There are a few things anglers know not to neglect or it will come back and bite them in the butt.  Number one is their wives.  You do not forget their birthdays or your wedding anniversary if you ever want to put that boat out on the lake again.  Number two is their truck.  It’s simply; you got to have the truck running to get the boat in the lake.  Number three is the house.  While some anglers invest more money in their truck than their house, anglers will work or repair their house all week just so they can have the weekend free to go fishing with their buddies.  Number four is their boat engine.  Boat engines can be temperamental at best, so anglers pay close attention for strange noises and take it to the shop at the slightest indication of problems.  Even though anglers would never neglect their wives, trucks, houses, or their boat engine, it not uncommon for anglers to abuse and ignore their fishing reels.  The majority of these neglected reels will literately fall apart with no regular maintenance and care.  Reel maintenance and care can be done at home or reels can be taken to a reel repair shop. Every angler should get in the habit of doing regular reel maintenance to increase the performance and lifespan of their reels.  The majority of reels are simple to disassemble, clean, and lubricate.  If in doubt, an angler should always follow the Owner’s Manual instructions when disassembling and reassembling their reels.  One trick when disassembling is to keep all of the reel parts separate in an ice cube tray.  Just remember to keep the parts in the order in which you disassembled it in.  Anglers can purchase all of the tools and materials necessary for reel cleaning online or in their local tackle store.  Another option is to purchase a reel cleaning kit.  One company, Ardent Reels (http://www.ardentoutdoors.com/), offers a Reel Cleaning Kit, aka Reel Kleen Cleaning Kit, which has everything needed for complete reel care and maintenance, in addition to being small enough for storing in your boat or a tackle box.  The other option an angler has is to purchase cleaning materials separately.  Again, Ardent offers a wide variety of products including Reel Butter Bearing Lube, Reel Butter Oil, Reel Butter Grease, Reel Kleen Cleaner, Reel Kleen Swabs, and a Reel Butter Lubrication Pack.

The following is general instructions for cleaning and lubricating your reel that will result in a longer lifespan and increased performance of your reels.  Begin by checking the Owner’s Manual for instructions to exposed gears, wear points, and the worm shaft.  All gears, wear points, spots that are dirty, and the worm shaft should be sprayed with Reel Kleen Degreaser.  The Reel Kleen Degreaser should be left on for one to two minutes to break up the old dirt and grease.  Then Swabs and a Brush should be used to remove dirt and grease from the reel.  Gears, wear points, and the worm shaft should have a liberal amount of Reel Butter Grease applied.  The spool shaft and expose bearings should be removed.  One or two drops of Reel Butter Oil should be applied to the side of each bearing and allowed to penetrate into the bearing.  Once done, the reel should be reassembled and wiped clean with a silicone cloth.

Any angler can do all the regular maintenance and care for their fishing reels.  It’s quick and easy to do with no special tools required.  With a number of reels costing over $200 or more, anglers are finding that taking care and doing regular maintenance will extend the lifespan of their reels and money in their pockets.