By Joe Solmo

With fly-fishing reels costing anywhere from thirty bucks to several hundred dollars, taking some precautions now will make that investment last a lot longer. Even with a sealed drag system, material such as sand, grit, and dirt can damage your fly-fishing reels and cause the life expectancy of your investment to plummet. To avoid this, here are a few simple tips you can use to make that reel last as long as possible.

Creating good habits now will help you avoid that costly replacement in the future. When walking the bank looking for that monster trout, try to keep the reel end up and away from rocks, branches, or any other obstacles you could ding it on that us fly fishermen have to deal with. A nick on the reel gives a place for corrosion to gain a foothold, then it’s just a matter of time before you will have to replace it. Also, when changing flies, tuck the rod under your arm to balance the reel out behind you, and not down on the muddy bank or river bottom. Rinse the reel when you are done fishing, even in freshwater. Grit could have made its way into the bearings. Take out the spool and rinse out all the little nooks and crannies that make up a fly-fishing reel. Just make sure to let it dry fully before reassembling, so you don’t trap moisture inside. If you are fishing saltwater make sure to rinse that reel out as soon as possible to make that reel last.            

At the end of the season make sure to properly care for you reel before putting it away. Take the line and backing off so that they don’t gain a memory and end up twisting on you next season. Giving the reel a good clean out and lube job will go a long way. Also don’t forget to release the drag, this will give the washers time to decompress and increase the life of the drag that will help your reel continue to get those fish for many more seasons.  

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