Spinning Reel Maintenance (Detailed Guide)

UPDATED 12 Nov 2021

by Robert Ceran

If you maintain a loftier quality spinning reel properly, information technology can role reliably for decades.

On the other hand, if you're one of the anglers who don't perform maintenance, fifty-fifty the all-time model will eventually start to perform poorly. This can crusade malfunction at a critical time, causing y'all to lose the fish of a lifetime.

The all-time way to avoid this situation is by taking care of your spinning reels regularly, and maintaining them with the right tools and correct lubricant. If you arrive the addiction of doing this regularly, then your equipment won't let you lot downwards when it counts.

In this guide we'll walk y'all through the primal steps of how to maintain your spinning reel for optimum functioning.

Basic spinning reel maintenance tips

You should aim to perform bones maintenance on your spinning reel at least in one case a calendar week (if you lot're fishing in freshwater), or after every 2d angling trip (if you're fishing in saltwater). But in either case, cleaning up your tackle volition become straightforward one time you lot become into the addiction of it.

Here are some general tips for maintaining your reels:

Respool your spinning reel regularly: depending on what kind of line you lot use and how oftentimes you fish, you should respool as often as one time a month (for more than details on this, bank check out our article on when should you respool your fishing reel?).

Get a spray bottle to clean the exterior: if your reel gets muddied (or exposed to common salt water), a smashing way to clean the exterior parts is past gently spraying it with a mist of water, and and then wiping it off with a soft cloth. But make certain the h2o you spray on is a fine mist, and non a strong jet, every bit that can force clay and salt into the interior of your reel.

Loosen the elevate after every fishing trip: this takes the pressure level off the drag washers, which will increase their longevity. It also helps to avert the drag mechanism getting stuck on a tight setting, which is really abrasive when y'all want to loosen it while y'all're fishing.

See also: the most mutual spinning reel problems, and how to fix them

Make sure all the screws are tight: a loose screw that falls out can cause major bug while yous're fighting a fish. As well, some spinning reels have a handle that tin exist screwed on or off, and yous want to brand sure that it is tightly screwed in (unless you fold the handle for storage).

Store your reel abroad from sunlight: wrap your reel in a cloth or an old sock, and store it in a place protected from sunlight.

See besides: what y'all demand to know about using braided line on a spinning reel

Don't take apart your reel completely: while it's tempting to open up upwards your spinning reel and have it autonomously completely, that's usually not a good thought, considering it can be difficult to put information technology back together again (especially if you've never washed information technology before). But if yous really do need to take information technology apart, make sure y'all've got the schematics at hand, to aid yous put it back together correctly. One useful play a trick on is to set down the parts in exactly the order that yous take them out, then you can use the reverse order to put them dorsum together.

Below we'll discuss some of the spinning reel parts that yous can hands have apart for cleaning, and put them back together once more rapidly. These include the spool, handle, and bail arm, which should be included in a basic cleaning.

Now let'due south talk about how to make clean and lubricate your spinning reel properly.

How practise y'all clean a spinning reel?

Here is a pace by stride guide of how to do a basic cleaning of a spinning reel:

  • Spray your reel with a mist of water, and wipe off whatever dirt and salt deposits on the surface with a paper towel or a soft textile.
  • Screw off the cap on acme of the spool, and remove the spool from the shaft.
  • Remove any sand, clay, or droppings from the inside and the top of the spool, and the drag washers inside the cap.
  • Add a few drops of oil to the base of the spool shaft, and turn the handle to move the shaft up and down to distribute the oil evenly.
  • Put the spool back on the shaft and spiral the cap on once again.
  • Remove the handle, and wipe off whatsoever sand or dirt from the dissimilar parts.
  • Add a drop of oil to the function of the handle that inserts into the body (to prevent it from getting stuck).
  • Unscrew the bail arm from the rotor, and remove the bond roller.
  • Examine the roller guide for dirt or damage, and clean it with a Q-tip dipped in Clenzoil.
  • Reassemble the bond arm and the handle, and wipe the whole frame with a fabric sprayed with Clenzoil.

