Get your reels ready for next year!

It’s time to get ready for next year!

It’s that time of year again, time to get your reels ready for next year. The boat sits decommissioned in winter storage. Wrapped in shrink wrap, it looks like a giant Christmas present. Unfortunately, it can’t be opened, at least not until next season.

For now, only memories of the past summer and all of those great trips remain. Over the holidays, we can retell stories about that big one that got away. Better yet, the ones that didn’t!

If you’ve got the fishing bug as I do, you know that being back on the water is as easy as closing your eyes. Flashbacks of summer days can come streaming in like your watching a movie. You can still feel the tug on the rod and see the rod bending over to the point where you feel like it might snap under the pressure at any moment. So while you’re waiting for next year, now is the time to get your reels ready. The good news is that it isn’t that hard. Follow some of these simple tips.

What can I do now to get my reels ready for next season?

One of the best things you can do is start by storing your rods and reels properly for the next season. Putting away a dirty, untreated reel is a sure way to start your next season off on the wrong foot. Properly cleaning and lubricating your reels will have you ready to hit the water as soon as possible. It will also help you make sure that the first fish of the season ends up on the boat and not becoming your first story of the season. Here are some simple tips to help set your reels up for the winter.

Start with a simple rinse

Start by rinsing down your reel with fresh water to rinse away any salt water residue left behind. Don’t drown the reel or dunk it a pail of freshwater. Simply mist the reel with a spray bottle of clean water instead. This way you don’t force any salt residue or saltwater deeper into the reel. I use an Opti-Wipe™ microfiber cleaning cloth to dry my reels. They work well and polish the reels as well as clean and dry.

Do a Strip-Tease!

Saltwater residue can seep deep into the line spool. This can cause corrosion if left for a long time like over the winter. This corrosion can cause bigger problems down the road. By stripping off all of the old line, you can clean the spool and have a new clean line sitting on the reel ready for the next season.

Some guys will do what is called end for end.  This reverses the line on the reel. It puts the older used line down closer to the reel seat and the unused fresher line upfront. Unless you’re fishing in really deep water you don’t usually get to use all of the line on a reel. If you’ve got maybe 300′ of line on a reel you might only really frequently use the first 25 to maybe 100′. The other 200′ never comes off of the reel. You end for end by completely stripping all of the line off of one reel. You then use that one empty reel to strip line from another reel. This puts the older used line from that reel at the bottom of the reel with the newer unused line up front.

I don’t do this. This puts weaker, used line with possible frays or weak spots at the bottom of the reel. That’s right where I might need the strongest line when I’ve got a 50-pound striper peeling line off my reel. Can you imagine your buddy losing the fish of a lifetime because you were too cheap to put a new line on the reel vs. end for ending an older line? To me, it’s just not worth it. Besides, we use our reels way too much fishing 5 or 6 days a week. We usually don’t make it a full season without changing out the lines at least once but for the average fisherman who might only make it out on the water on the weekends, it might be a consideration or at least a temptation.

Oil, Grease or Replace your drag

Some really good videos on YouTube will explain in detail how to oil, grease, or replace the drag gaskets on your particular type of reel. I’ve been doing my own for some time now and I’ve become quite proficient working on both Penn and Shimano reels. I’ve always found working on spinning reels is so much easier than conventional reels.

If you’re not willing to take the risk of pulling apart your reels or just not comfortable with this part of the project you can send your reels out for a professional overhaul. I’ve included some links below for Shimano and Penn reels. I know a bunch of guys who do this faithfully every year.

Lubricate!

It’s time to lubricate all of the external moving parts of the reel. I use a product called CorrosionX Extended Duty. It’s both a lubricant and a corrosion inhibitor that works well with saltwater. You don’t use a lot of this product. A little goes a long way.

Lubricate where the reel knob attaches to the reel handle. Loosen the handle and spray some lubricant into the hinge on the handle. If you want you can remove the handle and spray just a little into the opening where the reel handle seat is because corrosion can form there as well. Lubricate the bail hinge and the line roller. Wipe down the reel with a soft micro-fiber wiper. Corrosion is the enemy and the best way to defeat the enemy is never to let it get a stronghold.

Lastly, loosen your drag settings!

The last thing I do is to set all of my drags very loose. If for some reason, I didn’t do a good job of lubrication, etc. the last thing I need is to have a drag frozen in the tight position. It’s always a good rule of thumb to do the same thing with the reel seat on the rods. Just don’t forget to tighten everything back down in the spring.

Some helpful links:

Repairs and Service by Penn – Need your PENN reels repaired, greased, or cleaned? Let our trained staff of professional technicians inspect your reels, put them in perfect working condition, and make them look and work like new again.

Shimano Service Centers – Authorized service centers for Shimano Reel Repair

Hopefully, the winter won’t last too long and some of what I’ve written will help get your reels ready for next season. We would love to hear from you because we’re always learning. If you have any comments or questions, please reach out.

Until next time, tight lines and smooth seas!

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