I rinse with a garden hose when I wash the boat..

 

Same here. Then I shake the excess water off and wipe with a towel.

 

I have a spray bottle of vinegar that I spray things down with prior to washing with soap and water.

 

Washed when the boat gets washed. Washed out in the grass with the other stuff.
Washed in the warm shower with myself. Lubed every 3rd trip.

 

5 gal bucket of water overnight, WD 40 after drying.

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Rinse with water hose when washing the boat, then after they are dry back home I spray penn reel and rod cleaner on them.

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Here's a vid on how I do it

 

5 gal bucket of water overnight, WD 40 after drying.

You're kidding right? Then you tear the reels down and clean and lube everything inside?

All you have to do, unless you dunked them in the saltwater is wipe them down and spray with Reel Magic then put them away. If a reel got dunked, tear it down when you get home and clean it really well. It's not hard to do and doesn't take long.

Spraying them with water only pushes water and other stuff into the reel.

TH

 

You're kidding right? Then you tear the reels down and clean and lube everything inside?

All you have to do, unless you dunked them in the saltwater is wipe them down and spray with Reel Magic then put them away. If a reel got dunked, tear it down when you get home and clean it really well. It's not hard to do and doesn't take long.

Spraying them with water only pushes water and other stuff into the reel.

TH

I am still using 20 yr old green Curados they get sprayed off along with the boat. The only time I do anything different is when I am wading the surf. They are always wet from the waves etc then. After surf trip i will put them in a 5 gal bucket with some dawn detergent and let them sit, swishing an few times to stir the water. Oil after. otherwise they get oiled when ever I think about it (keep reel oil in the boat).

 

Always wipe down with a dry towel/rag before rinsing with any water. Otherwise, spraying with water before wiping off is just pushing any salt/dirt into the reel.

 

It’s funny, I’ve heard this but have always washed mine with a light spray, let them air dry and put WD-40 on any springs, etc. No problems for over 40 years. Maybe a jet spray could drive salt/sand, etc. into the reel, but not the pressure I use. The soaking in a bucket of water idea probably isn’t helpful, however.

 

Run kitchen sink water until very hot...Dampen hand towel & wring out excess water...Wipe reels off...One drop of Rem Oil on each bearing, grip, level wind...Done

 

Some of you guys do some crazy things to clean your reels. If they have not been completely dunked it in saltwater just hose them off with the garden hose and let them air dry. I’ve saltwater fished my whole life and my equipment has always stayed at the beach house and I’ve never had any “corrosion” issues with my reels from just hosing them off when cleaning the boat ... sometimes they go a couple days without being hosed off. I have curados that are 10+ years old and have only been pulled apart and cleaned a hand full of times that work like new.


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As I'm getting off of the water and rinsing off my lures (I use a wading box that will often get submerged)& wading belt, I'll take a bottle of drinking water and pour it gently over the reel from the top side. I'll then wipe it down with a clean cotton cloth. When I get home, I'll spray it down with reel magic (or WD-40), let it sit for an hour and then wipe that off. I then put the cover back on the reel (guards against dust collection) and put it back into the rod holder.

Like said above, if it got dunked or got a lot of splash, that's another story

 

I stopped light misting my reels after I had one seize up from this practice.

Issues can occur when a drop of water with salt in it, seeps into a crack. On a baitcaster, the tiny space between the spool and the frame is where this has caused an issue for me when a salty water droplet oozed into that crack and made its way down to the spool bearing. LH spool bearing seized up the next day and that reel had never been dunked. From that point forward, I stopped rinsing my reels. I just dampen a paper towel or rag and wipe them down.


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I dunno, lots of folks with different strokes. You decide, if it works for you. If not here's more fuel for the fire.

https://alantani.com/index.php?topic=25980.0

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I just use some bottled water and rinse them off before leaving the beach.

 

I just put mine under the motor when i'm flushing it out, kills 2 birds with one stone, lol. I like buying new reels, so don't want them to last too long.

 

From Zebco to Penn to Abu Garcia and from fishing in the surf to water splashing over the gunnels in rough seas, at the end of the day I just mix Salt Away into a 5 gallon bucket and set the reels in it overnight ... rinse and dry the next day. Then, a once-a-year breakdown, WD40 wash and a regrease. I've got some 40 year old reels as evidence that the proceedure works just fine.

 

You da man!!

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I’ve tried it all. About a year ago I started just wiping them off.

Pull them apart when they get dunked.

The wipe them off method is logical and works.

 

I rinsed the outside of my reels with “full strength” H2O, wiped off and then a few drops of mineral oil. That is all, unless a reel was dunk. My salt water fishing is 100%wading.
A 16 oz bottle of mineral oil is $2.50 at Walmart will last a life time. Nothing fancy is needed. Mineral oil was recommended by a Shimano rep used to be on this forum,

 

Thanks for all of the great responses.

 

Just curious are you putting the mineral oil directly on the bearings or where?

 

I never rinse my baitcasters. I will take them apart every 1-2 weeks and clean/lube as manuals indicate...but I never rinse my reels with water, doesn’t make any sense when you think about it, it’s never the outside of a reel that gives you corrosion problems, who cares if there’s a little salt on the outside, and all spraying the outside does is transfer superficial salt into the interior and all the nooks and crannies.

 

I use salt-off to flush the motor, spray the boat and trailer. Same for rods,reels and lures.


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From Zebco to Penn to Abu Garcia and from fishing in the surf to water splashing over the gunnels in rough seas, at the end of the day I just mix Salt Away into a 5 gallon bucket and set the reels in it overnight ... rinse and dry the next day. Then, a once-a-year breakdown, WD40 wash and a regrease. I've got some 40 year old reels as evidence that the proceedure works just fine. ]

Oh dear Lord. LMAO!

TH

 

Oh dear Lord. LMAO!

Hey, it works for me! Now, pick your A up and quickly re-attach it. It's just gross, laying there like that.

 

X2

 

I just buy cheap reels and throw them away if they start to act janky, cheap being $125 these days. They last a long time with zero care actually, quick rinse, sideways glance, walk away.