[JeffB]

Defiantly rinse them off in cool water to get off all that salt. Also if you fish a lot, about once every couple of months you wanna pull them apart and clean them. And in emergency situations when I dunk a reel, I shoot WD-40 up under the bottom holes to keep the salt from sitting in. Then once I get the chance strip it down and service it. It's really super simple. Once you do it a few times, it goes pretty quick. Just remember a lot of oil and grease is bad.

I have took guys reels that would not turn anymore and made them like new again. Once you tear it apart pull the bearings out and shoot them up with WD-40, you will surprised the dirt that holds inside. Also take a old stiff tooth brush and scrub it all with WD-40. Before you wipe it all down good once your done. Lube grease and put back together. Important not to leave the WD-40 and excessive amounts of reel oil. They are made to bust rust and lube, however left too long, it can cause rust. Asking any Marine on here who is use to seeing young Maraines get there M16 spotless, the lube up to much when they put them back into armory. A month or two later when they pull it out, the inside is full of rust.

This is what I do, I hope it helps. Everyone has there own way of doing things and this is how I do mine. I took me a few trips to figure out how to properly manage my reels like this. Freshwater reel bearing do not hold up well in saltwater, espesially Shimano baitcasts. Its imparitive to maintain them properly for sure. I went through a handful of bearings in a few months time, rinsing my reels off after every trip. Once I figured out the technique I used now, I have not had to replace a bearing in almost 2yrs using the same reels. Even the conventional reels manage to get a little saltwater inside them. Again I hope this helps out a little bit.