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Old 10-26-11, 10:12 PM   #1
Crankbait
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Default Keeping your reels Dry!!

Just a little moisture/water in your reel can do terrible damage! It’s fairly easy to get water/moisture in a reel but more difficult to get it out! I will even go as far as using compressed air to spray out my reels. I prefer to spray them out with my air compressor when I get back to my shop. I fish in the rain a lot. A whole LOT! And was always having to open my reels up to spray them and wipe em down…..a headache since I don’t have rod lockers on my boat and even though I would keep the reels covered with reel covers, moisture was almost impossible to keep out. I went as far as to try and attach a dehumidifier into a cabinet that would help suck the moisture out of my reels. With a lot of searching and looking I found a product that works really well. The device is called a desiccators. A desiccator is a sealable enclosure containing desiccant used for preserving moisture sensitive items. Desiccants are a substance that helps keep moisture out. An example would be the little silica gel tablets that come in numerous packages. Another example is the trick of putting your cell phone in a bag of rice when it gets wet. The rice is the desiccant. With that being said I bought a deesiccator and a rechargeable desiccant to use. I take my reels and place them in the desiccators and let them sit overnight to suck out the moisture. The desiccant is rechargeable in the oven. The desiccators only holds 5 reels at a time. You can use any container that is an air tight enclosure. I’m looking into a larger enclosure like some type of Tupperware that will hold like ten reels. Another thing that you can do is take the rechargeable desiccant and place some in your rod locker. Haven’t done this myself but worth a go.


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Old 10-26-11, 10:19 PM   #2
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Put em in a bowl if rice. They say it works for cell phones. Just messing with you. I don't go to that extent, but I cringe with my reels sitting out in a heavy rain. Thanks for the 411.
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Old 10-26-11, 10:34 PM   #3
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uhoh... My past two tournaments were in heavy rain all day long and i havent done anything...
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Old 10-26-11, 10:35 PM   #4
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You know I always wondered about the effect of fresh water on a reel.
It was my impression that's why it's wise to clean and lub your reels like yearly. Even though water and moisture may get in, it drys and the lube is like a repelent and continues to do what it's supposed to do. And with lubes like hot sauce and better this has become even less of a concern.
Like I said I have know real idea. I think this is a question Pro Reel can answer best.
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Old 10-26-11, 11:03 PM   #5
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I keep a couple of those things in my hook box. Works good.
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Old 10-26-11, 11:46 PM   #6
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Here are some rusted parts













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Old 10-27-11, 07:38 AM   #7
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Is that from a reel that was cleaned and lubed every season?
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Old 10-27-11, 08:59 AM   #8
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No but it doesn't take water long to start rust.....i'm sure i don't have to tell anyone that.
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Old 10-27-11, 10:20 AM   #9
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A fishing reel is designed and built for use outdoors and around water. If a reel is properly cared for (annual or better deep cleaning and proper lubing) any incidental moisture from normal use should do no damage. Wipe them down and lay them out in the open air to dry out after a trip and you'll be fine. The last thing you want to do is put compressed air to the reel. That will force moisture deeper into places where you don't want it. A desiccant won't hurt but is overkill imo.
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Old 10-27-11, 10:57 AM   #10
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I've got 20 reels in my boat. Not EVERY one gets used each trip, but the lockers can get damp after a rain and the moisture can get to the reels - I don't care. Taking them out and drying them after fishing would be more work than I wish to do after a trip, although I do rinse/dry my reels after fishing brackish water. All that said, I clean/lube my reels after each season (almost time now to do it) and I've not seen any rust/corrosion issues inside my reels - ever. You can do what you think best as can everyone else, but that's way more than I want to do and I don't believe it would be worth the effort - surely overkill in my opinion. But if it makes you happy, that's all that counts. Now dessicant does have it's place in MY fishing - I keep a bag in my hard lure boxes, I do know that reduces my issues with rusted hooks, but I don't oil my hooks and they are not sealed units - as is a reel.

Final issue - only iron or steel (made from iron) rusts. Most reel bearings are stainless steel (sometimes combined with ceramic), the other reel parts aluminum, magnesium, brass, graphite, nylon, plated steel, or (yuk) plastic - none of those rust. There is virtually no material in a QUALITY reel to rust. Corrosion on the other hand is more common - chemical reactions between certain metals & elements (magnesium and salt for example) - which is why I rinse my reels after fishing in brackish water. The primary reason for cleaning bearings is to eliminate dirt/grit which will ruin them, not to prevent rust, because if you have a quality reel with stainless steel bearings - they won't.

