How to clean/maintain rod and reels after each trip? - Kayak Fishing Adventures on Big Water’s Edge

Raskal311 · 05-13-2013, 05:40 AM

Now that I’m buying more expensive gear instead of the cheap Wal-Mart stuff I used buy I was wondering if a simple hose down is enough to keep it going for a life time.

So how does everyone else clean and maintain their reels after each trip?

bosco · 05-13-2013, 05:58 AM

Hose down rods with fresh water and reels with light mist of fresh water from hose or aspirator bottle, then wipe dry with clean cloth. Do not submerge reels in fresh water. Remember to back off the drags on your reels. bosco

oneyedeer · 05-13-2013, 06:01 AM

to dunk or not to dunk that is the question

Avet actually tell people to tighen up drag and dunk their reels into soap water....for me i tighten up drag, grab spray bottle and fill it up with close to hot water. Make sure its on the mist setting and give it a couple spray from all angle....when reel start dripping water is a good sign it's enough. Then make sure drags are backed off and clicker turned on... flick your wrist to get rid of the excess water and wipe done with a microfiber rag. If you know you got lots of saltwater into the reel then you gotta break the reel down

others can chime in

Raskal311 · 05-13-2013, 06:45 AM

Any special attention to braided lines?

BTW most of my reels are spin reels.

oneyedeer · 05-13-2013, 07:04 AM

nah not after use but some guys after a season would actually take the braid off and rinse it....braid retains water a little better then mono with that salt. I have seen spools with corroded spools but i think those are from the guys that hose down their gear pushing the salt farther in

rxfletes · 05-13-2013, 07:33 AM

After every trip I wash down all my rods with a car soapy mix and a soft spongy. Then air dry them in the back yard. I do this as soon as I get home, I think not waiting is the key. 8 years out my gear still looks good. I always have a fresh bottle of water on hand to wash down the reels as soon as I am done. Then a quick swipe down. This is what works for me hope it helps.

addicted2sp33d · 05-13-2013, 07:50 AM

Yes. I think immediate wash-down is critical. In places where it's available, I will immediately rinse my equipment (but not dunk) with freshwater, then wipe-dry as best I can.

Once I get home, I'll do a more detailed cleaning.

I typically don't get any salt penetration into the actual mechanics of my spinning gear, so a wet-towel wipedown is typically sufficient.

As for the line (braid), I take the spool off the reel and run a slow trickle of water over the line (never dunking), occasionally tasting to see if it's still salty. When it doesn't taste salty anymore, I just wipe off as much as I can, and leave the spool somewhere warm so it can dry out.

I guess with this methodology I never really clean the drag discs.

bus kid · 05-13-2013, 10:01 AM

www.alantani.com

Baja_Traveler · 05-13-2013, 11:38 AM

I just leave my reels in the rod slots of the PA and hose them down along with the yak. I always use the "Shower" setting on the hose no matter what I'm washing. After they dry I give them a quick shot with Salt Stop, along with the gaff, my pliers and deck knife...

Raskal311 · 05-13-2013, 11:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Baja_Traveler

I just leave my reels in the rod slots of the PA and hose them down along with the yak. I always use the "Shower" setting on the hose no matter what I'm washing. After they dry I give them a quick shot with Salt Stop, along with the gaff, my pliers and deck knife...

Pretty much what i've done in the past; lay the rods next to the PA and hose them down together.

lowprofile · 05-13-2013, 02:49 PM

i dunk them in fresh water and let them dry. greased carbon drags and tighten them down so no water gets in there.

keep a couple gallons of distilled water on you for extended trips.

skrilla · 05-13-2013, 03:15 PM

Spray down and wipe dry. If it was a wet ride or landing I'll open up the reels to check bearings, line roller, and other moving parts and add oil as needed. Any signs of grit gets the full tear down and rebuild.

lowprofile · 05-13-2013, 04:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by skrilla

Spray down and wipe dry. If it was a wet ride or landing I'll open up the reels to check bearings, line roller, and other moving parts and add oil as needed. Any signs of grit gets the full tear down and rebuild.

this is why he has nice things!

Raskal311 · 05-13-2013, 07:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bus kid

www.alantani.com

Booked marked !

FlyFishinYakr · 05-14-2013, 02:13 AM

Depending on how many days I'm out will depend on how thoroughly I clean my equipment.
All my gear is conventional gear. On my 5-8 day trips and longer I hose down rods with a power washer. Trolling rods with roller guides are torn down, cleaned & lubed, all reels are torn down degreased then bearings properly oiled & gears lubed again, then put back together paying special attention to grease the screws so they don't corrode inside.

Everything shorter than that will depend on how the fishing was. A dirty boat will be hosed by the deckhands. Rods in the rod holders are bound to get sprayed to some extent depending on how much blood is on the deck! I would thoroughly hose down the rods with the reels removed try to get water hosed in the reel hoods to rinse out any excess saltwater. Then as mentioned by a previous member grease drag reel need to be locked down to keep out unnecessary water, I try to force water in any seams or dunk the reel in a bucket of fresh water and crank the handle a couple times to force out any saltwater that may be still in the reel (I like to do this a couple times to make sure the reel is as clean as possible without having to tear down each reel).

