Rinsing Reels vs. Wiping Down?

[SkunkApe]

Ok, I've heard that rinsing gets the salt grit & sand out, but leaves little amounts that can gum up the gears over time. Wiping down doesn't seem that it would do the job. Which do you do??

[hokieboy]

Rinse your reels after each saltwater trip and then once or twice a year i will take they apart for a full cleaning. Depends on how often u are using them to how many times you take them fully apart. I go about 4 times a year so twice a year cleaning works well for me... I like to spray them and the rods with grease lightning and scrub them with a soft brush after each trip to the beach. This gets the sand and salt off the outsides and off the line.

[KT_UMCP]

So long as you are rinsing the reels after each salt water surf fishing adventure you should be fine. There is no need to take apart your reel after each trip unless you are just covering it with sand. I take apart my reels and do a thourough cleaning once a year. I also reoil all parts inside when I take apart my reels after cleaning of all debris.

[Mark G]

will drive the moisture (saltwater) out of the reel better than rinsing, but you will need to relube more often.

[kermic]

Reel manufacturers recommend spraying down reels/rods with a fine mist of fresh water after each saltwater trip. If you have one of those adjustable nozzles on your hose it should have a mist like spray, which is perfect. They say you should never spray with a hard or heavy water pressure because it will actually drive salt/grime into the reel rather than out and away from it. After I spray a mist on the reel/rod I wipe it clean then lightly spray a Penn rod/reel cleaner and wipe down again. The whole process takes about 3-5 minutes, but I have yet to see any corrosion on my reels or rod. Of course I do not do this with freshwater fishing every time, but will do it every so often just for good maintanence.

[Railroader]

Rinse with the hose, no nozzle, low pressure, let dry on the front porch. After that spray all over with Reel Magic, and wipe the rods with Pledge and an old T-shirt. Every trip.

Spool bearings are cleaned and re-lubed as necessary, when they start feeling "crappy", normally about 4-5 trips.

ALL my stuff looks and works as BRAND NEW.

I normally fish 2 days a week.

[seajay]

Rinse with the hose, no nozzle, low pressure, let dry on the front porch. After that spray all over with Reel Magic, and wipe the rods with Pledge and an old T-shirt. Every trip.

Spool bearings are cleaned and re-lubed as necessary, when they start feeling "crappy", normally about 4-5 trips.

ALL my stuff looks and works as BRAND NEW.

I normally fish 2 days a week.
And then his wife makes him polish the furniture.:rolleyes: I like to wipe reels off with a rag that is wet with W.D. 40, then wipe with a clean dry rag. Then a cold :beer:

[Fishbreath]

Rinse with the hose, no nozzle, low pressure, let dry on the front porch. After that spray all over with Reel Magic, and wipe the rods with Pledge and an old T-shirt. Every trip.

Spool bearings are cleaned and re-lubed as necessary, when they start feeling "crappy", normally about 4-5 trips.

ALL my stuff looks and works as BRAND NEW.

I normally fish 2 days a week.

Ditto what RR said....spray with water, ReeL Magic and Furniture wax...

[Railroader]

And then his wife makes him polish the furniture.:rolleyes: I like to wipe reels off with a rag that is wet with W.D. 40, then wipe with a clean dry rag. Then a cold :beer:

Ain't none of my furniture WORTH polishing...:p :p

[marstang50]

Ain't none of my furniture WORTH polishing...:p :p

now there is a true redneck response.

[Railroader]

now there is a true redneck response.

You bet 'cher Bed, Bath, and Beyond card....

[RuddeDogg]

I rinse my reels with the garden hose and then I spray them with compressed air to get out anything that may have left behind.

[Fishbreath]

You guys really like the "Reel Magic"? I see Bill Dance using that stuff like it's liquid crack but does it work? It says it's supposed to cleanse the equipment and also reduce line memory for mono, if so, shoot, I'll buy a can.

http://porcupinefishattractor.com/images/Bill-w-the-attractor-large.jpg

Bill Dance doesn't know his head from his arse these days but Reel Magic does indeed work...for what its worth

[repair5343]

I rinse mine after I'm done at the pier or jettys,most areas have fish cleaning stations with fresh water.

[Ryan Y]

One thing I try and do every so often though is after I get a good long cast, give a little shot down on that line that doesn't get to see daylight tro often.
Other than that, good rinsing, reel magic, then furniture polish the rod eery once in a while. Its amazing to see how much gunk comes of the rod on your clean rag after that.

[david123]

I stand them upside down in the shower and rinse them off with warm water. Next day when they are dry, I wipe off the water spots with a reel cloth.

[uncdub13]

also, on a spinning reel (mainly those without a sealed drag), lock the drag down while you rinse the reel and then fully loosen it while in storage.

[Cor]

I fish so much it is not worth cleaning the stuff as it just gets dirty the next day....LOL

I Service my reels every 2 weeks and sometimes more often depending on use. They work like new but sure don't look it.

I stopped putting water over the reels as a few drops get inside and I think it does more harm then good.

My reels don't get sand on them nor do they get drenched in sea water so my cleaning/service regime is very adequate.

Modern reels are excellent quality and can really withstand a lot of use and even a bit of abuse.

[rgking03]

My personal gear I wash with warm water in the shower while taking a shower and use a mild soap in a bottle and rinse real well and hang dry. After drying I lube well reel grease and oil. The charter rods I wash with soap and water in a bucket hose off and put away wet like my women.. and back at the dock drinking many:beer: