Orvis CFO IV click reel grinding when wet

[tedshuck]

I have an Orvis CFO IV click and pawl reel that has been a great reel for me, although I have only used it sporadically. I used it recently and it took a dunk in the stream when I was taking a photo of a fish. After getting it wet, it did not operate smoothly any more. It stuck and made a nasty grinding sound. Once dry, it seemed to operate just fine again. I have several other click and pawl reels (Abel & Sage) and have never had this issue before.

Has anybody else experienced this with a CFO click reel? Do I just need to disassemble the reel, lube it with some waterproof grease, and reassemble it? Any guidance is appreciated.

Thanks,
Ted

[oldster]

I have had similar events. Sometimes grit and sand get into the reel. Try disassembling and cleaning. Reel grease may have to be removed and reapplied since it will hold grit. You may have bent the reel also. Turn the reel slowly and look for any wobble. The CFO is a great reel but is fragile. Good Luck! Pat

[gutbomb]

Oldster covered it. Clean it up and regrease it.

[tedshuck]

Thanks for the advice guys! I cleaned it up, even though it looked pretty clean. I gave it a new coat of waterproof grease on all moving parts and reassembled. Put it in a bowl of water for a minute and tested it. It works just fine now.
Thanks,
Ted

[lastchance]

Is it too late to say that's what I was going to suggest? Ha! Just glad you have it in working order.
I have the Battenkill II Click an Pawl that I use for pan fish and I just love it.

[tedshuck]

Never too late for another suggestion!
I really like this reel and was very surprised when I had the grinding problem when it got wet. There must have been some grit in the mechanism that only gave a problem when wet???
Thanks,
Ted

[sgallas2]

I have sone old CFO's that have been going strong for 25 years or so
and a little while back I picked up one that they had made in southeast asia. It was terrible / grinding after two outings. I sent it back and read that they had a lot of problems with them . I dont know this to be the case but I suspect the next generation CFO's were made by Abel to restore the fine reputation of the CFO series. I bought a new one two years ago and it is wonderful. Again , the suspicion is mine and only a suspicion. I may be totally off but I am not wrong about the problematic CFO's made in SE Asia.

Steve