The Reel Dr

06/28/2026

I’ve posted this before and I’m going to post it again because I’m seeing it more and more. There’s a ton of crap out there about it, all of which is untrue…

!!DO NOT LUBRICATE YOUR REELS!!
It does no good. Keep in mind that grade/oil attract dirt and dirt is not good for your reel(s). When you add grease oil, it doesn’t go to the spots where it’s needed. It actually gets thrown all over the inside and/or outside of your reel, attracting dirt and making a mess. The worm gear does not need to be lubricated. It does just fine dry and actually has less wear on the line guide pawl when dry. If your reel is making noise and/or is not performing correctly, get it looked at, by someone who knows what they are doing. Your friend/buddy does not always know what they are doing despite what they tell you.

If your fishing and don’t have a backup reel, lubricate it, dunk it or whatever so you can finish fishing. Afterwards, get it looked at/serviced.

When fishing on the salt, as soon as you can, rinse thoroughly with fresh water. Do not use salt away or anything else. Just rinse with fresh water and let it dry. The faster it dries the better. I rinse my rods and reels and immediately after getting off the salt. Then I put them in the back of the boat and let them dry in the wind on the way home.

When freshwater fishing, a good rinse and wipe down is all you need.

As I stated at the beginning of this post, I’m seeing lots of reels where people lubricate to solve a problem. Actually it made it worse..
I also see reels where they tried to fix the issue themselves, which I understand because it’s cheaper. Thing is, they add lubricant (grade and/or oil) and/or put the reel back together incorrectly. So it’s been over lubricated, put back together incorrectly and is still dirty with old grease and dirt. All these things just made the problem(s) worse and/or caused more which costed more to fix.

01/18/2026

Addicted is at the ISE too. They are very cool and easy to talk to

01/17/2026

I have a booth at the ISE. If you haven’t already come by, stop by and say hi.

!!GO NINERS!!

10/07/2025

Just letting everyone know that I’m raising my service prices to the following:
$50 freshwater
$60 saltwater

It’s been over 7yrs since I’ve changed my prices. Unfortunately the costs for the various supplies used for serving reels continues to rise, so I have to make changes accordingly.

Thanks

Ron
The Reel Dr

05/26/2025

Spanish mackerel… fun to catch

05/26/2025

Florida sunset

05/26/2025

Florida Sunrise

05/20/2025

On a well needed/deserved vacation until 6/2
Will resume reel work after

03/14/2025

Reel maintenance tip-

DO NOT lubricate your reels. It doesn’t do any good. Not saying they don’t need to be lubricated, because they do. However, proper lubrication can only be done by putting the lubricant (oil and/or grease) in the proper place(s) which happens when the reel is cleaned/lubed. Some reels have lubrication ports which I am not a big fan of because it gives the wrong impression. First off, proper lubrication is a small amount and most of the time, a significant amount is used. Using too much gums up your reel. Additionally, when using the lubrication ports or just randomly applying, the lubricant doesn’t go to the correct spot and it gets thrown all over the inside of your reel. Oil/grease attracts dirt, so when you use a lubricant, it just makes a mess on the inside of the reel and/or the worm drive. Ultimately this leads to other issues.
So, use your reel and dont worry about lubricating. If your reel is making noise, it needs to be serviced, simple as that.
If you are fishing and it starts making noise, use lubricant or whatever so you can finish fishing that day. Then get your reel serviced afterward.

01/29/2025