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Last trip down I bought a Penn Battle 6000 for pier and surf fishing. Reel is great and performed well. I religiously washed it with fresh water after each trip. Pulled it out of my case now 3 weeks later and feels gritty. I pulled it apart, washed out and lubed it and it is better, but still not like new. Is there anything I can do to better maintain my reel?
[quote author=BluesCityTider link=topic=1168.msg11470#msg11470 date=1337555401]
... Is there anything I can do to better maintain my reel?
[/quote]
Quit washing it?
IF my tackle doesn't get IN the sand, I don't give it any special treatment.
IMHO more tackle is ruined by 'washing' salt and sand into it than off of it.
Take the time to wipe off any saltspray or sand with a paper towel.
IF you have to use water, use a fine mist not a forceful hose ;-)
I always spray them down, but if you it gets into the sand you are going to have to take it apart and clean it out. You may want to play with the gear too because when you take it apart it messes with the wear pattern and takes a little while to even out. (Learned that with my shimano reels especially.) You may want to double check the bearings and make sure there's no sand in them, and add a little oil too. Really grease it up good and that will help prevent intrusion too.
The real down side to surf fishin is that the sand will pack itself into every crack and crevice there is, on both you and your reels.
2 problems: salt and sand.
For salt, you need to wash the rods and reels with warm soapy water. May also want to use a salt remover. Plain water only does 1/2 the job. Gotta usee soap or salt remover.
Sand: Like others noted, sand gets into everything. After washing the reels, take the spools off and brush out the sand from under them. Brush any sand our of the handles, nooks, holes, etc.... An old toothbrush works great.
Proper maintenance and your gear will last a long time.