How often do you clean & lube your reels?

I do it when I notice a performance decrease or if I fish dirty water a lot. Like maybe once a year. What are you fishing with? How often? Dirty water?

I do a quick clean and lube once a month, and a full breakdown and bearing soak 1-2 times / year

Dependant on how much I fish in a month. Heavy tourny months I will service mine after the tourny run.

Slow fishing seasons I will service in the spring, and, again in the fall for winter storage.

For most anglers I recommend a pro service at least once every spring........

 

 

Tight Lines!  

I do mine on an as needed basis. I don't use my spinning reels that much, so they get serviced over the winter. On the other hand, my most used baitcasters could get serviced four or five times per year. If anything feels off, I stop using that reel, and do a complete breakdown as soon as I can get to it. Ditto if I drop one in the water, or the reel gets into mud or sand or gravel.

There is no one answer to this question that fits everybody.

All my reels are spinning except for 1 offshore conventional reel.  My freshwater reels have never been serviced and have been in use quite a few years.  My saltwater reels get service when they need it, which isn't that often, I fish year round, usually 7 days a week so my stuff gets a lot of use.

My reels get a full cleaning in the winter while the water is iced over.  During the warmer months they get a quick maintenance check about every two months.

Just a basic cleaning and lubing once a month or so.

I do mine every winter when I can't fish and bored to death.  

What do you use for a cleaning solvent when cleaning your reels?

Dependant on how much I fish in a month. Heavy tourny months I will service mine after the tourny run.

Slow fishing seasons I will service in the spring, and, again in the fall for winter storage.

For most anglers I recommend a pro service at least once every spring........

 

 

Tight Lines!  

x2 Annually at least, more often if conditions or symptoms indicate

What do you use for a cleaning solvent when cleaning your reels?

Simple Green or Dawn and hot water for all but the bearings and acetone with an alcohol rinse for those.

Once a year is too often for some of my reels. 

Simple Green or Dawn and hot water for all but the bearings and acetone with an alcohol rinse for those.

 

Thanks DVT.

 

I've been using just alcohol, but after messing up our dinette table top with a spill (that's a story for another time), I thought I'd better find something else.  When I was younger I used carbon tetrachloride to clean my model plane engines and reels.  It was a good grease cutter, dried quickly and cleanly.  The alcohol I have now leaves little droplets of what I think is water.  I can't find carbon tetrachloride any longer, somebody told me it was taken off the market in the US.

 

Is there anything on the market that would work without the smell, my wife grudgingly puts up with the smell of alcohol but really gets vocal when I use finishes and thinners in my wood shop, the HVAC system pulls the odors throughout the house.   After the table top (I was really in the dog house) I think I'm relegated to the back yard for any activity that involves solvents.

 

With my level of fishing, I strip down my reels once a year in the winter and do a complete cleaning, inspection, and lube; the rest of the year I just clean the outside and lube the level wind worm gear or whatever is called for.

i hardly do maintenance on any of my reels and they all see salt/fresh use...never any problems

I think I lubed my Shakespeare spinning reel that I've had for 20+ years once, and a Quantum spinning reel nearly as old maybe twice.  I bought BPS Tournament Pro a couple years ago because I promised myself I'd learn to use one, haven't touched that one, but will at least once a year.  

I lube my reels with a moly paste mixed with a little oil the minute I purchase them.

Moly,

Eliminates all wear

Reduces friction

Fights corrosion

Prevents galling

My fishing reels should last a longtime.

Remember a noisy reel sends noise down the line into the water like a guitar string.

Once or twice a year depending of if they're the heavily used reels or the not-so-much reels. As performance indicates after that.

Whenever they need it.