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3. Wet Reels

I know for baitcasters and spinning reels it's bad for the reel to get wet. You have to break it down, clean it, and re-oil or lubricate it.

I've noticed a lot of people let their fly reel get in the water often. Is this just not a concern with fly reels?

gee, i guess fly reels are simpler.
if i couldn't drop the rod into the stream, retrieve it, hook a fish, take the reel apart with one hand to get the sand out (all while keeping the fish on), put it back together, and land the fish, it just wouldn't be fly fishing.
yep, i can be a little clumsy at times...i have done the above more than once

Im sure its best for the rell to not get wet under any circumstances but is not too realistic when wading

While I agree, this is a bit like saying it's best for your car to not get any road debris on it. It's going to happen and will continue to function properly after it does. As a matter of fact, it's designed to handle it. Years of it happening will show wear, but is unlikely to cause functional problems. The only time it's an issue is when it's below freezing. Then you will lose functionality in a jiffy. Just my experience anyway.

I can't tell if you're being sarcastic or being serious.

If sand gets in it, it will definitely affect its performance. I usually do a gentle wipe down to remove sand and/or debris and then put a drop or 2 of oil on mine after each outing

A few years back I hooked an 18" Brown on the North Branch of the Au Sable during Brown Drakes...JohnW from PA was with me on a visit...It jumped over an old wooden deflector that goes back to the CCC days and flipped around in the black muck that had accumulated there since the 30's! I laid my rod down on the defector to unhook this fish and when I had let the fish go I noticed my rod etc had fallen off the wood and into the muck...I was done for the night...After a good bath and some fresh Hardy grease and line cleaning she was good as new!

A little dunking usually is no problem, but if you get sand and muck inside the reel it is best to do nothing with it until you have cleaned all that out...When you try to reel and it sticks or sounds like gritty sandpaper stop...

When its not been too bad I have dunked the reel and washed the crap out of it one the river. Maybe pull the spool out and see whats going on inside there...

Casey...How you been?

Spence

TedderX - Serious. I'll only be sarcastic over written media if the receiver knows I'm a sarcastic asshole.


Agreed. It's one of the main benefits (for someone who is rough on gear) of using a reel with a fully sealed drag.

If it harmed reels getting them wet, mine would all be junk. The grit situation is real, I have picked up my gear after landing a fish and the spool didn't even turn, but a quick dunk back in the fast moving drink gets her smooth again.

Kschefer3's car analogy is perfect, you may not love getting it wet, but believe me it is designed to and will function properly wet or dry. CJ

TedderX wrote;



I've never read anywhere it's bad for bait casters and spinning reels to get wet. When I spin for smallmouth or steelhead I get my spinning reel wet often and never think a thing about it and surely don't do any maintenance when the day is over. Now I'm talking about fishing in freshwater. It is an entirely different story if you are using any reel in salt water. I once ruined a good Plueger President because I forgot to rinse it out in fresh water after fishing. The salt deposits in the inner workings of the reel and can corrode the metal components.

Fly fisherman often get there reels wet and especially if they are dry fly fishers and are waiting for a fish to rise and are just standing in the water with there rod arm hanging down. If the water is thigh deep the reel is going to be in the water. In my experience of fly fishing for well over fifty years I have never had an issue with my reels getting wet.

Here is a great solution to help you keep your reels high and dry and protected from any debris. Not to mention it is super convenient when you just need an extra hand.

This is the Dragonfly Rod Holder from O'Pros. Check it out here: http://bit.ly/2b7d5Gt

This might be worth getting! Only thing is, would only be effective in water less than waist deep

If you are fishing in freshwater it does not matter if the reel gets wet! It will have no adverse effect on the reel unless your reel is made out of wood, paper, or some material soluble in water. As I mentioned earlier my reel spends most of each fishing day fully submerged and when I go to make a cast it performs exactly the same as if it had not been underwater.

Those rod holsters might be good if you want to have a picture taken or are changing a fly but in my opinion they look goofy and I wouldn't want to be seen wearing one.

I'd agree with Matt, I've dropped (gently!) or intentionally had my reel in fresh water pretty much every time I wade; the caveat I follow is to watch for rocks and try to NEVER drop or set the reel end of a rod in sand. And as Casey so aptly states, sometimes a reel has to be field-stripped on-stream just because!

The reel lube I use pretty much repels any and all water anyway, and I simply pull the spool and check things over, dry it out when I'm home or back @ camp. Also a good time to strip the line through a folded, soft cloth and then my Glide Dressing box when re-spooling it.

BTW the lube is left over from my bait-casting days- Abu Garcia stuff in small white tubes, every reel came with a couple and a little goes a long way.

just my 2-cents,

Roguerat

'Less is more...'

Ludwig Mies Vande Rohe

It was amusing to read this comment because I too have had a little 3/8 oz tube of Lubriplate for at least 30, maybe 40, years. It is a white grease that I put on the innards of my spinning reels and I always put a drop on the spindles, and pawls, of all my Hardy Lightweight series reels in the spring. I also put it on the spindles of all my newer disc drag reels, even the ones that say "lubricated for life".

Matt-

some things just never seem to get old, and I'll use my reel lube until its gone...then miss it.

I read Waterlines in the latest issue of AA and it had me smiling the whole while...an older angler, time-tested basics, and a simpler way of doing things. Less really can be more.

Roguerat

ps- I'll rustle up my Lubriplate, I've used it to 'waterproof' my trailer pigtail for years and I'll gladly make use of your wisdom in its efficacy as reel lube. Tight lines!

Just a little historical perspective here...Lubriplate was the commercial name for the very same grease that was issued with M1 Garand rifles in WWII and Korea. Must be pretty good stuff if the military relied on it!

Jonathon