Reel and Rod Aftercare, Curious what everyone does after a day in the Salt

[ProfessorLongArms]

Not so much posting a "please help with advice, I have a problem" type thread so much as curious how everyone else approaches this.

I remember when I first started out, I read the Avet FAQ and they recommended submerging the reel in freshwater with the drag buttoned down and shaking vigorously for 30 seconds then laying out to air dry.

I've since taken this a bit further. Bobby at Johnny's Sport shop in Altadena told me to move every part that will move while submerged. I'll usually get after any gunk or scales with specifically designated toothbrush ( I find those foam/rubber handles are especially stubborn)

From there, I wrap in a towel and shake out all of the immediate water, laying out to dry on the towel.

With Rods, I've fashioned a carboy brush into a ring, and I will dip it in soapy water and run it up and down the rod a few times to clear off any saltwater/gunk, paying extra attention to the handles. I've found that's especially good for preventing corrosion on any eyes that aren't otherwise anodized/ceramic.

So yeah... what do you? Do you go further? Do you do less?

[matthew7!]

I personally rinse them off with a hose on shower soaking the reels more then the rod. If I flip in the surf I try to get in there a little better and get the sand out. Fairly new to salt water so haven’t had any reels seize up yet. Also it is very easy to get nice reels cheap on fb with some looking, which partially is the reason why I don’t go far in-depth.


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[socal.beach.bum]

I scrub everything down with some soapy water, rinse off thoroughly and let air dry. Been doing it for years after each saltwater trip and so far no corrosion or locking of my gear. Do the same for my kayaks.

[FISH11]

I used to submerge my Avets in fresh water as you mentioned for 5 minutes and the tap the rod to shake excess water and wipe off. I no longer do that because I ended up having to replace some of the bearings due to rust. Even with opening them and oiling the bearings after 4 trips. Now when I land, I use a 4 gallon hand sprayer (has straps to carry like a back pack and a long lever to pressurize the tank) I bought at Harbor Freight on sale for $19. It works great for rinsing the rods, reels and the sand off the kayak. Now I don't have any bearing problems and no more submerging reels.

[Oolie]

Not everything holds up well to submersion, the one reel that really doesn't mind is the sealine-x.


It's mostly down to if you're getting sand deep into the reel, and if you've taken preventative measures.


I like to fill all non-spool bearings with grease, and take the same heavy grease and fill many parts of the reel. Search Alan Tani, he is an excellent servicer of saltwater reels.


The 4 gallon backpack sprayer I use gets too much use in the yard to be double-use, so I usually end up doing what Matt does if I don't find an active sprinkler before I leave (usually not too difficult at the times/places I fish).


Even filling the reel with grease like Alan does is not enough if you don't service them periodically, so clean it out from time-to-time and fill with the fresh stuff if you want it to last.


Sand is an automatic re-lube.

[SoCalEDC]

Fresh water rinse for the reels. Usually by pressurized sprayer. Admittedly I dont scrub my rods at all I just rinse them with fresh water unless they gave something like fish blood or other substance that require scrubbing.

Reels I service 1-2x a year depending on how much use they get. If its a reel I don't leave home without, I will typically give it a little more care because its being exposed more often to saltwater and grime. If its a reel I only take out once in a while if i am doing a particular style of fishing, I might rinse it off afterwards and Put it away and let it accumulate TOTW before tearing into it.

I don't think submersion of a reel in water (fresh or salt) is a good idea whether the manual claims it to be or not. A good topical rinse while moving the handle and turning the spool etc. is typically enough to get the salt spray off, and if the reel was submerged fully in the salt its better to take it apart and rinse/dry it out manually. Consider that if you already have saltwater on the reel or salt deposits and you submerge it fully the salt can diffuse through the freshwater further into the reel, where as a topical spray and rinse will usually not penetrate into the gear housing of the reel.

And fwiw I have read before that the reason Avet recommends tightening the drag is so that you wont wash any eternal debris down between the drag surface and the pressure plate. However, if you already have debris in there (dry salt deposits, sand), and you crank it down, the debris will not be flushed out.

One more thing on Avets, they are semi local here in so cal (chatsworth), you can bring the reels by their hq (or ship them) and pay 30 bucks and they will replace parts that are worn out and clean it up for you up to their spec.