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Old 10-27-11, 02:41 PM   #11
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I started a post on another forum recently about this issue. What made me decide to post an article about it is an incident that happend to a friends reel. This friend had an almost new reel with very little use. He had been leaving the reel in his rod locker. He took that almost new reel out a while back and went to use it. He found that it was no longer smooth as silk as it had been but was now as rough as a coffee grinder. What happend you might ask? Well, hummidity and condensation formed in the rod locker. It was made worse by the fact that the boat had some undrained water in the bilge and was parked outside with the tarp on it. Warm daytime temps turned the rod locker into a steam room. Cold nightime temps condensed the water on the metal parts inside the reel. Several STAINLESS STEEL bearings and the STAINLESS STEEL anti reverse clutch were rusted and were still rough after they were cleaned. STAINLESS STEEL is not rustproof steel. If you think that stainless steel won't rust, then take your best stainless steel knife, dip it in water and lay it outside for a week. You will find out that it does rust. Crankbait saw my post on that other site and made a new post there expanding on my post about wet reel care. He then made the same post here. I don't agree with his thoughts on using compressed air on a reel that has not been taken apart, as Mike said, that will force the water deeper. Desicant only works in small airtight areas, it won't work in a large box unless there was massive amounts of it. You could build a drying box with a light bulb inside to set your wet reels in and let the gentle heat dry them out. If my reels got wet very often, I might do that. What I put in my other article and what I always try to do is that I never leave my reels or tackle in the lockers. I always take them in the house and set them in my rod rack. I have a box fan by the rod rack and i set it on low and let it blow air across all the reels overnight. The reel that crankbait showed a picture of was probably dunked in the lake. Rain or humidity and condensation won't put that much water in a reel. If your reel is dunked, you should send it to someone for service, or be able to at least do a partial take down to get it dried out. You wouldn't need to be able to do a complete service on the reel, but you would need to remove the handle, side covers, and spool. That would let you use a blow dryer or fan to dry it off and then add some grease and oil. If this ever happens to you, you know that anyone from here can call me and I will walk you through the process of how your exact reel comes apart to do that and how to not get confused or not be able to get it back together. then at the end of the season, i can do a full service and your reels will always be fine. If you rinse your reels under the faucet, and you don't open them up to dry them, then you better KNOW that everything inside the reel is coated with a thick water proof grease. Most freshwater reels do not have the same level of protection with completly greased insides as saltwater reels should. Alos, freshwater reels use a very small drop of oil on the spool bearings and AR clutch, that small amount of oil is not enough to keep those parts from rusting if they get wet and stay wet.
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Old 10-27-11, 05:52 PM   #12
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You say stainless steel can rust - ok. I've not experienced that. My razor blades are stainless steel, they get wet everyday, I do not dry them off, they are stored in a humid environment - bathroom - for weeks at a time, used ones may be months and I don't see them rusting. Stainless is highly resistant to rust, possibly if a reel gets submerged and totally soaked then neglected, they may rust, agian this hasn't happened to me.

As stated I have 20 reels in my locker, they stay there about 8 months and my boat sits outside under a tarp. I clean/lubericate them once at the end of the season, that's it and never have I seen any indication of rust inside any reel. If one went overboard (and hopefully I got it back), I would take it apart, clean and relubricate it. But going to the extreme of a heat box, or drying them after each use, even in rain, I think is way over what is required. Routine maintence and an annual cleaning (more with heavy use) would eliminate any issues with rusting reel parts.

As for the good stainless steel knife - most have some carbon content in them to make them able to be sharpened, the best have a higher content of carbon. A true stainless knife would be difficult to sharpen and to hold an edge. It's the carbon in the knife that shows as rust. Actually, the best "stainless" knife will show rust sooner than the "worst". Back to the razor blades, that are stainless, they are almost impossible to re-sharpen, which is why they are thrown away after use. I also use a locking bar device to secure my front deck - yep the bars are stainless steel. Sits outside all year long, gets rained on, even had some snow on it. It's 8 years old - any rust on it? nope.

I don't know about the quality of stainless used in all reel bearings, but the ones in my reels seem to hold up very well with minimal attention. Does the quality of a bearing differ, possibly more carbon content in more econominical bearings? I don't know. Will they rust if dunked? maybe. Will they rust under "normal" conditions, usage and maintence? that has not been my experience. So if anyone wants to take the time and effort to dry out their reels after a day's fishing, it's their time and effort and if they wish to expend it and it makes them happy - fine with me. I just think that promoting it as a (routine) means to take care of and extend the service life of a reel is a bit much.