FFY

05-13-2013, 05:40 AM	#1
Raskal311 Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: Santa Ana/Westminster Posts: 1,256	How to clean/maintain rod and reels after each trip? Now that I’m buying more expensive gear instead of the cheap Wal-Mart stuff I used buy I was wondering if a simple hose down is enough to keep it going for a life time. So how does everyone else clean and maintain their reels after each trip? __________________ Kevin Yellow PA12

05-13-2013, 06:45 AM	#4
Raskal311 Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: Santa Ana/Westminster Posts: 1,256	Any special attention to braided lines? BTW most of my reels are spin reels. __________________ Kevin Yellow PA12

05-13-2013, 10:01 AM	#8
bus kid Team Keine Zugehörigkeit Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: Way out there Posts: 2,854	www.alantani.com __________________ Não alimente os trolls------------Don't feed the trolls---------------インタネット荒らしを無視しろ

05-13-2013, 02:49 PM	#11
lowprofile #1 on fishstick's hitlist Join Date: May 2011 Location: Sea level Posts: 1,477	i dunk them in fresh water and let them dry. greased carbon drags and tighten them down so no water gets in there. keep a couple gallons of distilled water on you for extended trips. __________________ MLPA- My Largest Poaching Area

05-13-2013, 03:15 PM	#12
skrilla Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: San Diego Posts: 664	Spray down and wipe dry. If it was a wet ride or landing I'll open up the reels to check bearings, line roller, and other moving parts and add oil as needed. Any signs of grit gets the full tear down and rebuild. __________________ Urban Camo Trident 13

05-13-2013, 05:58 AM	#2
bosco Member Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Santa Barbara Posts: 59	Hose down rods with fresh water and reels with light mist of fresh water from hose or aspirator bottle, then wipe dry with clean cloth. Do not submerge reels in fresh water. Remember to back off the drags on your reels. bosco

05-13-2013, 06:01 AM	#3
oneyedeer Senior Member Join Date: May 2011 Location: Orange County, ca Posts: 684	to dunk or not to dunk that is the question Avet actually tell people to tighen up drag and dunk their reels into soap water....for me i tighten up drag, grab spray bottle and fill it up with close to hot water. Make sure its on the mist setting and give it a couple spray from all angle....when reel start dripping water is a good sign it's enough. Then make sure drags are backed off and clicker turned on... flick your wrist to get rid of the excess water and wipe done with a microfiber rag. If you know you got lots of saltwater into the reel then you gotta break the reel down others can chime in

05-13-2013, 07:04 AM	#5
oneyedeer Senior Member Join Date: May 2011 Location: Orange County, ca Posts: 684	nah not after use but some guys after a season would actually take the braid off and rinse it....braid retains water a little better then mono with that salt. I have seen spools with corroded spools but i think those are from the guys that hose down their gear pushing the salt farther in

05-13-2013, 07:33 AM	#6
rxfletes Junior Join Date: Nov 2010 Posts: 8	After every trip I wash down all my rods with a car soapy mix and a soft spongy. Then air dry them in the back yard. I do this as soon as I get home, I think not waiting is the key. 8 years out my gear still looks good. I always have a fresh bottle of water on hand to wash down the reels as soon as I am done. Then a quick swipe down. This is what works for me hope it helps.

05-13-2013, 07:50 AM	#7
addicted2sp33d Here fishy fishy fishy... Join Date: May 2011 Location: San Diego, CA Posts: 774	Yes. I think immediate wash-down is critical. In places where it's available, I will immediately rinse my equipment (but not dunk) with freshwater, then wipe-dry as best I can. Once I get home, I'll do a more detailed cleaning. I typically don't get any salt penetration into the actual mechanics of my spinning gear, so a wet-towel wipedown is typically sufficient. As for the line (braid), I take the spool off the reel and run a slow trickle of water over the line (never dunking), occasionally tasting to see if it's still salty. When it doesn't taste salty anymore, I just wipe off as much as I can, and leave the spool somewhere warm so it can dry out. I guess with this methodology I never really clean the drag discs.

05-13-2013, 11:38 AM	#9
Baja_Traveler Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Table 17, Bay Park Fish Co. Posts: 943	I just leave my reels in the rod slots of the PA and hose them down along with the yak. I always use the "Shower" setting on the hose no matter what I'm washing. After they dry I give them a quick shot with Salt Stop, along with the gaff, my pliers and deck knife...

05-14-2013, 02:13 AM	#15
FlyFishinYakr Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: Nor Cal...30 min from Bodega/Tomales Bay, 1hr from Clear Lake, 2+ hr to Berryessa & the Delta Posts: 729	Depending on how many days I'm out will depend on how thoroughly I clean my equipment. All my gear is conventional gear. On my 5-8 day trips and longer I hose down rods with a power washer. Trolling rods with roller guides are torn down, cleaned & lubed, all reels are torn down degreased then bearings properly oiled & gears lubed again, then put back together paying special attention to grease the screws so they don't corrode inside. Everything shorter than that will depend on how the fishing was. A dirty boat will be hosed by the deckhands. Rods in the rod holders are bound to get sprayed to some extent depending on how much blood is on the deck! I would thoroughly hose down the rods with the reels removed try to get water hosed in the reel hoods to rinse out any excess saltwater. Then as mentioned by a previous member grease drag reel need to be locked down to keep out unnecessary water, I try to force water in any seams or dunk the reel in a bucket of fresh water and crank the handle a couple times to force out any saltwater that may be still in the reel (I like to do this a couple times to make sure the reel is as clean as possible without having to tear down each reel). FFY