reel maintenance

it's a small enough group so we can do this.  if you will tell me which reel you fish with, i will get you a link to the schematics and a list/source of common parts that you might need, plus a description of any needed upgrades and maintenance requirements.  this would obviously never work on coastside, but it will work here.  

at some point i will post photos as well, but for now, just send me a pm with a list of reels.   i will start with kevin's progear classic series 550....



progear classic series 500/550 -

description - typically, i buy gear for the boat.  when i bought my first progear classic series 500, i bought it for me!  it's a beautiful reel and it's put together the way i would build a reel.  it has grease on the drags, grease in all the screw holes and lube in the bearings.  it also has a full aluminum spool and chassis, all stainless steel gut and an oversized handle.  
 
initial upgrade - pull the two small frame screws that hold the right side plate.  remove the side plate.  place two small beads of grease in the screw holes anyway.  now you need one of those small oil dispensers with a looonnnggg needle tip.  dump out the oil and fill it with corrosion x.  remove the spool.  add two drops of corrosion x to the right and left side bearings and to both ends of the shaft of the spool.  add a drop of corrosion x to the handle arm.  reassemble the reel.  spool the reel, set the drags to the desired drag setting and leave them there.

maintenance - you need three addtional things here.  one is a berkeley line stripper, two is a small air compressor ($100 at home depot), and three is a bulk spool of line.  after every trip, strip all the line off the reel and throw it away.  shoot your reel with water and blow out all the excess moisture with compressed air.   if your reel goes for a swim, remove the right side plate screws and separate your reel into three pieces, the frame, the spool and the right side plate.  hose everything out, blow out the excess moisture with compressed air, and relube the bearings and handle with corrosion x.  now respool your line with fresh mono.  what was that????  i thought i heard a sturgeon calling.    yes, fresh mono every time.  this is not a place to skimp.  this will also prevent corrosion from forming on the spool.  

there is a old calvary principle, "first the horse, then the gun, then the man."  your kill has to be tended to first.  after that, take care of the kayak and get it ready for the next trip.  next comes your fishing gear.  then you can head for the shower....
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I was thinking of putting spectra backing because it tends to hold up better than mono.  I was thinking in the long run this could be more cost effective.

with these small reel, i think it takes more time to tie on the bimini and albright than it would to respool the whole thing.  plus, you will have to leave the spectra on and salt water will get underneath.

don't even think of the cost.  mono is cheap.  use it once and throw it away.  i know everyone has the same concern, but it is an important thing that all of you have to get past.  use mono one time and then throw it away.

Would leaving spectra on a plastic spool be ok?  They don't corrode.  The spectra I caught my sturgeon on has been catching big fish for almost 2 years.  I just strip off about 20 feet every time I go out to get ridd of any nicks and abrasions in the line.

no problem with corrosion and plastic spools, but i would be concerned about a plastic spool literally exploding under too much drag.  another concern is about spectra for a main line.  it's hard for me to tell when spectra is nicked.  i lost a big fish that way.  i can tell when mono is abraded, but not spectra.

Alan,
I have a Avet SX5 spooled with 25# spectra.  I don't have any gear to unspool and spool the line.  If I flush the reel and spool with fresh water every time I go out, how long do you think I could safely get away with not tearing down the reel and putting fresh line on?

ken

don't get me wrong, it's not like this will be instant death.  corrosion has been enough of a concern that somebody made a "spectra washer," but even if you do nothing, it isn't too bad.  what i do on my long range reels is to put a double layer of black electrical tape on the arbor, then a little teflon grease on the sides of the spool, then spool up the spectra and forget about it.  

btw, you need the tape so that the spectra doesn't slip on the spool.

When it's getting pretty worn, spectra gets a fuzzy look to it due to broken strands that stick out.  If I see that, I trim it down to nice sleek line.  The low strech of the stuff can make it less forgiving than mono because a fish can pull it tight and snap it in only a few inches, wheras mono will strech 10% of it's length before it'll break.

I really love the sensitivity.  With a high-low rig with a bank sinker on the bottom, you can feel the bottom of the sinker hit the bottom with a *thud*, then a second *thud* when the sinker falls on it's side.

I'm a spectra fan as well.  Like PS, I like to be able to feel every rub, every pebble I drag across, every tiny nibble, and when I'm ready to set the hook, I don't have to swing that hard to make the set.  Of course, you need a good flexible rod to make up for not having the shock absorbing stretch of mono, but to me, it's worth it.

But, what I really like best about spectra is it's thin diameter.  It's ideal for trolling from a kayak and deep water mooching or jigging.

If you ever ask the Cuanang Brothers (local sturgeon gurus) what line they recommend for sturgeon.... it'll be spectra.

On the downside, spectra is a real bitch when it gets all wrapped up and tangled.  That's when I wish I had mono instead.