Fishing Reel  Identification & Maintenance

There are numerous types of modern fishing reels.  These can be separated into different categories & then sub-categories.  Freshwater & saltwater being as starter.  The main difference between freshwater & saltwater is the saltwater reels are generally larger bodied with a larger line capacity.   Within those groups will each be different types of which could include, single action, level-wind spool type, open-faced spinning & closed face spinning reels.  And then there are those fishermen who collect the oldies.

Most modern fishing reels are not only for storing line, but when used for larger fish the drag system is especially important.  Those rotating spool type, if used for casting are equipped with ball bearings instead of just bronze bushings for smoother operations.

There will be a clutch system which when activated, disengages the spool allowing the line to free-spool out, as in letting the line out.

The photos of reels shown here is to give you a sampling, & not trying to promote one brand over another.  Some are ones I purchased many years ago, like the Airex Bach Brown model 5 open faced spinning reel that I bought new in 1955 along with a Betts steelhead rod.  I still have both & the booklet, bag & small round metal grease container for the reel.  As a fisherman expands his horizons, you soon learn that "One Size Fits All" when it comes to fishing rods & reels.   Others reels are ones that I have picked up over the years to fill in the gaps & others happened to follow me home over time to make a friendship with rods I have that needed a relationship.   I will say that I do not have any favorite reels, some however are better than others.  And at times price does not really mean quality.  I do have some that I use more than others, but I just do not have the time to spread it around & some keep hanging on the wall with a forlorn look on them.

There are not many reels currently available (other than the single action reels) that have the handle connected directly to the spool, & those that are still alive are in antique collections.

If it gets to where when the line is being pulled out, if it does so in jerks, your drag washers may need attention, or replaced.

Reel Maintenance :   A suggestion, do your reel maintenance in the off season, because if you plan on fishing within a week or so, if you run into problems, you may well have a non functioning reel for that event.   By problems, I mean that very likely, you not being totally familiar with reel construction, & during your disassembly, you will have the situation where a you will encounter a jesus part, (Jesus, where did that part go).  And these will normally be small spring loaded parts that have attended flying school.  Or when you take the reel apart, a part that you never saw falls out & now you have to figure out where & how it fits.

Another suggestion, if you do start to take yours apart, do it on a clean kitchen table, a clean uncluttered floor, no carpet & keep the cat away.  Lay each part as it comes off the reel down on a paper towel with the side down as it comes off (inside of the reel down on the towel), separate the drag, & the RH from the LH parts.  If you do not intend to go deep, do not tip or shake the reel when you have it partially apart, otherwise pieces may fall out & you have no idea their exact relationship with the others on reassembly.

Another suggestion, when you purchase any reel, keep the instruction papers & parts listings.  There may also be a extra spool, a tube of grease & a special wrench used for disassembly included in the box.   Many of these original papers also include a exploded parts list.  If you have acquired a used reel without these listings or have misplaced yours, here is a website that has most manufacturers parts lists.  CLICK HERE   This website has a very complete factory exploded parts section in a PDF file form.  However I found a couple of my OLD reels not listed here.  The files are expandable in size so us blind guys can read the part numbers & they MAY have the nomenclature also listed. 

I originally started to try to post exploded parts drawings & parts listing in this article, but have since found the above website that has these, I have since deleted the ones I had on.  Plus I like to use the factory nomenclature when possible, & without a factory list, this would limit me to only select newer reels.  This was originally planned to be a guide to do your own, somewhat yearly cleaning & re-oiling article.  Somewhere along the trail, the fog set in & things kind of got more complicated than anticipated in that when disassembling some of these newer reels, it got to where I was not as comfortable as I would have liked & I was beyond the point of just a cleaning.  Therefore, you may find a few with not showing a complete disassemble on some of the sub-assemblies that would normally not need to be torn completely apart anyway.

For starters, washing any reel down after any usage with soapy water will do wonders, warm soapy water is even better.  Do not spray water into the reel with force as it will force debris inside, just enough flow to wash it off is good.  This washing is especially good for saltwater users, but freshwater users may be benefited in washing also.

For those freshwater anglers, contaminating a reel with river bank sand surely does it no good.  Even very fine sand or mud can get inside which chews the gears up.   Also if you happen to be using bait, scent, etc. residue off these can & will get onto & in the reel.  When this dries, reels slow down.  Most gears now days are made of nylon & can be worn over time if they are contaminated.  If you have a backlash, you may even have pieces of line inside.   Any debris can get imbedded in these gear teeth, binding things up or at least loosing any smooth operation of the reel next time you want to use it.

