Fly reel care and lubrication

Walter & Group............

One last message before I leave :

From Jim Penrod:-

 

-----Original Message-----
From: james penrod [mailto:penrodtwin@xxxxxxxxxxx]
Sent: Sunday, April 15, 2007 12:57 PM
To: masterstudy@xxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: mundane questions re reel care and line care

Gordy,

   What lubricant do you like for your reels? How often do you lubricate them or recommend lubricating reels.  Any difference between intervals or lubricant for fresh water vs salt water reels?

Is it necessarily to always dry your saltwater fly lines after thoroughly rinsing them with fresh water ( I usually pull them all the way into the backing even if I have not gotten into the backing while fishing and am plannig on fishing again either that day or the next day as opposed to putting the line and rod up for a month or so).

 

Jim

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Jim....

 

Good questions.

 

After a great deal of testing by the guys in my fishing club and the folks at T&R tackle (who have a vast experience with reel maintenance and repair)  as well as Ted Juracsik (who manufactures Billy Pate and Tibor reels, we've come to some conclusions:

 

1.) The best reel grease we've found is LUBRIMATIC, LMX ....RED grease.  They make both black grease and red grease.  The red works much better in the salt environment.

 

2.)  When used in fresh water, most modern quality reels only need cleaning and re-greasing every two or three  years if used hard.  More often if dropped in muddy or silt laden water.

 

3.)  In the salt, these reels should be cleaned and re-greased about once a year.

 

       Billy Pate and Tibor reels do not need to be taken apart and greased at all (according to Ted).  I have several which I've fished for over 10 years and never cleaned the interior or re greased them as I've field tested them, exactly as Ted requested.  I have never had one malfunction.  They have an ingenious oil-impregnated self lubricating bearing system.  One of them was dropped overboard in salt water 16' deep and only retrieved 4 months later.  I used it hard after that and two years later replaced only the brake lining.

 

       Charlton reels have sealed bearing which need no repeated lubrication.  (I don't know if they are still being made.)

 

4.)  I simply wash the reels with fresh water after each day of use.  I do not pull out the fly line when I do this, nor do I wipe them down.  I  do bring them indoors overnight.  (I use Spectra backing which won't absorb water, making it unnecessary to use any real drying methods. The dry air indoors seems to suffice.)

 

5.)  Before winding backing up onto a new reel, I wax the inside of the spool with 3M Ultra Marine Paste Wax # 09030 ( Part number: 051131 ).  I use this on my rod guides and wrappings, too.

 

6.)  Fly lines are another matter, entirely.  Unlike some of my fishing buddies, I do clean them with a soft cloth and ordinary soap and water, then rinse well, dry, and use either 3-M fly line cleaner/lubricant or a fly line cleaner called, GLIDE.  When I use GLIDE, I leave it on overnight in coils on my carpet and then buff it with a clean soft dry cloth the next morning.  I do this on no particular schedule, but when I feel they need it. (Not very scientific).  I go by the line's propensity to tangle or stick.   Prior to a teaching or demo session, I do clean and lube my line.

 

Gordy