Best Reel Lubricant?

[shadow745]

 >:DHey guys, how's it going? I have 2 different lubricants that I can use in my baitcasters, Hot Sauce (oil and grease) and Reel Saver (oil and grease), and would like to know which one you would prefer and why. Thanks for any replies!

[Mike Cork]

Shadow,

Great question! I will be looking forward to others post on this one!!!

I don't use either of those. To be honest I don't know if what I use is correct but I use a Lithium based grease bought an auto parts house. I like it because it is a little thicker than most and really stays with the real. Now with that said let me give you a little background. I fish in Louisiana and two things happen here alot. One it gets very hot in the summer time and lighter lubricants tend to melt away. And Two it is very wet here and if you want to fish you must fish in the rain or you may not get out especially during the spring months and with all the water I like a thicker grease so it doesn't wash away. The only problem I have ever had is when I went up north to visit the old man in Missouri during and early spring trip the air temp was in the upper twenties and my reels felt like they had a brake on or something, of course the lubricant had gotten very stiff with the cold.

[mikemrt125]

in a related subject, When I buy a new reel the very first thing I do is to clean the reel good with WD 40, and then I fill it with regular Colgate toothe paste and put on the rell spooling machine and turn it on for about 10 or 15 min.  This will seat the gears and smooth them up. try not to get an excessive ammount of the paste on the bearings.  I then wash the reels good in hot water.  As I reassembel the reels I use the old standard WD40 again and a thin Lithium grease, I also like just plain ol Vasiline jelly.  Sounds strange but works for me.

[Mike Noble]

Don't you just dunk your reel in the lake 

[bassadict69]

It is not a regular habit but I have done that before and it works!! I am the worst about not oiling up my reels and when they start acting really cruddy a good dip usually gets me through the day until I can tear it down.

[Jared LeBlue]

While we on the subject here are a couple of tips when cleaning your reel: 1) use an egg carton to put tour parts in. This helps keep them in the order you took them apart. 2) clean all you parts very thoroughly. Hot water and an old tooth brush should do the trick. Avoid harsh cleaners because they can damage some of your parts. 3) put a very small amount of grease on the gears and areas that require grease. To much grease will keep your reel from functioning at its top capacity. Most reels come with too much grease in them but if it doesn't really bother you than don't mess withit until it's time for a good cleaning.4) if your pawl is sticking on the worm gear don't add grease or put anything behind the pawl to make it work, this will damage your worm gear. Simply go to your local tackle retailer and purchase a pawl and replace it. Putting oil on the worm gear when need will not hurt anything, in fact it helps but if the pawl is hanging up on one side just change it. 5) if you see any worn parts change them. You will find that most parts are cheap.

Keeping your reels clean and changing worn parts will extend the life of your reels and save you some money in the long run.

[Marty]

I have 9 Curados of various types and a few other reels.  I have found the Hot Sauce to be a pretty good oil, but I haven't tried the grease.  I would use either Hot Sauce, or Yellow Rocket Fuel, and that's probably about it for me.  As far as grease for gears goes, well........I have been using some stuff my employer has, that we use on high-dollar, high-performance aircraft applications & it works well for me.  Don't tell anybody though!   

Marty

[Ranger375]

Curados...my model too...love 'em.  I just drop mine into a 5 gallon bucket of lard I have laying around...if I really pack it I can get 15 of them in there...is that a bad thing?   

[Marty]

So...that's how ya'll do it in Kentucky, huh?   Well, OK, if you say so!  Since you brought up the subject, I will say this......when I was around 18 yrs old, I had a hotrod Camaro, or at least I thought it was hot ,  Anyhow, a friend & I did an engine rebuild on it.  Guess what I used to coat the cylinder walls while it was sitting there for awhile waiting for me to get enough money to get the heads out of the shop.....yep, you guessed it LARD.  From my mom's/grandma's kitchen.  All you guys from the more northern reaches of the country, and especially the younger 'uns might not even know what lard is.  I grew up in the Carolinas, though & when I was a kid lard went into almost everything we ate, one way or another.  You can't possibly make a biscuit more delicious than one made properly with lard as an ingredient.  Of course, now we all know how bad that kind of eating is for our hearts, etc. but it sure is funny how many old people I remember from back in my youth that lived well into their 90's, regardless of what their diets were like.  Hmmmm.....maybe there's more to it than we've been led to believe, huh?

Marty

[Ranger375]

Oh man...now what is funny about what you wrote is that it never dawned on me that there may be some that don't know what lard is. 

I can agree with what you said...those that lived on that stuff and lived a very long time.  I grew up with it as well...and yes in biscuits...mmm...

[Rebbasser]

1) use an egg carton to put tour parts in. This helps keep them in the order you took them apart.

Now that is a heck of an idea.  Thanks!

I started using Hot Sauce this year for the first time and have really liked the way it performed. 

[MotherNature]

1) use an egg carton to put tour parts in. This helps keep them in the order you took them apart.

