Reel Maintence

[newcreation]

First off let me say that i am very new to bass fishing, so I have about a million questions. I recently bought a used reel BPS tourney cheapy(baitcaster). I oild it with a product called motorkote. i was not sure what all to oil so i just started squirtin it in. the reel worked for about three casts and started to backlash alot. after re spooling it ten times i was about to give up on it. I met a super nice guy on the lake and picked his brain about it and another issue of line twist on my spinning reels. he thought it was just because it was old cheap and wore out. he told me to take the reel off the rod and pitch the reel in the dumpster by the boat ramp and get 1 quality reel and that is exactly what I did. So I have a new Diawa exceler and I need to know the proper way to take care of it. Thanks for and input.

[David301]

Check out youtube. Plenty of videos there that cover this topic.

[bigbassctchr101]

You probably didn't have to toss the other reel. But, there are parts that get grease and parts that get oil. Less is more when applying it. For a general rule of thumb... bearings get oil and gears get grease. Reels use a light viscosity oil that allows for a smooth operation, I do not know Motorkote oil, but if it has the word motor in it, i would be afraid. Quantum Hot Sauce is a big favorite of many but there are a vast amount of lubiricants to be used. One drop is usually enough on bearings.

You would probably benefit by sending a reel off to a reel repair specialist even a new reel can come over lubricated from the factory. But, your new Diawa should work great as it is.

Keep the reel off the ground and store it in a shady dust free environment when possible. Get your brake and tension settings correct. Keep it clean and don't throw it around and it should last a long while. Most guys service their reels about once each season...either before or after the main fishing season. Other guys do it routinely. It will keep the reel in much better mechanical condition if you do this.

As for your line twist on spinning reels, when spooling your line, place the line in a bowl of hot water (not boiling hot, just bath water hot) while you spool your line on the reel. When your done, take the line and walk out the entire distance in your yard. When reeling back in have someone pinch the line at the end of your rod with their fingers or between a wash rag...this will let any twist in the line go out the end and freely spin off.

[tomustang]

A bit more info from you would help out better, like size/type of line you use, type of rod (length/ action), how you are exactly using the baitcaster, tensions/brakes etc

I wouldn't doubt that guy looked into the dumpster after he said that to you and picked it up

[newcreation]

Thanks for all the info. I need to get some oil and grease. I thought i had to oil it all the time. Motor kote is a product that soaks into metal and reduces friction. I guess i may have messed up the brakes as they did not hold the tension on the spool. Thanks again.

You probably didn't have to toss the other reel. But, there are parts that get grease and parts that get oil. Less is more when applying it. For a general rule of thumb... bearings get oil and gears get grease. Reels use a light viscosity oil that allows for a smooth operation, I do not know Motorkote oil, but if it has the word motor in it, i would be afraid. Quantum Hot Sauce is a big favorite of many but there are a vast amount of lubiricants to be used. One drop is usually enough on bearings.

You would probably benefit by sending a reel off to a reel repair specialist even a new reel can come over lubricated from the factory. But, your new Diawa should work great as it is.

Keep the reel off the ground and store it in a shady dust free environment when possible. Get your brake and tension settings correct. Keep it clean and don't throw it around and it should last a long while. Most guys service their reels about once each season...either before or after the main fishing season. Other guys do it routinely. It will keep the reel in much better mechanical condition if you do this.

As for your line twist on spinning reels, when spooling your line, place the line in a bowl of hot water (not boiling hot, just bath water hot) while you spool your line on the reel. When your done, take the line and walk out the entire distance in your yard. When reeling back in have someone pinch the line at the end of your rod with their fingers or between a wash rag...this will let any twist in the line go out the end and freely spin off.

[NBR]

I am long past the youngster age and have bass fished for over 65 years. I am not a fan of spinning gear but there are some places where they are very effective, so I must have 6 or more. Small baits, skipping and drop shotting are examples. I don't have a spinning reel less than 20 years old nor did any of them cost much over $20. I have absolutely no problem with line twist. The reasons for line twist in older reels are: 1,You put it on wrong and started out with twist, 2, You are using a lure that twists, i.e. an in-line spinner or a soft plastic that's not on the hook straight so it spins, 3, You crank while the drag is slipping and 4.The reel has failed. I take care of these issues by: 1,To make sure the line goes on with out twist. I put the line through a few guides, tie it to the spool with an arbor knot, put the spool on the floor with the label up and take a few cranks while applying some tension. Put slack in the line and check for twist. If there is twist flip the spool over and repeat,if no twist fill the spool. 2, I put a good quality swivel on all my in-line spinners. You can put a swivel on the line and retie line to the swivel but when I'm fishing I don't want to take the time, watch the soft plastics for spin. 3.This one I prevent by having the drag very tight with the rod straight up and back reeling or just let the spool and crank windmill when I need to give the fish line. As for number 4,I have never had reel failure cause line twist. I have had parts break, frames broken through abuse, bails get bent, but never line twist because of the reel.

Yep! I have had to take all the hardware off the line and drag the line behind the boat but I am sure I haven't done it for 10 years and it's more likely 20. I take pretty good care of my bait casters but the spinning reels get a wipe off, gears greased and the bail roller oiled on rather rare ocassions.

[Sam]

Do you know how to "balance" your baitcaster to avoid backlashes?

You need to know so let me know via PM and I can send you some suggestions.

Reels can lose some lubrication while in the warehouse and on the shelf.

You need to take your new reels to a profesional reel maintenance person so they can put fresh oil on the pawl and other parts along with fresh greese.

Then have all reels serviced at least ever two years.

[Delaware Valley Tackle]

"Dock talk" can be more harm than good especially if you're really new and can't weed out the BS. No need to throw away that reel. For reliable guidance you can't beat this site. As for lubing reels, in general less is more. Gear teeth get lightly greased with a corrosion resitant lube (Superlube), bearings get one drop of light oil (Yellow Rocket Fuel), sliding parts such as clutch parts get oiled with a corrosion resistant lube (Reel x). Reels should be professionally serviced annually (more or less frequent depending upon use). Keep them off the ground and protected from dust and sand.

[.RM.]

"Dock talk" can be more harm than good especially if you're really new and can't weed out the BS.

No need to throw away that reel.

For reliable guidance you can't beat this site.

As for lubing reels, in general less is more.

Reels should be professionally serviced annually (more or less frequent depending upon use).

Keep them off the ground and protected from dust and sand.

Yea! What he said

Great points........

Tight lines All!