It can be disheartening to save your money, purchase a dream boat & of course a better towing vehicle, lay out your old tackle & purchase new lures, schedule your vacation only to have your fishing reel malfunction the first day of this vacation on the biggest fish of your lifetime because of your negligence.   This can be especially bad if this fish happens to be on the rod your 12 year old daughter is holding onto.  Yes, you may be able to dream something up to explain to her, but how do your really explain it to yourself?  Kind of reminds me of one guy who buys has hooks at the discount store & then only when they are on sale.  And he uses his RUSTY ones the next year.

Saltwater anglers will find dried salt accomplishing the same as sand.  Plus if the reel is not washed off & or left unattended for some time, the nickle / chrome plating on the metal parts start to get a cancer.  The longer you leave it the worse it gets.  One thing that can help dissolve the salt is a product Salt Away that is used by boaters to neutralize the salt from their boats or outboard motor users.  Just spray this on, let it set & then wash it off does wonders. 

Some brands of reels may not have much of a longevity if they did not sell well & were discontinued, the importer changed brands or the manufacturer went out of business.  Other manufacturers may sell to major retailers under the company's own brand names & if you do some research, look closely you may discover the true manufacturer for spare parts saving the hassle of going thru a retail store's not so fishing gear educated parts person.  There may be some slight cosmetic differences, but usually the internal parts are the same & sometimes share the same part numbers.

Therefore it is best to purchase a reel from a well known manufacturer who may still have parts on hand after 20 years or so.  Fishing reels are not like computer monitors that get thrown away if the color starts fading.  They seem to have a nostalgia like a firearm that they will live forever because it was one dad or granddad used. 

A suggestion if I may, after you go thru a reel & do, or have maintenance done on it, keep a record as to the date this was performed.  Also keep a record as to when you spooled it with new line with the line size / make.  And if you swap ends on the line after a few years, record that also.  If you have more than one of the same make & model of reel, engrave on the bottom of the reel seat a #1, #2 etc.

As a rule of thumb, for the reels with Teflon type discs in the drag system do not use oil or grease on them.   However, for the earlier ones made from a cork/asbestos you may want to lightly grease, then wipe it off.

Level Wind Reels :  These are often times called bait-casting reels when made in the freshwater series.  Their larger cousins are designed more for saltwater usage.   They have a traveling line guide in the front of the reel that moves from side to side laying the line evenly across the spool that is driven by a pawl that rides in spiral slots cut in a shaft when the crank handle is rotated.  They may have a "star drag" spool braking system between the handle & the spool that allows the fisherman to place a adjustment on the line tension that can be pulled out like by a large fish.   There is a clutch release lever that disengages the spool from the handle / drag system so that there is very little drag when casting.  There also can be a anti reverse system so that if a fish is on, you do not have to keep your hand on the crank handle to control it.  There is also usually a clicker on one side that when put on, makes a noise if the line is being pulled out, or in for that matter.

Some of the older true bait casters will have 2 opposing small pith weights that are mounted on a small cross shaft connected to one side of the spool.  These act like centrifugal balancers that are supposed to slide outward when the spool is rotating fast, putting very slight tension on a inner ring inside of the spool, to govern the speed of the spool when casting so that it does not over rev, which can create a "birds nest" in the line on the spool if the spool is traveling faster than the line can go out.  This is a mechanical method of trying to replace the educated thumb on the side of the spool.  Not all thumbs can be taught this delicate technique.

The small bass, trout / steelhead reels will usually come apart by removing 3 or 4 sideplate screws.  Some have a readily removable sideplate where you could even change spools with other weight line without disturbing any settings or loosing parts.   The better casting reels will have small precise ball bearings on the spool spindles & level wind shafts.  The one drawback of level wind reels is that if the level wind pawl becomes stuck & will not pivot to change directions, it will strip the pawl off, or even ruin the shaft.  The shaft that this traveling pawl / guide fits over has spiral grooves cut into the shaft, RH & LH overlapping.  The guide is driven by the loosely fitted pawl in the grove.  The ends of the grooves are timed so that when the pawl reaches one end, it hesitates in the groove & then engages the other groove, reversing & making a return trip.  A problem here is usually caused the pawl becoming stuck & can not rotate enough to make the return trip, or by over greasing the shaft with a grease that hardens over time & or debris getting collected in the spiral slots in the shaft.

old Abu Ambassadeur 5000A	obsolete Shimano Bantam 100

 

Penn # 9	Shimano TR 100 G

 

Inside a Level Wind Reel :  (Project #1)  Again it is recommended that you acquire a exploded view of your reel or print off a computer page if you intends to tear it apart, however even if you do, have your digital camera ready & do not spare the clear close-up shots as you disassemble it. 

