Reel Maintenance

A well maintained reel will give years of faithful service and the time and cost involved is remarkably small. You should, of course, avoid laying it in the sand, and at the end of the day, do give it a light hose over with fresh water.
Every three or four outings, however, the following quick service will protect and extend the life of your reel.

The most exposed points on your reel are the pivot screws on both sides of the bail arm and the bail roller.These three areas are not only exposed to salt water, they also become encrusted with fish oil, bits of scale and whatever else collects on your fingers during the course of a days fishing.In fact, it never does any harm to spray lubricant here at the end of each outing.

Two other spots that can benefit from regular lubrication without any dismantling are the finger grip on the handle (2) and the anti-reverse switch (3). On some models this may be located under the body.Next, remove the handle assembly and lubricate the bearings/bushes on either side of the reel body and also the handle shaft (1).

The anti-reverse mechanism itself is located under the rotor on most models so it is very important to pay particular attention to this area and treat it with a liberal dose of lubricant.


Next, undo the drag knob by screwing in an anti-clockwise direction, then remove the spool and lubricate the shaft.Finally, a light spray of lubricant applied to the drag washers located on top of the spool (1) will ensure they don't rust or bind up and will remain smooth in operation.