Washing reels

[TAB95]

I always rinse my rods and reels with freshwater with the drags all the way tight after a SW trip. I never blast it with high water pressure. I remove the reel from the rod, take off the spool and dry it with a micro fiber cloth and set them aside to dry overnight. I them use of very slight ratio of soap to water and clean any debris off of the rod and guides and dry that off with a micro fiber cloth. If the reel was in the surf, I remove the sideplate and check for sand or water intrusion and remove any with a Q-tip. I reassemble the reel with no drag set for storage. If would not recommend putting any soap or wax where it could come in contact with the line, other that that I can't see it hurting the rod but I would keep the wax away from cork or foam on the handle. IMHO
________
Avandia Side Effect

[tropics]

I take the rods into the shower with me, when done fishing. Got into this habit from winter fishing.

[RussH]

Originally Posted by tropics

I take the rods into the shower with me, when done fishing. Got into this habit from winter fishing.

Same.

[Chris_JC]

Originally Posted by tropics

I take the rods into the shower with me, when done fishing. Got into this habit from winter fishing.

I thought I was the only one to do this.

[Capt. Lou]

A top notch Tkle shop owner once mentioned to me he never rinses off his reels. He merely sprays w a silicone and wipes down after each use. The water depending on how hard you may spray your reels may in fact may wash the salt into the reels gearing and cause damage down the road.
I had done this most of my career but decided to go the other route especially in cold months.
Seems to work just fine, a shot after each use wipe down ready to go on next trip. I do at least once a yr re oil or grease where required maybe more depending on useage.. Two seasons now on this method no issues. I always back off those drags when not in use,this keeps them in good shape as well.

[frugalfisherman]

Originally Posted by tropics

I take the rods into the shower with me, when done fishing. Got into this habit from winter fishing.

Tried it today. The Blue Coral leaves my skin nice and shiny.

[Ryan W]

You can't blast your reels with the water- you need to spray a fine mist. Done right, this will not wash any water into the componets of the reel and will keep it running smothly for many years. I do like the idea of a silicone wash though- it sounds neat. I do take my reels into the shower with me during the winter- it's a great way to wash my rods/reels, slickers (just shower wearing them) and boots (same deal there).

[june181901]

To anyone who showers using hot water to rinse their reels I have an advisory. A friend with a science background told me never to do that as hot water expands salt and could get into the reel mechanisms.

I do not know a thing about chemistry etc so I can't personally vouch for accuracy. I never do it for that reason and the other being that I wish to stay married.

[shrimpman steve]

I have STOPPED rinsing my reels after trips. For years I either showered with the rods or rinsed (a fine spray) with the hose after EVERY trip. I was taking reels in every two or three years with major corrosion. Finally, as previously mentioned, my reel repair guy (a very respected guy in Brielle), yelled at me to STOP rinsing the reels. He told me this several times, but I just could not get used to the idea of NOT rinsing them after a trip. The problem, he said, is you fish too much to rinse the reels at all (an average of twice a week). After spending a ton of money every few years to fix reels, I started to listen to him this year. Now when I get home I rinse the rods, and wipe down the reel with out the fine mist. He also recommended spraying silicone on a rag and wiping the reel down. It feels wrong not to rinse the reels, but I am sick of replacing corroded bearings and what not. When last he serviced my reel he wrote in caps on the receipt "STOP RINSING REELS".

[Ryan W]

June,

I am a chemist, so I will try to answer your question to the best of my ability.

I think that hot water won't actually expand the salt itself. Hot water does expand things, but salt is not really one of them. If I take the volume of salt at 0 degrees C and 100 degrees C, there isn't much change. It's not like a metal in that respect. If the parts of the reel themselves expand (very possible- most of them are a metal), than they will actually make it harder for salt to get in, because the gaps will close down. I think that there might be merit to this argument at a temperature of like 500 C, but the water has boiled at that point anyways. As far as an actual shower with the reels, don't worry about it. 35 C water vs 10 C water isn't gonna make a difference.

Ryan