Shown below is a disassembled Ambassadeur 5000A.  These reels will be serial numbered on the bottom side of the reel seat.  First, there are 3 knurled nut heads protruding from the RH side (under the crank handle), remove these, (they will not come all the way out even when they are loose as they are captivated inside the housing).  From there you can pull the sideplate off & the spool will lift out of the main housing as seen in the LH  photo below.  This would be the initial disassembly where you can inspect parts & make a decision to proceed farther.

To remove the RH sidplate you need to remove the handle that is screwed onto the main gear shaft by a nut on the end.  This nut is further secured by a locking plate & a lock screw.   Remove the handle outward.  There is a small E-clip on the end of the shaft, remove it.  Unscrew the star drag wheel, under it is a wafer washer that has to come off.  Take a look at the shape of it & replace it with the dished part inward.   The RH cover has 2 small screws basically under the handle, remove them & you can lift off the outer RH sideplate cover, exposing the complete main shaft, drag washers, disengage lever & springs.  As seen in the middle photo below, you can now lift off the drag washers, inspect, clean & or replace them.  When you remove any of the drag system, lay them out on a paper exactly the way you took them off so your reassembly will be right.  It is best to not remove any of the other levers, springs or gear unless need be.

At this point, you can see inside at the gears inside the LH sideplate.  To disassemble this, you will now need to unscrew the level wind pawl screwed on cover & the pawl itself.   Now if you remove the 3 small screws from that sideplate you can get the cover off, remove the shaft retainer & slide the gear, shaft & shaft cover out from the main frame as seen in the RH photo below.   Inspect & clean any debris in the gear teeth & the level wind shaft.  When oiling use a good light oil of which many are on the market, I like to use the Break Free that I use on my firearms.  Just a drop of oil on the shafts is enough.

In reassembling this, the level wind cover has a plastic bearing on the LH side with a notch that fits into the cut-out of the main frame.  Slide this cover in part way, then slide the traveling guide over the cover, slide the shaft in all the way & secure it with the retainer on the side of the main frame.  Now you can insert the pawl in the guide & aligned in to a slot on the shaft, then install the retainer nut holding the pawl in.   Be sure that the pawl is not bottomed out & putting strain on the shaft.  It has to be close, but loose enough so it will rotate at the ends.

Some of these reels will have bronze bushings for the spool shaft while others (more expensive will have ball bearings.  There are knurled bearing caps on each side of this reel.  The RH one also has a thin copper end shaft bearing at the far in side with a piece of felt that acts as a constant oiler to that bearing so it should be lightly oiled.  When reinstalling it, it needs to be tightened until it bottoms out.  The cap on the LH side has the same copper & felt, but it also has a indent on one side that can be aligned with numbers from 0 to 9 on a rotatable plate on the outside of the housing & under the cap.  This cap & numbers is for end shaft clearance adjustments.  Setting this cap too tight will result in shorter casts, & setting it looser will give you excess movement.  On the inner part of the threads that this cap screws onto is a small O-Ring.  This O-Ring is the right size so that when the cap is screwed on, the O-Ring puts tension on the inside threads of the cap so that it remains where it was set.

In the center photo, you can see the small shaft going crosswise of the main shaft with the 2 pith balls on each end.  Many repair stations will not replace these pith balls as for most fishermen they will never be missed unless you are very experienced.

On these old reels the shaft bearings are just bronze bushings, if you would like a smoother casting reel,  just replace these bushings with ball bearings.

This information & breakdown is basically the same for all of the Abu Garcia Ambassadeur reels, with slight exceptions depending on the model.
 