Rattle,
that is a great idea! Mike lays things on a napkin as he goes and he is always lookin' for someting or another. I am gonna have to save an egg carton for him so he has all the parts right there in order. You should go up and add that one to the Tips and Techniques section!

Laurie

[Joda911]

All this sounds good, and when I lived in Texas I did some of the same things, lard and  sauces.  I found out the hard way that those things don't work well in 10 degree temps.  I sampled a product call Bull Frog Lubricant and I tell ya' it has been my only source for lubing my reels.

I also found out that it works wonders on trailer hitches too.  They have a rust-proof formula that has kept rust off my trailer hitch for over 10 years now.

[Gabby]

One thing I would warn everyone about (some may know what I am talking about) is that WD40 may be a great lubricant, but it will attract and hold dirt.  I learned this when I was working on my bike when I was a teenager.  I did find that "Gunk" - a silicon based spray - works as well or better without the dirt problem.

I cleaned my reels up with that Hot Sauce stuff, and haven't had any problems in nearly a year.  But then again, I don't fish as much as some on this board!!!

I am interested to see what FisherMOM has to say about this!

[hooked]

 
Whats that stuff Bill Dance is always shown spraying on his reels. And, why? What good is it anway?

[Mike Cork]

Reel Magic is a great temp fix. I carry a can of it in the boat and use it to get threw the day.

[Fishaholic]

I usually use a fine oil...the same oil I use to clean and lubricate my shotgun with...but the problem I have is that I fish so much, that I just plain wear the suckers out...I fish em long and hard...but all things considered, they've held up pretty well...

I'm sort of a klutz and usually manage to fall on top of my gear once or twice a year, which is kinda hard on the reels too... ...but don't tell anyone.

[Gabby]

I always get a good chuckle when my TCTC partner's reel starts clicking like one of my wife's tap classes.  I tell him "dunk it, Daniel" - and he will grab his rod tip, drop the reel in the water, and shake it around in there.

It stops that noise, that is for sure!

[hooked]

You guys are kidding...right?

Dunking your reel in the water?
Putting oil on your lines!

Won't petroleum based products, say like WD-40 scare the fish away with petroleum smell???
So what's reel magic made of???

I have thought of this , putting the FISH OIL I take a a daily vitamin supplement on my trailers as a sent.

What do you all think???

[Ron Fogelson]

People have talked about using WD-40 for years as an attractant.  Most scents are oil based of some sort, if you hit a worm with some spray look at the water shimmering rainbow colors from the over spray, oil & water don't mix.  As far as dunking your real, well I wouldn't recommend it, but if thats all you got when it starts acting up well you do what you gotta do.  However after the trip its going to need a good cleaning.

Play Nice or Die!
Fogy

[Mike Cork]

Reel Magic is a spray lubricate that I believe has a silicone base to it. Don't quote me on that. But after you spray your real with it it drys very quickly. I like it for a temp fix in the boat but it doesn't last more than a trip or two so when you get home you need to go ahead and properly clean and lube your real.

Petroleum based products are a matter of opinion as to weather a fish will shy from them or not. Take a plastic worm, most plastic worms are petroleum and many fish have been caught on a plastic worm with no scent on it. My grandpa wouldn't through a bait with out a shot of WD-40 on it. Now I must admit it helped the bait slide threw grass

If fish are in an active feeding mood they will hit just about anything that appears alive. There has been some extensive discussion on this matter in threads under Tips and Techniques.

[Mike Noble]

Mike, your post made me go get a bottle of Reel Magic out of the garage.  I have never read the bottle....some impressive stuff.  It doesn't list ingredients, but it does say it contains "petroleum distilates".  Here is what it says it is good for: Marine - prevent electronic corrosium and U.V. deterioration; Computers/Electronics - reduces static and "sticky" keyboards; Rod, Reel, and Line - improves casting distance, retards line memory, reduces icing, prevents spinnerbait skirts from sticking, softens and extends line life...also has uses for guns and archery...and for Home/Auto - general all purpose lubricant.  It also says it is odorless when dry.

I use the Reel Magic a lot, especially on spinning reels in spring when sac-a-lait fishing.

[hooked]

Like my tag line says, "so much to learn...such smart fish."

I had to look up "sac-a-lait" to figure what that was. I didn't know it t'waz loozianna crappie!

I have a real hard time understanding how reel magic can prevent line memory when the line is a extruded polymeric monofilament with its own modulus of elasticity and recover from stretch, especially if it evaporates.
(oh darn, there's that college chemistry creeping in again. I thought I forgot all that a long long time ago!  ~shh)

Teach me cues I'm willing to learn!

[BIG PAPA]

Never go fishing without Reel Magic!
wonder if you can brush your teeth with it

papa

[hooked]

Papa, What do you see that it really, really, really does for you? And, 'cuz I'm tryinmg to learn, when and on what do you use it?

PS: I bought some becasue I saw old Bill used it, but I'll feel pretty foolish until I know how to use it right!