Reel cleaning time

[Bill in VA]

I have a couple of Pflueger Medalist reels. One of them recently started to feel a bit tight when stripping out the line. Decided it was time to clean them all.

The manual just points out key places to oil and to grease. My question is that after a good cleaning, what kind of oil and what kind of grease would be best?

Thanks in advance for any advice.

[Gigante]

The Quantum company came out with a new kind of grease and oil they call "Hot Sauce", because it's red I guess, and the stuff is great. I actually have two of quantum PTI reels (an ultra-lite spinning, and a baitcaster) that come standard with it and you can't believe how much difference the stuff makes. It totally revived a couple of my pflueger spinning reels. That said, I'm not sure if it would have the exact same effect on a fly reel but I would certainly try it.

http://www.tackleservice.com/shopSearch ... XGLA500439

[MontanaMoose]

Hello Bill, I don't know how well everyone will receive this, but I just thoroughly clean a fly reel and use a light touch with a reel grease of choice on moving parts, especially the spindle. I use Q-tips to make sure there is no dirt or old grease in the spool where it fits on the spindle. Again, a light amount of grease seems better and I don't use oil. That just seems to wind up elsewhere collecting dirt and debris.

I've been using Vaseline for a while now on my Pfluegers and that seems to work just fine. Try experimenting with various viscosities of reel grease and see how your Pfluegers feel and how long the grease lasts. Oh and make sure the drag mechanism is set up correctly and adjusted for what is called startup, i.e. when the vigorous fish hits hard, you want the reel to begin letting line go with as little hesitation as possible. Happy Pfluegering Bill !

Cheers,

MontanaMoose

[Dave E]

I have a couple of Pflueger Medalist reels. One of them recently started to feel a bit tight when stripping out the line.

Have you tried resetting the drag to zero before trying to strip out line?

[Bill in VA]

I have the drag set to mostly off - next to nothing.

It's just time to clean the reels, several have been dunked this past year anyhow.

With the cooler weather, the reel in question loosens up afer some use. Have it all cleaned up now, just need to lube it up. Bass Pro has the hot sauce lubricant, will pick some up this week and give it a shot.

[ZeissMan]

8
The best thing I have found to lubricate my fly reels is Phil Woods Waterproof Bicycle Grease. This stuff rocks! It repels water and is super slick.
Check your local bicycle shop and grease it up.
~zm

[Bugsy]

Hello Bill in VA

Whenever I've lubed Pfluegers, I just apply machine oil to the spindle. I also put a small drop of oil inside the spool arbor, allowing it to lubricate the workings of the spool release. I apply a dab of grease to the drag adjustment screw and turn the screw back and forth, distributing the grease evenly along the threads.

While some people use grease on the spindle, I do not. Applied conservatively, machine oil will provide ample protection without dispersing throughout the reel.

Just my opinion

[Rocks4Brains]

I also use bicycle grease mostly because I had some laying around. The brand is Finish Line teflon grease. Seems to live up to its claim of being waterproof.

[Greg H]

When I clean my Pfluegers I run a piece of folded paper between the drag caliper and the pawl wheel to ensure there is no grit on the inside of the caliper. Of course if you take the reel COMPLETELY apart this move is unnecessary, but often I don't go that far, just cleaning all the parts that are easily accessible.