reel got wet-need help

[samiman]

my curado 100 took a quick dip. i would appreciate any advise or information on how to clean it up. thanks-sam

[ChuckE]

samiman,
Did the reel take a dunk in freshwater or saltwater, since that will make a difference? In the mean time, remove the palm plate and pull the spool out. More to follow after I hear what it was dunked in.

Chuck

[samiman]

chuch, it went in fresh water just long enough to get wet. i haven't opened it up yet and was hoping there was a previous post or web-site that could some help. i don't want to load it up with oil and grease and have to clean it again. sam

[ChuckE]

Sam,
Freshwater is a lot better than salt water. It also sounds like it just happened and sounds like you might have oiled and greased it recently, which is good too.

If you remove the spool and palm plate and just loosen the other side frame plate to expose a small opening in the side of the reel, you may be able to shake any excess water from the reel. Then I would take a hair dryer and blow air on the reel to dry it out. Use a warm setting (not hot) on the hair dryer and blow air in the small opening, palm plate, etc. to help things dry out. Once you figure things are dried out, tighten the frame plate up, and reinstall the spool and palm plate.

Take it out and give it a few casts with a practice plug in the yard, to exercise the parts inside the reel. You may find you need to put a drop of oil on each spool bearing, maybe not.

Do not store the reel for a couple days in a pouch or bag, instead leave it exposed in open air. That should do it.

Good Luck

Chuck

[sunnyjim]

I had a symetry go under for 2 minutes this summer. At first I thought it was screwed. But after it dried out for a day or so,all was well. God bless Shimanos!!

[ChuckE]

sunnyjim,
A buddy of mine had a Daiwa combo get knocked off the deck of his boat while we were in Canada this year. Unfortunately his boat was in 30' of water, but they dragged the bottom with their jigs anyway for a good hour before they finally got lucky and brought it up. He thought it was screwed, but I tore it down when everyone got back to the cabin that evening.

He had just serviced the reel before the trip. He knew the reel would see a lot of heavy use, since it his #1 rod up there. He had gone a little heavier on the Hot Sauce grease, and did a good job on the bearings and other friction points. When I opened the reel a whole lot of water poured out of the handle side of the reel, but everything looked great. We shook it out good and set the frame, palm plate and spool in front of a fan over night, and I put it back together the next morning after checking it out -- everything still looked great. He took it down to the dock and made a few casts and the reel worked like normal except the spool bearings needed a drop of oil. It goes to show you that keeping the reel greased can help preclude problems when the unexpected happens. I use grease on everything except spool bearings -- and I doubt you'll ever convince me to use anything less after seeing that.

Chuck

[Gun Doc]

Gee whiz, guys! I wade fish salt water. If I dunk a reel (it happens) I tear it down and give it full service. But, I don't run back to the boat (unless it is really close.) I keep fishing. If the bearings rust from that little bit, then that reel truly needs upgraded bearings. If a reel cannot put up with the short time of salt in other ways, it isn't the reel for me. .

[Flippin Pigs]

who cares if it gets wet....its just water....anyone ever fish in the rain?

my reels get wet all the time, i have never done a thing about it...sometimes i dunk them on purpose....i dont see what the problem is.

[Sir Hacksalot]

You guys are frightening me a bit...or at least making me feel like an abusive 'parent' or something.

I fish primarily out of a kayak, and have dunked every reel I have numerous times...in saltwater, marsh mud, and just about any other gunk you can think of.

I have yet to tear my reels down and 'service' them...I just get the crud off, and keep fishing.

When I get home, I tighten the drags as tight as I can, and hose them off with a fine spray of water and some dishsoap, wipe down, and then hose off again...shake dry, and then let it go.

While I am new to supertuning and using higher end gear...I have never had a reel fail on me.

FYI...my spinning reel is a CHEAP Shimano Slade 4000 (I view it as disposable...), a Shimano Citica 200D, a Garcia 5500C3, and a 5600C4.

None of them have suffered in terms of performance...at all.

Later this month, when things really slow down, I'll tear them down and service them.

Hax

[skinhead]

At some time all of my baitcast reels have been drowned. On returning home sideplates & spools are removed, they get a thorough rinsing in the shower and are dried with paper kitchen towel and a hair drier. They then sit in a heated linen cupboard for a couple of days. Bearings get a touch of oil and away we go.

[ChuckE]

Geez guys, I didn't want to get anyone worried if they dunk a reel. Sorry if it sounded like I was ringing the alarm button.



Chuck

[RojoKayako]

Well, if all your reel did was get dunked "...just lng enough to get wet", then I wouldn't worry about it at all. For example, every summer, I wadefish the intensely-saline waters of the Gulf of Mexico - up to my chest in water. About everytime I remove a fish from my line, or move from one sandbar to a deeper one, my Curado gets dunked: exposed to very salty water and fine sediment. At the end of the day, I will service the reel (apply oil to joints and spool bearings - and some grease to the line-guide) and open the palm-side sideplate to that the water can evaporate.

About every 4-5 trips, I'll open the handle-side sideplate and apply some fresh grease and re-oil the internal bearings. I've yet to find any dirt or sand inside.

Hope this helps.

Rojo

BTW, for your amusement, here's an article about a guy who has performed some experiments with his Shimanos in the Surf. Pretty funny read.

http://www.coastalfishing.org/articles/reels031503.htm