Basic Spinning Reel Maintenance

I have a problem with all my reels. Every time I wind in the line there is no fish attached!

Took my brand new Battle II 5000 for a spin yesterday for the very first time and I hooked a 20lb yellowtail using a Ugly Stik X2 (medium hard) rod youtube.com/post/UgkxM68VkfsQhHaabDce1IwOCXuvumcpb… . This combo was recommended on some website and it did not disappoint me. The reel is smooth, the drag click is pretty cool cause i think it adds to the excitement of fighting the fish, personally the drag is my favorite part. I use braid and 300 yards will fill the entire spool. This combo is my main setup from now on although I have to disclose I am new to fishing.

Thank you for the instruction Sir. My reel was running crunchy and I was about to put it in the circular file. With just a half hour and stuff I already had I have it running as smooth as new.

I started watching some videos on YouTube on how to oil / maintenance spinning reels, and only 1 of the many videos address removing and lubricating the line roller (on the bail). I started to clean my reels and did not intend on doing this extra step; primarily because I didn't think any of my reels had bearings in that area. Come to find out, their are reels that do have bearings in the line roller and some that just use lubricated plastic washers. Anyhow, I ended up removing the line roller on one of my reels, and low and behold, it was rusted beyond belief. After seeing that, I decided to take apart the line roller on the rest of my reels, and the same thing had occurred on every reel. I actually had to use an impact driver on two of the line rollers, just to get the screw out. I could not get them out by hand and did not want to risk stripping the screws. One screw did end up breaking. So that's how stuck it was in there. The point of this is that, I don't think enough people are addressing maintaining the line roller. This will now be the 1st thing I maintain on my reels before anything else. I am almost certain that the reason this happens, is because the line roller is the one part of the rod that is exposed to the most salt. When you think about it, every time you cast your line out into the water, your line gets coated with salt water. That salt water is then transferred to the line roller, and any residual amount transfers to the bearings (if any) of the line roller. Check your reels for this and I'm pretty sure you'll be surprised at what you find. This issue creates resistance that can be felt when reeling in smaller fish; and proper maintenance of the line roller will allow your line to roll with the line roller, instead of against it. After I lubricated all of my line rollers, I then took a rubber band, cut it and ran it back and forth across the line roller (in a V shape) to make sure it was properly lubricated.

I'm thinking of getting a new rod after 20 years of using a spincast. I've never cleaned it or done anything to it and it has lasted all this time without any problems (until now). I'm beginning to think I've been very fortunate that it has lasted so long.

Thanks For your time in making this vid. Tonight i plan on cleaning my 2 spinning reels and poles and while im at it im gonna respool my spinning reel. Now During the Off Season so i can prolong the health my of 3 year old penn persuit 3 spinning reels.

Thanks for this I wanted to keep it simple and this is a huge help for a novice like me

Thank you, RealCleanServices. You didn't touch on my problem but you have excellent camera abilities so I was able to see the answer to my problem. I was wondering what direction the gear on the top of the shaft goes and I was able to see it goes the slightly cupped part pointing down.

its a simple thing to do but not everyone do like this... good video....

I like to take apart the bail system and oil/grease the rotating portion and also the handle I’ve seen both corrode! Ardent grease is all I use now it’s a bit more viscous than most I just think you need less to cover areas I’m not a fan of heavy grease! Great video be careful with that power drill a screwdriver is s great invention!

Great vid and some very good info but I think wd-40 or pb blaster penetrating oil or anything aerosol is to thin and does not last long at all. I use a low weight motor oil and even grease if I have it handy. It lasts much longer and you can be very precise with the amount you use bc it pours very slow. I filled an old visine bottle with motor oil and it dispenses one drop at a time exactly where you want it. Very handy and you can toss it in your fishing bag or in your boat and have it readily available Incase you or aa fishing buddy need it while your on the water

Went straight to comments to post when i saw wd40 on the screen

My cheapie didn't have a gear turning the reciprocating block. Instead it has an arm on the outer gear that moves the block back and forth as you turned the handle. Sort of like a piston rod. Since it fell out when I opened the housing, I had to figure out that the hole in the end of the rod fitted over a protrusion in the reciprocating block (which rode on a shaft that I oiled).

Cool vid but just one thing: at 6:00 you said "it helps if you know what your doing cause you can take the roller apart, clean it and grease the bearing"- in my experience it is absolutely crucial step as this is the bit where most of the reels (especially budget ones) fail if you fish in saltwater.

I use rainnex on the out side of my reels and inside the reel bail works great

My reel also same what you have showed in this video good. I learned some thing how to service my reel individually thanks for the video.

Don’t use WD40.

I'm just a weekend angler..... a very good video, thanks very very much. ,

Nice work. I like to dip the tip of the screws in oil or grease before putting them back in👍

6:18 real is six years old 13:48 real is four years old 6:48 didn't know the handle didn't screw off 7:52 didn't know one screw was shorter And you have cleaned this real how many times?