Wife is hard on her new reel, looks terrible

[throttleplate]

bought wife a new pflueger president reel in april and since she fishes alot from the rocky, boulder, pea gravel bank for panfish and bass where she catches so many and then sets the rod down on the rocks to unhook and rebait the reel gets abused on the outside.

 

I serviced her reel last week oiling it and greasing it and was surprised how beat up it was. I havnt said anything and never will because thats the environment she fishes in and she brings home the panfish and i am not going to put any negative thoughts into her head of her having to change her ways of fishing.

 

Couple weeks ago she caught 46 panfish so thats 46 times for fish alone that the reel was put down onto the rocky shoreline. I will wait and see if any of the damage causes her line to get abused and frayed more likely to happen when she has a big fish on and line breaks off.

 

When she caught all those panfish a bass hit her gulp minnow and she lost it so she picks up my spare setup and puts a texas rig worm on it, tosses it out and catches a bass.

I was watching her from a distance and then went over to her and cringed when i seen my rod was sittin on the rocks so being the good husband i didnt say a thing but did put the spare rig a little bit away from her hoping she wont go get it next time.

 

[MN Fisher]

I'm of the opinion that as long as it doesn't affect the performance - my reels can have all the boat/rock rash they can handle...shows me I actually use it instead of staring at it.

[TnRiver46]

Aw heck that things just getting started. My favorite spinning reel is probably 20 years old. My buddy gave it to me after he found it under the seat of his truck, said it had to have been in there 5-6 years. And his buddy had given it to him. Abu Garcia cardinal, works flawlessly and is beat to a pulp . 
 

also I now see why your wife always catches bigger fish. She’s worried about catching fish and you’re worried about aesthetics 

[STPC]

I’ve never had a reel get marred like that from setting it down on anything. Your wife’s reel looks like it is being dropped on the rocks, not set down. But as long as it’s working I wouldn’t worry about it.

[Mobasser]

I wouldn't worry. If she's having fun and catching lots of fish, that's the important thing.

[Deleted account]

Builds character.

[Bankc]

You've got a wife that not only lets you fish, but enjoys fishing herself?  And she's speeding up the excuse to buy new reels?  All of this sounds a little too good to be true...?

[Tennessee Boy]

The title of this thread is killing me.... that's all I'm gonna say.

[Bubba 460]

 

Talk about rode hard and put away wet... I've never had a reel look that bad and I'm not easy on my fishing gear. Does she drag it to and from the fishing spot?

[ironbjorn]

I used to play trading card games when I was a kid. I was always the friend who was obsessed over "mint condition" and cared more about how my cards looked than actually playing the game. My best friend, in his wisdom, always tried to tell me that how the cards looked didn't matter, but how they played. 

 

A reel is a tool meant to be used. If your reels stay looking like they've been in the box, you're not really doing too much fishing.

[RenzokukenFisher]

How is the pflueger president? I've been looking to get a nice ultralight setup for panfishing and was looking at the president. Would it be a solid reel you think?

[the reel ess]

Maybe show her how to hold the rod under her arm or between her knees when she catches one. Or just buy her another when that one breaks. No biggie.

[Deleted account]

1 hour ago, Tennessee Boy said:

The title of this thread is killing me.... that's all I'm gonna say.

There is a HVAC guy on YT that has a bumper sticker that says

"Your wife is hot, I can help."

[Nelson Wormefeller]

My dad does the same. Just in case it breaks while we are fishing, I keep an extra reel in the car that he doesn't know about. 

[the reel ess]

2 minutes ago, Nelson Wormefeller said:

My dad does the same. Just in case it breaks while we are fishing, I keep an extra reel in the car that he doesn't know about. 

My dad was the biggest cheapskate when it came to fishing equipment. He would buy the cheapest mono in the store and never change it until he was losing fish and baits. I would go behind him and rig his combos up right.

[soflabasser]

I fish rocky places often and I try my best to not let the reel touch the rocks. What I do is put the rod under one arm and use my hands to remove the lure from the fish. This technique is easy to do and will help protect your rod and reel from damage from the rocks.

[GreenPig]

If my wife fished enough to kill a reel a month. I'd order 12 at the first of the year and be happy about it. 

[BassNJake]

Sounds like the wife needs to make an account and start sharing her secrets

[T-Billy]

4 hours ago, MN Fisher said:

I'm of the opinion that as long as it doesn't affect the performance - my reels can have all the boat/rock rash they can handle...shows me I actually use it instead of staring at it.

I'll second that. Cosmetic stuff has never killed any of my reels. Bail springs, thumbar parts, and pinion gears are another story. I don't mind that either. It takes a lot of days on the water to wear out a reel, and when ones done, I get to buy another. All good.

[MickD]

3 hours ago, Tennessee Boy said:

he title of this thread is killing me.... that's all I'm gonna say.

He said the reel looks terrible, not the wife.  

[MickD]

If your wife is a frugal person regarding tackle costs, use that card to impress on her how she may be risking needlessly paying for more tackle.  Show her the difference between her reel and yours, and explain that you'd really like to keep yours looking good as well as working well.

 

Get a small tackle bag for her to carry her "stuff" and suggest she put the rod/reel on it, balanced so the blank doesn't contact the rocks and the rod/reel are on the soft bag.  I think this idea has a lot of promise.  Make it easy for her to do it right.

 

Keep in mind that women have the ultimate control, so there may not be much you can do about it other than keep your rod in your hands and not in hers.  Make sure you want to fight this war before you fight it.  Might not be worth the cost.  But if she is a rational person you should be able to work this out.

 

[WRB]

Dinged and rough surfaces on the spool face damages the line....just look at the frayed braid.

Most folks take of the things, some don’t. 

Tom

[MickD]

2 minutes ago, WRB said:

Dinged and rough surfaces on the spool face damages the line....just at the frayed braid.

Most folks take of the things, some don’t. 

Tom

Good point , Tom, and another opportunity to convince her that she is not only affecting how the rig looks, but how it functions.  Nicking the spool is at some time going to cost her fish, cut line, time not fishing but spent fixing. 

[fin]

5 hours ago, throttleplate said:

 

The bearing inside the line roller (your second picture) needs to be taken out and cleaned and oiled. I just did maintenance on mine that I haven't used much, and I was amazed how much junk was caked on that bearing. It's not sealed very well.

 

You might want to sand the lip on that spool and the bail wire too.

[haggard]

I say you're getting your money's worth out of that reel.