.  Now my dad is aging and more to the point too sick to work on his reels.  I tried looking for help from the companies but i really want to learn how to fix some issues on my own.  SO - my questions are:  best place to start learning reel mechanics?  should i send reels to manufacturer to get repaired (*is it worth it*), and how do find better ways to help my dad store his awesome fishing rods?  I appreciate any help at all and please forgive a less than amateur hanging here in the forums.

[kickerfish1]

Welcome to BR!

Where can you learn to service your reels? YouTube has some decent tutorial videos. The one done by Shimano was really good especially if your dad has Shimano reels. If he has the reel schematic that came with the reels that would be great to keep handy for reference.

What if I can't service my reels? You can send them to board sponsor DVT who offers a 10% discount to members here. There are many other guys that service reels too and prices will vary depending on the Reel Tech.

How to store your fishing rods? I would recommend an upright wooden rod wrack. You can find them onlilne or at your local Cabelas or BPS. Just don't bunch them up in the corner of a room hang them on a wall hanger by the tip guide.

[Anastasia]

Yeah, the astounding stable of rods bunched up in various rooms is driving me insane haha.  My dad has his ideas on organization - none of them involve a naming system.

The reels in question are from Mitchell and Shakespeare - which i found out by robotic response is the same company.  I haven't looked into youtube just yet - i wanted to get an idea from other true fishers out there first.... thank you so much for the quick response.  It's a great starting point if i can use my mind properly!

[kickerfish1]

Not a problem. Another thing to keep in mind about having the reels serviced is cost relative to what the reels are worth. Shakespear and Mitchell reels are probably something you can buy for $50 new whether it be online some where or locally. Reel service is on average about $20 a reel. You also have to account for shipping the reel there and back. Lets say you sent in 2 reels at $20 each for reel service plus lets assume shipping is $10 each way. That is $60 to service to reels. For that money you could have probably just bought a new Shakespear or Mitchell. If you can find a local shop that does it for a good price or learn to do it yourself it will be much more cost effective especially for sub $50 reels. If you service them yourself you will need various tools, cleaners, degreasers, and then bearing oil, gear grease, and maybe drag grease. In supplies alone it would be easy to hit $30-50 depending upon what you need to get and the quality of the stuff you buy.

[S. Sass]

If you want to just service them that should be easy enough to do provided you have a little mechanical ability. A few basic hand tools. And a smartphone.

Servicing and rebuilding are different. Just a quick cleaning and lubing to me is a service. Replacing bearings and broken or worn parts that requires a complete disassembly is a much bigger task.

Watch YouTube videos of similar/same reels being serviced. Gather the appropriate tools to do the job. Get a clean place that you can lay out the pieces. Then use your phone to take pictures or video of everything before you take it apart. As you proceed keep taking pictures or video. Now if for any reason you don't know how it goes back you have a reference.

As has been stated some of the reels actual values are hard to justify the expense of a shop. However If the reels are your dad's and sentimental comes into play. If you don't want to risk learning on them I would suggest DVT as well. 

[Delaware Valley Tackle]

you tube is resource but keep in mind each reel is a little different. Have a schematic in front of you and take pics and notes to aid reassembly. 

[Fisher-O-men]

Hate to mention it, but if your Dad is that old and the reels are by those manufacturers, their worth is more sentimental than anything else.  Put them in a case or on a shelf.  The rods are not likely worth much either.  Not trying to be mean, just practical.

["hamma"]

Some things you just cant put a price on, 

  I understand your thoughts of learning to repair them yourself, but me being mechanically inclined I even send mine out as it takes a bit of time to learn the specifics, acquire the proper tools and lubes, and delegate a proper space to actually do the repairs,... you will have many small parts, clips, screws that are easy to loose, you'll have to delegate what gets lubed with which, a grease or oil or graphite. And it takes quite a bit of patience, which I gave up on many years ago, Could have been the fat fingers I have complicating things as well.

  Being a novice I would reccomend DVT for the reels, he did 2 for me recently, and after one day of fishing I already noticed the difference over other shops I used for servicing (Thanks Mike),... In my 50 years of fishing hes so far the best Ive found. Of course these are reels that are over $100  a peice to buy and I feel they were worth the service over replacement

 As for the rods, never stand them up in a corner, even a cheaper berkley  wall type rod rack is a better option, the wooden racks are nicer though and are usually free standing meaning you dont need to have a few feet of open wall space.