Probably one of the most neglected items in the sport of bass fishing is proper preventive maintenance of your baitcasting reels. Lack of cleaning your reels can lead to frustration on the water involving lockups, noisy drive trains, line balling up on one side of the spool and many other things. Here are a few tips to help get you going on cleaning them.
1- Disassemble your reel and remove your worm gear and pawl. Thoroughly clean the worm gear grooves with a wooden toothpick using an eyeloop to get all debris out of them. Check your pawl for extreme wear and replace if necessary.
Cleaning of the level wind system (worm gear and pawl) will prevent it from hanging up on one side of the reel and having the line ball up on one side. Use a light oil on the worm gear upon reassembly.
2- Pull your side plate off normally using the thumb screws provided. Remove the spool which will expose the bearings. Use a light oil to lubricate all bearing points. This will keep your reel casting smoothly and allow maximum casting distance.
3- With your side plate off observe the gears. Lubricate the exposed gear points with a reel lube grease. This will prevent gear train noise on retrieval.
4- After completion of all the lubrication make sure your wipe down and remove any built up dirt especially around the spool holes. Any dirt left wear the spool comes close to the reels body can create friction points.
Reel maintenance can lead to real satisfaction on the water when your reel feels silky smooth and performs well. So the next time it's windy and raining and your stuck in the house, try cleaning your baitcasters so ready for your next bass fishing trip.
Until next time, Tight Lines.
Article Courtesy of Florida Bass Fishing Tips Blog
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