Ambassadeur 5000A with the 3 main shown with the sub-assemblies	Ambassadeur 5000A with the RH sideplate showing the gears & drag parts	Ambassadeur 5000A with the LH sideplate apart

Inside a Level Wind Reel :  (Project #2)  Here we will be looking at a Penn # 9 which is a small economy reel made by Penn.  This is rather simple in comparison to some of the others.  No fancy ball bearings, so it is not designed for casting, but just a nice little reel where a slightly larger quantity of line is needed over the regular casting reel size.

In disassembly there is nothing secret about this one, pull the RH sideplate off first, then pull the crank / drag shaft out to get the drag washers out.  Next would be remove the LH sideplate from the base.

To reassemble the drag system with the hard fiber washer on the shaft 1st, then the gear with the recess for the rest of the washers pointing out.  Now one of the .700" dia. drag washers which appear to be a thin fiber center with a course fiberglas type fabric impregnated with a Teflon coating.  This is followed by a steel flat washer, then another drag washer followed by a flat steel washer that has opposing ears on it.  Next is another drag washer & another flat steel washer then a concave steel spring washer.  This is all placed into the RH sideplate.

If you have not disturbed the clutch system, fine.  If not then the 2 coil springs go into their respective holes in the sideplate followed by the pinion gear bridge, the pinion gear & then the clutch plate on top.

Tip #1 for this reel.  Rotate the main shaft plate so that the radiused side is up.  There is a anti-reverse dog that goes into the sideplate (not seen in this photo) that pivots on the rear lower screw.  Behind it is a small flat slightly Vee shaped brass spring.  To get these into  position, you will need to have the shaft plate as mentioned above, place the screw with no threads all the way to the head up thru it's hole, using tweezers drop the dog over this protruding screw. Again with tweezers place the spring behind the dog & also behind the small brass peg protruding from the sideplate.  Rotate the shaft plate to where it is in position & moves into it's recess on the sideplate.  Now you can screw the shaft plate to the sideplate.

Now you can slide the drag spacer into the sideplate shaft hole, thread the star drag wheel onto the main shaft & attach the crank handle.

Place the  stainless steel sideplate covers in position on the sideplates, aligning the holes.  Screw the base plate to the LH sideplate using the shorter screws, attach the cross bars with the medium length screws leaving the larger one with the slot for the level wind guide slightly loose for alignment later.  Reassemble the level wind unit, pawl & retainer screw.  Slide it into position into the LH sideplate aligning the shaft's 2 flat sides into it's mating gear. 

Tip #2 for this reel.  Rotate the level wind guide forward to allow you to position the level wind cover in place with it's 2 small pegs into the2 small holes in the steel inner plate rings.  Once the cover is in position you can tighten the sideplate screws.  Slide the spool into the LH sideplate letting the shaft gear mesh with the white Nylon gear in the sideplate.

Now you are ready to slide the RH sideplate onto the spool shaft & the level wind shaft end.  Screw this sideplate on using the medium length screws.  Install the LH shaft tension screw & adjust the side play out of the spool.

Check the spool for free spool when the clutch lever is deployed & check the drag.  If everything is OK, you are in fine shape , OTHERWISE do it again.  One thing to look at here is if the handle & spool turn hard, it may not be there that the problem lies.  It could be that you have not gotten the level wind pawl in right & the pawl cap is putting pressure on the pawl at the wrong location on the shaft.

Penn # 9 disassembled

Inside a Level Wind Reel :  (Project #3)  Here we will be looking into a Shimano TR 200.  The early reels like this one (purchased in 1993) are named Trition 200-G.  Later they were renamed to TR 200.  This reel's little brother the TR 100 is the same but with a narrower spool & lesser line capacity.

This reel is apparently graphite body & sidplates & precisely molded.  It uses basically the same design as most of these types of reels, EXCEPT everything on the RH side is mounted on the body's outside end of the main body instead of on the INSIDE of the sideplate.  This makes for a lot easier assembly.

I did not take the main drag shaft out of the body, (which is held in by a E-clip which is covered by the side of the spool when assembled).  One washer not shown in this photo is a spacer between the drag gear & the body as a bearing.  Nor did I disassemble the level wind unit as it's construction is the same as all the others other than using a E clip to retain the shaft in the LH sideplate.

