surf rescue!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

no. no. no!  not you!  your fishing reels!!!!!!!   

hmmmmm.  they weren't this steep this morning. 

you're watching the sets as they break, looking for a gap.  you're thinking to yourself, "why didn't i come in an hour ago????"  you see your chance.  you start to paddle.  a swell starts to lift you up.  you think to yourself, do i go for it?  hell, why not.  i can land this tub!   so you paddle faster.  and faster.  and faster....  you start humming the hawaii 5-0 song.  then you hear it.  that crush of white water.  it's behind you.  it's gaining.  you paddle faster but the white water is all around you.  you lean back but you can't keep the bow up. the bow get's driven into the water and you get turned sideways ever so slightly.  and then you roll....

you close your eyes.  darkness.  a dull roar.  cold is seeping in around your neck.  your only thought, "air!"  you break the surface.  friends are pointing and laughing at you from the beach.  the yak is upside down.  some gear is floating, some is lost.  good thing the rod and reel were lashed down and the paddle was on a leash.  your friends are in the water to help you.  bastards!  they're still laughing.  now they're shoving things into their jacket pockets.  finders, keepers. yeah, welcome to ncka!

back on the beach, drying off.  magically, all of your gear is recovered.  you pick up your reel, turn the handle and you feel "crunch, crunch, crunch...".    

so what do you do about your reels after a botched landing?  sand gets into everything.  salt water, too!  stainless needs at least 24 hours to rust.  obviously, rinse it out.  but what's the first thing?  DON'T TURN THE HANDLE!!!!!!  sand gets into the gears and it will mess up the teeth.  go a head and stow you gear in the truck and drive home at your leisure.  when you get home, toss the reel into a bucket of water and finish cleaning up.  when you're all done, grab the water hose.  if you have an ambassaduer, shimano or some of penns or daiwas, the side plate comes off cleanly with just 2-3 screws and nothing goes boing!  blast away with the hose, then give the handle a slight crank.  more "crunch?"  blast away some more.  keep at it until it's gone. 

but that's after the trip.  what about before?  sand sticks to grease.  don't grease the gears, only inside the screw holes and between metal surfaces.  you want greased carbon fiber drag washers.  you want open bearings that are lubed with corrosion x.  lube everything else with corrosion x as well, handle, level wind assembly, thumb bar.    let's take care of all these fancy reels that you guys are using.  better yet, get a reel that is better suited to your specific type of fishing.

OK...OK....folks....that was me that Alan was talking about. When I did  my "yard sale" on the Bolinas shoreline, I did a STUPID thing and got a little cocky....before I launched with Vince, I said to myself "I've launched in bigger conditions than this....I don't need to stow my gear inside my hatch" Sure enough, The 4th wave took me out - the one smart thing I did was that I leashed everything  (a lesson I learned from Loch Lamond but let's not talk about that anymore ) Anyway, stupid thing I did (#2) was that I launched again - and made it out this time around - but as soon as I started fishing, the reels were full of sand  One of reels wasn't too bad (this is where Alan looses it  ) so I continued to fish with it  At the end of the day, got advice from Stu and soaked both reels in warm water for 5 minutes (two rounds) - saw some sand come out of the reels. I then called gave Alan an emergency 911 rescue call (I have him on speed dial - just like Ono Hawaiian Grill ) and and explained what had happened.......believe me, I felt like the son who took the car out on a joy ride - and didn't tell Pop - and ended up rear ending the Sheriffs cruiser  Alan was kind enough to take care of the situation and a few days later and with a very reasonable amount of bling bling, my reels were back in great shape 

Many thanks to Mr. Alan Tani = YOU ROCK BABY 

  better yet, get a reel that is better suited to your specific type of fishing.

Got any suggestions? I asked one of the local guys near me about a reel that would take a beating, handle wet salty conditions and survive possible sand baths. Once I explained kayak fishing and surf launches to him, he suggested Kmart or garage sales (reels on the cheap) and just throw them away as they get killed. Not really what I had in mind. 

Jeff

I believe that Alan is a big fan of the Penn 501 for kayakers. Narrow spool, plain bearings. A total KISS reel. No longer manufactured...


Scott

no bearings at all in fact.  bushings. you can get a 501 on ebay (some are pretty tricked out), or get a 501 kit (narrow spool) to transform a 500.

you can get 500's in left or right hand versions with some effort, I don't know if the conversion kit works for both.

http://www.scottsbt.com/catalog/store/KIT500-501-Conversion-Kit-500-to-501-Save-400-P68082C6014.aspx

the purported downside of this reel is spectra can get caught between frame and spool and they relatively heavy.

John,

The definition of a "plain bearing" is essentially a bushing. As in the main bearings in most automotive engines are "plain bearings". i.e, they are not roller or ball bearings. But they do withstand a load. Hence the name "bearing".

A bushing is a piece of material that fits in a hole of one size, not even necessarily round, and makes it smaller. Bushing does not always imply bearing though, as bearing implies taking a load, while some bushings do things like guide, or protect.

In the case of the Penn 501, the bushings are indead bearings, and vice versa.

From your local (former) machinist,
Scott

I knew I should not have skipped shop class,  .

Thanks Scott!

J