To enjoy a good fishing experience, you need a good quality baitcasting reel. And in order to get maximum work out put you need to keep your reel in good shape with proper maintenance. Just like all the other fishing reels, baitcasting reels also need regular and frequent oil coating and greasing. This is important for an extended reel life. Proper lubrication not only allows your reel to function smoothly but also protects the reel from other deteriorating environmental factors that it is exposed to.

However, the greasing and oiling should be done properly. According to most experts, it is not wise to apply a heavy coating of grease or lubricant. A small quantity would do the job when applied properly instead of immersing your reel in an oil can. There are some high quality reel lubricants available in the market including Reel Magic and Lanigan. There is another excellent quality lubricating grease and reel oil available made by Shimano. Nevertheless, in case you are out of reel oil, simply use WD 40. But again, use only as and when needed.

The first step in maintenance is to properly clean your baitcasting reel before applying the lubricant. For cleaning you will need some simple apparatus that is a clean cotton cloth, clean water and water mixed with soap, a soft brush and some cotton buds. Use a tooth brush to clean the stains that remain after cleaning.

Once the baitcasting reel is clean and dry, unscrew the retainer cap of the reel and dislodge the spool. Also clean the spool using soapy water and cloth. Clean the spool thoroughly, removing all the dirt and deposits. Then wash with clean water and let it dry as well.

Now, you need to clean the excess lubricant and oil from previous greasing. These build ups can be removed by cleaning the gears of the spool using a soft bristly brush. Then apply a new coat of lubricating oil. Moreover, clean the bail system using water mixed with soap and a clean cloth. Wash it with clean water and apply a fresh coat of reel oil after drying it completely.

Oiling should not be limited to the interior surface of baitcasting reel, instead once interior greasing is done, an oil coat should be applied on the whole surface area of reel to protect it from other detrimental factors.

Regular oiling and lubrication of baitcasting reel is necessary, even when there is no cleaning required. There is a simple diagnostic test to check whether it is time to oil your reel or not. Try rotating your baitcasting reel by flipping it with your finger. Count how many times it rotates, normally a reel that is well lubricated, makes almost twelve rotations with a single flip. If the number of rotations is less than twelve, it definitely is the time to oil your reel.

Once again, too much greasing should be avoided as it would damage your reel instead of improving its efficiency. Moreover, if you do not want to get your hands dirty in all this maintenance process, better use a pair of gloves.

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