Evening in Drag
*Some drags are designed to be dry; adding any lube may severely hamper performance. Please consult your owners manual.
Playing with the gar in the pond this evening, the drag on my ulralight spinning reel started to stutter. When using light tackle, the drag has to operate smoothly, or else the line snaps. Its an easy fix, takes about 5 minutes.
Remove the reel from the rod
Unscrew the drag cap from the spool, and remove the spool from the reel spindle.
Pry the retaining clip out of it's groove, but not out of the spool. It's a spring, it'll pop loose and disappear across the room.
Using a needlenose plier rotate the clip in, up and out. This way you control the spring and it won't escape.
Removing the drag washers one at a time, in sequence, lay them out in order of removal, and in position of removal
Wipe each washer and the interior of the spool clean. Remembering which side of each washer is up!
I apply a drop of silicon reel lube to my fingertip and coat each drag washer very lightly as I reinstall it back into the spool's drag well, in the reverse order of it's removal. Last out, first back in. Even the felt washers get a dab of lube. The lube just coats the washers, not soaks them or drips.
Once all the washers are reinstalled, the wire clip is pressed back in
And seated back into the retention groove.
Rotate and slide the spool back onto the spindle and thread the drag cap back in place.
Snug the drag cap, but not tight, ready for next fishing trip. When using light tackle on fairly large fish, the drag has to feed line smooth and easy, or the sudden surges from the fish will pop the line.
Basic rule of thumb when it comes to spinning reel drags, those with teflon spacer washers require no lubricant, just regular cleaning, those with felt spacer washers a dab of silicon lube is a good thing. But the most important thing is when the drag starts to bind and stutter, disassemble and wipe everything clean. Also there are dry lubricants specifically for some drags. Check the manual or manufacturers site for instructions.
Review by: brett
Date posted: 08/25/09
