Set the hook on a good size bass and really couldn't reel it in because there is a gap where it doesn't spool in and then when it finally does catch it kind of locks up. It will look much more minor here without much pressure, but with weight on end of the line it was so bad I almost lost the fish and couldn't use the reel anymore afterwards. It seems. Like something is stripped somewhere. 

 

 

Something is obviously wrong but without disassembly any diagnosis would be a guess. If it's new enough do a warranty claim. If you'd like to send it in remember to supply your screen name to receive a BassResource.com member discount. 

i found a youtube video and took the entire reel apart.  it was so dirty and greasy!  it's been 1.5yrs (out of warranty) and it gets 1 to 3 uses a week in that time, so it's definitely time to clean it.  i found the issue was the main gear, about 25% of it's teeth had been shattered.  i ordered a new one for $8.  couple of questions on the reinstall and lubing the internals:

 

1. everyone seems to have a different opinion on grease vs. oil/lube.  what should i buy and where should i put either/both and on which parts of the reel?  the video i saw rubbed grease on all of the internal moving parts, and then greased the action on the bail to open and close.  is that right or can i just oil everything and not use grease at all?

 

2. apparently i lost the silicone washers for the screws that attach the outside of the reel to the body.  what i've read is that these prevent water from getting in to the internals.  could i use something like waterproof silicone loctite to seal these up when i put the reel back together?  or would it be OK without them?  i'm not sure how much water they really keep out.  i only freshwater fish with it, and i'm never dunking it in the water or anything so i doubt that much water would really penetrate in either scenario.

 

thanks for the help.

Use  Marine grease on gears and gear oil bath for bearings and hinges. Grease the edge of the body plate before mating them together. You can dab grease in the screw holes if you want but no need to stress over it. Even with that level of use those gears should not have failed. Take a look st your practices to see if some sort of user error contributed. 

It’s a bummer that’s out of warranty. Those reels are solid. Caught a skate this summer with mine (5000 size) that took me 27 minutes to land. I had to estimate the weight, but I’m willing to bet it was easily over 30lbs. The wingspan on it was 3.5ft. Reel performed flawlessly throughout the fight. No issues with it since then. Hard to believe that it wasn’t a manufacturing defect that led to the teeth getting broken off the gear. 

i remember setting the hook and reeling in and immediately felt that thing slipping.  i'm not sure really what went wrong.  i've caught a lot of bass with that reel and feel like i'm an OK angler.  perhaps it's just one of those random coincidences where a reel fails.