Here's a question I've been thinking about. Lets say im fishing, and bam, drop my reel in the water.

 

Is it safe to keep using it if it's an instant in-and-out dunk?

 

What if it's in for 30 seconds to a minute, perhaps while I dealt with badly hooked fish?

 

Should I remove the sideplate on a baitcaster and try to shake out the water? What if it's a spinning reel?

 

Should I stop using it and dry it the best I can when I get home and reoil it?

I just keep using it and clean it up when I get home. Unless it's dunked for a prolonged period of time I don't usually take it apart.

If it’s just a quick in and out just let it air dry as it should be fine. 
 

If it’s down for a prolonged time I’d take the spool out and let it dry. 
As soon as you can give it a rinse with clean water with low pressure. 
If it’s sticky or sluggish just re oil/grease 

 

If it feels like it’s grinding or rough it may have sand or muck in it, in that case gotta tear it down for a deeper clean. 
 

 

 

 

 

Mike

Even a few minutes won't hurt it in the short run. Just give it a good rinse and dry when you get home, but continue using it until then.

I used to wade fished a lot when I lived in Nc. My reel got dunked a lot, I just fished on. They were spinning and spincaster rigs, I hadn’t gotten in to baitcasters yet.

 

 

 

Its not really the water that hurts the reel immediately, its what's in the water.  Sediment and debris can gum up the reel and a waterlogged AR clutch can fail and drag systems can be susceptible to water.  IME sand inside the reel will cause damage quickly.

If you do dunk the reel, and you don't feel any grinding, you can probably finish the day with it, but if you do feel or hear it, stop using the reel.  

Whether the reel is in the water for a second or a minute, most fw bass reels will have some kind of water intrusion.  Once you get home, its a good practice to purge all the old grease and deep clean the reel. 

My sons spinning rod combo w/Stradic reel was accidentally knock overboard.

I snagged it after a few minutes in 30’ of water retrieving it, pulled the spool and shake any water out, installed the spool and it worked normally. When I got home took the side plate off and no evidence of water got inside! Still cleaned and grease gears and a few drops of oil , no issue.

Bait casting reels I stop using it and clean it later.

Tom 

When I was a teenager I would wade creeks several times a week.   First thing I would do as I waded into a creek was dunk my spinning reel.   I was never arrested and I caught lots of fish.  😁

If the water is muddy I'll pour a little drinking water over a casting reel. If I don't have a bottle of water I'll just wait until I get home to mess with it. I'm not wasting any beer trying to clean a dirty reel. 

And Pepsi or Coke is too acidic. Ever cover a little chunk of raw meat with some Pepsi or Coke and leave it overnight? It eats it.

A dunk in relatively clear water isn’t catastrophic. If the water is silty, sandy or it lays on bottom for an extended period I recommend a deep cleaning. Otherwise, a clean water rinse, air dry and lubricate whatever parts you can access readily. 

I appreciate everyones insight. I actually had a slight dunk just a couple days ago. About half of my reel was in a puddle as I dealt with a fish. I took the side plate off and the spool out to check out how much water was in there. Not much, but a bit, and I blew it out and dried it with a hanky and got back to fishing.