On reassembly, with the drag shaft in place as shown, install the .935" dia. drag washer which has the large center hole 1st.  Next is the flat stainless steel spacer, followed by a regular small hole drag washer.  Now another spacer, but this one has ears on the outsides.  Place these ears inward.  Now another drag washer again followed by a flat steel washer.  Next comes a concave wafer spring washer with the dome facing in.  Another domed spring washer but with the dome facing out, followed by another spring washer dome in & the last dome washer with dome facing out. 

It is now time to install the RH sideplate.  You may have to slightly jiggle the clutch lever to get it to enter the notch on the clutch plate attached to the body.  Insert & tighten the 2 short screws under the handle, then the 4  longer screws holding the outer of the sideplate to the body.

Now a small steel washer & the ball bearing can be inserted into the shaft / bearing hole of the sideplate, followed by another small steel washer.   Next screw on the drag wheel.  After that comes the crank handle, it's retainer nut & cover with it's screw.

Install the level wind if you had removed it.  Slide the level wind upper guide tube in the body being sure to insert the end that has the 2 alignment ears first so they engage the blind hole & notches in the RH side keeping it from rotating.

Be sure that the small brass spacer is on the spool's shaft & slide the spool unit into the body & engage the drive flats into the mating slots of the pinion gear.

Now add the LH sideplate & it's screws.  Thread the shaft end-thrust cap on & adjust it for sideplay.  I like to just be able to feel a very slight spool horizontal movement.

Check your work by working the clutch lever & adjusting the drag.

Since this drag is very sensitive, if you experience where at a light drag setting, the drag wheel backing off because of the motion of a hookset to where you have no resistance & the line plays out if a fish is still on, (or gone because you missed him), there is one remedy.  Place (2)  3/8" OD x 1/16" Nylon O-Rings in the star drag wheel's outer recess.  There is a recess there, but no where in the parts diagram does it show anything to go in the recess.  A slightly larger outside dia. or a thicker O-ring may even do better & if so then only one may work.  Push them in as far as they will go in the wheel's recess at this location putting friction on the threads.  This adds just enough slight tension on the wheel when set at a low drag setting.

This reel is probably the easiest to reassemble of all the level winds that I encountered in this doing this article.

Shimano TR 200  showing RH shide of body	Shimano TR 200 disassembled

Level Wind Line Counter Reels : These have come on the market in the last few years.  Some are good, while others just haven't made the grade yet.  Do not look only at price when it comes to dependability. 

The line counter is a gear driven unit that is normally run off the level wind shaft.  It uses the same method as if you manually counted the number of times the level wind guide goes across & back & multiply that by a number of feet let out.  This system incorporates a mechanical counter that precisely measures line based on spool revolutions.  These counters measure in feet and are calibrated at the factory to be most accurate with a full spool and monofilament lines.  Therefore as your spool decreases in the amount of line on it, your counter will be reading more than actually let out.  I measured this on one reel & the counter said 8' while I got about 6 1/2' from a 3/4 full spool.   But it will give you a known reading that you can go back to when you start catching fish.

For salmon fishing in estuaries with divers, or back-trolling in rivers, these reels have shown their worth.  Before the line counters were made, the fisherperson needed to know how deep they were fishing.  This equated to knowing the length of line out.  Some would count the number of passes the level wind guide made across the reel, others would count the number of "pulls" (usually about 2') they stripped off the reel from the reel itself to as far as you could normally reach or just past the rear guide.  So if they found by experience that the fish were at a level that equated to 28' of line out, they stripped off 14 pulls.  Some fisherpersons pulls did not equal their partners pulls.  Also jiggers or moochers who can see a concentration of fish at a known depth, can use the reel's counter to place the lure in the strike zone.  The line counter reels now make this into a non guessing game.  

These reels have the ability to reset the counter.  Check out your new prospective purchase before you buy & see that the reset button is in a protected area, so that it is not accidentally bumped.  I have bumped the Okuma & the Okuma made Cabalas reset buttons occasionally, possibly because it is closer to the handle where the action is, whereas the Shimano is on the other side & the button is more protected.  But both reels perform well & considering the price difference, the Okuma is very acceptable.

Abu Garcia has come up with a different outer LH sideplate that essentially converts their old conventional reels into line counters.  Shimano has done basically the same, but does not offer it as a kit.  I was not impressed with the Shakespeare Tidewater line counter reel that I purchased new in about 2007.  The drag took considerably more of a rotation & was a lot harder to apply than any others that I have owed.   The line counter window fogged repeatedly.  It was probably a good reel, but not for me.