While this is not a deep cleaning, it'due south good enough for basic maintenance of your spinning reel. We've constitute that taking apart your entire reel is rarely necessary, and this basic procedure will keep information technology running smoothly for years.

What can you lot apply to clean your spinning reel?

It's important to make sure y'all're using the correct oil, grease, and lubricants, since using the wrong ones can create new problems, instead of fixing them. The easiest way to do this is past using a spinning reel maintenance kit specifically designed for this purpose. Most reel manufacturers provide these kits, and you can get one from the same brand as the model you're using.

The most of import parts of the kit are the right oil for lubricating the brawl bearings, reel shaft, and handle, as well as the correct grease for the gears. Once you're more familiar with all the components, you can put a kit together yourself.

In improver to the maintenance kit, use these bones tools:

  • Q-tips
  • Soft cloth
  • Newspaper towel
  • Soapy water
  • Small flat caput screwdriver
  • Small Phillips head screwdriver
  • Soft toothbrush

Finally, use Clenzoil to wipe the exterior of your reel, which helps to clean it and adds a protective motion-picture show to the surface.

Can you use WD40 on spinning reels?

Yous shouldn't use WD40 on a fishing reel, since it acts equally a degreaser that breaks down oil, grease and lubricants. If some WD-40 gets inside the reel trunk, that volition wash out the oil and grease, which are essential for proper function. In improver to this, WD40 has a lubricating upshot on the elevate washers, which stops them from working properly.

And then instead of WD40, use other products that are specifically designed for the task, such equally Clenzoil. In addition to having a cleaning effect, these products add a protective coating that helps foreclose corrosion.

How to make clean a spinning reel after saltwater use?

If y'all're using a reel with sealing technology you can use the same basic cleaning procedure as described above later on saltwater use. Sealing technology prevents corrosive saltwater from getting within the trunk of the frame and the rotor housing, which protects the gears and bearings from corrosion and seizing up (good examples of this are the Penn Spinfisher and Torque 2).

When cleaning salt build up from a spinning reel, pay close attention to any sand or salt residues yous come up beyond, and clean these off with a soft towel or Q-tip sprayed with Clenzoil. On the other hand, if your model doesn't have sealing technology, it's possible for saltwater or sand to go inside the reel body, in which case you lot may demand to take autonomously the whole reel to clean the inner parts. Alternatively, you lot tin too pay a professional reel cleaning service to do this for you.

See also: What is the all-time penn spinning reel for saltwater?

How practise you lubricate a spinning reel?

When oiling your spinning reel, make sure to add simply modest amounts, as less oil is more than when information technology comes to lubrication. Also go on in listen to oil only the right parts. These include the ball bearings and spool shaft.

Y'all tin can also add oil to the base of the handle knob (which will help it to plough smoothly while you rotate the handle), as well equally the role of the handle that inserts into the body (which helps to prevent it from getting stuck). Don't add together any oil to the gears, which crave grease instead.

What oil can you lot apply on spinning reels?

E'er use oils that are specifically designed to lubricate spinning reels. While it'southward okay to use the aforementioned oil for different spinning reel brands, avert any oils that are not intended for this purpose. The latter include vegetable oil, olive oil, and auto oil. Machine oil is too thick and mucilaginous for use in fishing reels, and will tend to slow downward the movements of your reel parts. The ideal oil for fishing reels is light and thin, and comes with a relatively low viscosity. This helps to make recall action smoother.

How often should you lot oil your spinning reel?

If you fish a lot, aim to oil your spinning reel later on every 2nd or third angling trip (or at to the lowest degree once a calendar week). If yous don't fish a lot, oiling it once a month is fine. Only go along in mind that even if you don't use your reel for months, it still needs to be oiled before your next fishing trip, as the oil degrades over time.

Encounter also: spinning reels made in U.s. reviewed

Additional resource:

  • What is the best ultralight spinning reel on the market?
  • Best upkeep saltwater spinning combo
  • What is the best spinning reel under 100 dollars?
  • Baitcaster vs spinning
  • What is the best upkeep spinning reel?