How to rinse and care for a reel after saltwater fishing

How to rinse and care for a reel after saltwater fishing

Date

Salt is what kills reels, not fish. Five minutes after each trip will add years to yours.

A reel can handle a big snapper, a long run from a kingfish and a hard day on the rocks. What it cannot handle is salt left sitting inside it for a week.

Seawater dries into salt crystals. Those crystals work their way into bearings, gears and the drag, and they hold moisture against the metal. The result is corrosion, a gritty feel when you wind, a drag that sticks, and eventually a reel that seizes. None of it happens on the water. It happens in the garage, in the days after the trip.

The good news is that preventing it takes about five minutes.

After every trip

1. Tighten the drag.
Before you rinse, wind the drag knob down firmly. This closes up the drag stack and helps keep water out of the washers. You will loosen it again later.

2. Rinse gently with fresh water.
Use a light spray or a gentle flow of lukewarm tap water, and go over the whole reel: body, spool, bail, handle and foot. A garden hose on a soft mist setting is ideal.

Do not blast the reel with a high-pressure jet. It pushes salty water past the seals and into the places you are trying to protect. And unless the reel is sold as waterproof, do not dunk it in a bucket.

3. Rinse the line and the rod too.
Give the line on the spool a quick rinse while you are there. Then rinse the rod, paying attention to the guides and the reel seat. Salt on the guides can damage your line, and salt in the reel seat can lock the reel onto the rod.

4. Shake it off and dry it.
Give the reel a few firm shakes, wipe it with a towel, and leave it somewhere shaded with good airflow to dry completely. Take it out of any rod bag or tube first. A reel zipped into a damp bag stays wet for days.

5. Back the drag off.
Once the reel is dry, loosen the drag until there is very little pressure on it. A drag left tight for weeks compresses the washers, and a compressed drag is less smooth when you need it.

That is it. Five steps, five minutes.

Every few trips

Oil the moving points.
Once the reel is dry, put a single drop of reel oil where metal moves against metal: the handle knob, the bail arm pivots and the line roller. Some line rollers are sealed, so check your reel's manual first. More is not better. Excess oil collects dirt and salt.

Do not oil the drag.
Drag washers are designed to work either dry or with a specific drag grease. Ordinary oil makes them slip and stutter.

Go easy on spray lubricants.
General-purpose sprays can wash the grease out of gears and bearings. Keep them away from the inside of the reel.

Check the line and leader.
Run your fingers along the first few metres of braid and the whole leader. Anything rough, flattened or frayed gets cut off.

Once a year: a full service

Even a well-rinsed reel builds up old grease and fine salt inside over time. A full service means taking the reel apart, cleaning every part, replacing worn pieces and re-greasing it. Once a year is a sensible habit, and more often if you fish every weekend.

You can learn to do it yourself with the reel's parts diagram and some patience, or have it done by someone who services reels. Either way, it costs far less than a new reel.

Signs your reel needs attention now

Do not wait for the yearly service if you notice any of these:

• A gritty or grinding feel when you turn the handle.
• A line roller that does not spin when line runs over it.
• A drag that jerks instead of letting line go smoothly.
• White crust or green marks around the spool, bail or foot.
• The reel went underwater. If a reel takes a swim in the sea, rinse it as soon as you can and get it serviced soon after. Salt water inside a reel does damage quickly.

Wear is not the same as damage

Scratches and faded anodising are normal on a reel that has been fished. Sun, salt and rocks all leave marks, and they do not change how a reel works. Grit, stiffness and corrosion inside the reel are what shorten its life, and those come from salt left behind.

It is the same distinction we make when we grade used reels. Every used reel we list is stripped, tested and graded before it goes online. A reel graded Good may show plenty of cosmetic wear, but it has been cleaned inside and it works. You can read exactly what each grade means on our How we grade page.

Common questions

Should I rinse my reel with hot water?
Lukewarm is fine and helps dissolve salt. Hot water can soften grease and damage some seals, so avoid it.

Can I leave my reel on the rod after rinsing?
Yes, as long as both are fully dry before storage. Take the reel off every so often to rinse and dry the reel seat properly.

Do I need to rinse a reel if it did not get splashed?
Yes. Salt spray reaches everything on a boat, a wharf or a beach, even on a calm day. If you fished near the sea, rinse it.

How long does a spinning reel last?
With a rinse after every trip and a yearly service, a good spinning reel can last many years. Without care, salt can ruin one within a season or two.

Is it worth buying a used reel if saltwater is so hard on them?
It depends on how the reel was looked after, which is why it matters to know what is inside before you buy. A used reel that has been stripped, cleaned and tested is a very different thing from one that has sat in a shed with salt in it.

The short version

1. Tighten the drag.
2. Rinse gently with fresh water. No high pressure, no dunking.
3. Rinse the line and the rod too.
4. Dry it in the shade, out of the bag.
5. Back the drag off before you put it away.

Do that after every trip, service the reel once a year, and it will still be winding smoothly long after you have forgotten what it cost.

New to all this? Start with How to pick your first spinning reel.

Questions about looking after a reel? Email us at hello@coastcast.nz.