Last edited by bassboogieman; 10-27-11 at 06:01 PM.
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Old 10-27-11, 06:32 PM   #13
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http://www.ssina.com/faq/index.html

Everything you ever wanted to know about Stainless Steel.

By the way, Bruce. Most razor blades are coated with platinum I think. That just adds even more to the debate, I know LOL.
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Old 10-27-11, 06:40 PM   #14
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Uhhhhh, better go get my rods out of the rain...LOL.
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Old 10-27-11, 07:13 PM   #15
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Absolutly true, the very best grade of pure stainless steel will not rust in the way of forming red oxide rust. I used a knife as an example because they are all sold as being stainless steel but yet i have several that are rusty with actual pits. I don't know what the exact composition of alloy is used in stainless steel knives, but i know they rust. I also don't know what the exact kind of stailess steel is that is used in bearings, but I know they rust. Any pitting of the metal in a bearing is enough to have ruined the bearing. I have a sack full of stainless steel bearings that are indeed rusty. They even turn acetone orange when you try to clean the bearing. Those rusty bearings didn't come out of cheap junky reels, in fact they are all from some of the highest quality reels. The reel i mentioned earlier as having gotten rusted bearings in just a short time was a very expensive reel. If you do your own maintenance and a yearly teardown, then you are probably fine. You evidently have not seen any of the issues I see in other peoples reels, so I assume that you use enough grease and oil to protect them and that you don't get them wet enough to override that protection. sadly, many new reels straight out of the box don't have a complete coating of grease or oil on all the metal parts and as happened in the reel i described, it got rusty bearings from humidity only. You see, I know for a fact that that reel never got wet, never got dunked and was not used during rain. I also know that it was smooth as silk before it sat in the rod locker for a few weeks. Therefore, I still sugest that it would be wise to not leave reels in rod lockers and to at least make an attempt to dry off wet reels. For those of you that do work on your own reels, I would expect that you would know that some of the metal parts in your reel are not stainless steel but are actually mild steel with platings. The sleeve that goes through your AR clutch. Thats the tube yoe see in crankbaits picture, thats a hard chrome plating. I replace dozens and dozens of those every year due to rust pitting the chrome. I don't currently have any rusty bearings i can show you, I always try to send them back with the reel so the customer can see them. I do have a rusty pitted AR sleeve for a Quantum tour edition PT and a top drag plate from a ABU 6500 that has rust pits on it. Both of these are parts from newer reels that are high quality reels. As you can see, I have already polished these parts to see if they could be saved, they can't.
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Old 10-27-11, 08:25 PM   #16
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Kevin...how about a paragraph break for us old guys with tired eyes? LOL
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Old 10-27-11, 09:28 PM   #17
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Quote:
Originally Posted by gonefishin3 View Post
uhoh... My past two tournaments were in heavy rain all day long and i havent done anything...
ive fished all year in the rain and havent done anything...they all get cleaned in the winter. its not that big a deal to me. im there to fish rain or shine.
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Old 10-27-11, 10:24 PM   #18
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Ive got a different approach,like a gun designed to drag thru mud and fire get rust etc and still work The ak47,not an m16 that needs constant cleaning.
Hate to say it im lazy to some extent bet ive cleaned my lews speed spool about 4 times in 12 years,works like a charm.Bet its dirty to but works great.Used to clean them twice a year then got to 1,now try to buy reels that dont actually need it but every three or so.
Actually use that method now to get rid of reels that dont preform well,two years min,three its a winner,one its junk to me.
I have lived all my life prior in the ohio valley 90 percent humidty,here around 60.
Close up a box and you close moisture up with it.
I store rods and reels in unheated sun room
And like an old rusted ak,can kick the breach open squirt 10/40 or reel magic and fire away,or cast away,fairly long distance as well.

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Old 10-28-11, 06:30 AM   #19
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My turn…. I did say I used compressed air but I guess I didn’t say how. No I wouldn’t and don’t just spray compressed air into my reels without opening them up somewhat. My fault on not being clear on that. I guess the other thing I should say is I fish constantly in the rain….sometimes heavy rain….. and I don’t have rod lockers. I try to keep most of my reels covered in these conditions but doesn’t always happen. In a light rain no I don’t run home and rip open all my reels. One thing I do like to do is take the side plate off and wipe down my friction ring (on centrifugals). But I try to do that most days…only takes 30 seconds. I’m no Pro like Pro or DVT but I’ve worked on and opened up enough reels both low and high end models to say rust does occur in reels. As far as drying reels Pro I do the same thing as you do with the fan on my spinning reels that I take out with me wading estuaries for redfish. I spray em down and put them in front of a fan. As far as the desiccant might be overkill that’s just my thing that works for me. Maybe my Pfluegers are more prone to taking in water……don’t know. So with that I turn this back over to the pros.
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Old 10-28-11, 07:25 AM   #20
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Crank, I've seen your thread on your fishing setup (boat). Yes if you also fish in heavy or even moderate rain often, I can really understand your concerns and yes it would almost definitly make me more aware and probably more concerned about my equipment too.
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Old 10-28-11, 07:43 AM   #21
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Yeah the Huck Fin doesn’t offer much rain protection so I do have to take a little extra care of my reels
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Old 10-28-11, 08:30 AM   #22
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Quote:
Maybe my Pfluegers are more prone to taking in water……don’t know
With the exception of two crankbait rods that have Revo Winches on them (just got them to try a couple months ago), all my reels are Pflueger. Most of my casting reels are a mix of Patriarch & Patriarch XT, the spinning a mix of Supreme & Supreme XT. The spinning reels have a magnesium frame, so they are more prone to corrosion so I do rinse & dry those reels, as you do, after fishing brackish water. I really like Pflueger reels.
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Old 10-28-11, 11:02 AM   #23
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I guess one thing that has troubled me for a long time, is the overall lack of good education materials about reel care from the manufactureres. Some of the pathetic instructions that come with reels even go as far as to suggest that you should rinse reels under running water after each trip, especialy if fishing in saltwater. What they don't go on and say is that if you do that, there are several more steps that need to be done to then dry the reel and relube it. I think that thier plan is that most reels will last for one season doing that and then they plan for you to send them in for service. If it then needs some new parts, they will get to sell you some parts each year also. The fact is, most anglers can't justify the expense of having all of thier reels serviced every year. In that case, you really need to be more diligent about trying to keep them clean and dry.

One other thing that I often wonder about, and this too I blame on the manufactureres and the lack of instruction, is the difference in the way we treat reels over other similar priced objects. We are led to believe that because reels are used close to water and can even be used in rain, that they must be meant to be waterproof. The fact is, they are not. Most of my reels cost as much or more than just about any other items i own. I know that I can use my duck hunting shotgun in light rain, but I wouldn't dream of sticking it in it's case and putting it away without being sure that it was completly dry and lightly oiled first. I have some very nice bow hunting equipment also. I have often been in a light drizzle while sitting in a tree stand with that bow. I don't recall anyone ever telling me that i need to dry it off and oil the wheels, but I just know that it needs to be dried before it goes in it's case if it got wet. It also needs a small drop of oil on the wheels if they got wet. Items such as guns and hunting equipment are not meant to be used in water, so we just naturally seem to know that they need some attention if they get wet. We also know to store items like that in dry areas. For some reason, we just don't think that reels need that same level of care. The fact is, that if you expect many years of trouble free use from items that cost hundreds of dollars, then there is a minimum level of care that should be performed.
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Old 10-28-11, 12:27 PM   #24
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One of the easiest places for water to get inside a reel is via those "ventilated" spools. Not everyone thinks of that one either. But line gets soaked and moisture/vapor can seep inside as they are not sealed. I put plumbers teflon tape over my (casting) spools to reduce, if not eliminate that issue. That may be another reason why I don't seem to have the moisture issue inside my reels.
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Old 10-28-11, 01:04 PM   #25
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bassboogieman View Post
With the exception of two crankbait rods that have Revo Winches on them (just got them to try a couple months ago), all my reels are Pflueger. Most of my casting reels are a mix of Patriarch & Patriarch XT, the spinning a mix of Supreme & Supreme XT. The spinning reels have a magnesium frame, so they are more prone to corrosion so I do rinse & dry those reels, as you do, after fishing brackish water. I really like Pflueger reels.
bassboogieman i love my Pflueger reels....i cut me teeth on them. i have Purist and Supremes and President baicasters....my spinning reels are Presidents. i don't put them in the brackish for that is a Penn Battle and Shimano Zenora.
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