Okuma Magda Pro MA 20DX	Shimano Tekota 600LC

Inside a Line Counter Reel : (Project #1) The photo below of a Shimano Tekota 600LC reel is the LH sideplate removed showing the mechanism of the line counter.  On this reel, (I suspect), like many, it appears the factory just modified a regular reel's sideplate to accommodate the line counter because you can purchase this model with or without the line counter.  The driving gear off the main spool for the line counter is the large white gear still attached to the spool's shaft.  The driven gear to the line counter is the small white gear on the upper LH side of the sideplate.  This gear's shaft leads directly into the line counter.  The line counter unit itself is not sold as separate parts, but as a assembly.

I have not had any problems with this reel after 5 years of use, so I somewhat hesitated to tear into it just to see what makes it tick.  

The one thing I did find when removing this sideplate from the anodized die cast aluminum body, was that the 4 screws holding it on needed to be removed anyway & the threads cleaned up, possibly with some WD-40 applied to the threads before reassembly because one was hard to unscrew & all of them had a salty residue inside the body /on the threads.  If left in this condition, a few years down the road, I may not have been able to readily remove them.

Left hand sideplate removed from a Shimano Tekota 600LC reel

Now let me say again, it is VERY ADVISABLE to not go to deep into these complicated reels without having a parts list in front of you.  And the owners manual does not cover how to take it apart, much less reassemble these things.  I will bet that before you are finished, you will need help from a professional, at least to order some of the small parts or springs that go flying.  I was lucky but really cleaned the kitchen floor.  It is also advisable even if you have a parts list to take many GOOD close up digital photos of the sub assemblies as soon as you get them apart, (no waiting until you have moved something).   YOU WILL NEED THEM LATER.   The factory does recommend that you send it in to a service center once a year for service.

Some Reassembly Tips : On this reel there are 4 things to especially be aware of.  Tip number 1 is as you unscrew the star drag handle, there is a SMALL spring loaded plunger #295 in the exploded views photo that is a detent clicker for the star drag.  If you are not aware of this it WILL go flying as you unscrew the handle.  Tip number 2 is on reassembly the yoke plate #381 goes UNDER the yoke #380.  Tip number 3, the clutch pawl spring #635 which has a opposing tail on each end, needs to be reinstalled using a set of tweezers, but beware that it can also develop wings.  Tip number 4,  is on the final reassembly, when it comes time to thread the handle onto the main shaft, remember the number 1,  #295 plunger.  It is impossible to put this plunger into the recess hole in the shaft after the handle is on.  While you had this thing apart, you may have noticed a small hole on the end of the main shaft that was offset toward one side.  Now look closely at the plunger, it has a slight recessed groove in the approximate center, but not in the tail.  To install this plunger, thread the handle on about 1/2 way, place this detent plunger into the hole in the side of the main shaft.  Now depress the plunger & hold it down.   With a long skinny tool like a ice-pick, reach in thru the rest of the threads of the handle, into this hole & you can pick up the plunger's recess with the tip of the ice-pick, force it inward into the shaft captivating it.  Now thread the handle all the way in.  Pull the ice-pick out & the plunger will snap into position.  You should now be able to feel a slight click, click as you rotate the star drag wheel.

The 3 drag washers are large, about .940" in dia. which is good for this size of reel.  There is no mention of what lubricant if any to use on the drag washers, but it appears to be a graphite grease.

In disassembling this reel's level wind, you need to remove an E-clip on the inside end of the main shaft & the LH end of the level wind shaft in order to remove the level wind shaft.  You may get by without doing this & by just unscrewing the pawl cover & then removing the pawl.  This will allow you to inspect the pawl & clean it.  With the pawl out, you can then inspect the shaft & smear some Vaseline in on & into the shaft's grooves.   Now you can insert the pawl in the guide & the spacer #521 below it, align the pawl in to a slot on the shaft, then install the retainer nut holding the pawl in.   Be sure that the pawl is in a slot, not bottomed out or putting strain on the shaft.  The nut has to be tight so it will not loosen, but yet the pawl has to be loose enough so it will rotate at the ends.

Under normal conditions one very knowledgeable repair person says to do not over lubricate the the level wind shaft / pawl.  However he does recommend packing this area with a light non hardening grease like Vaseline if the reel is to be used in a harsh saltwater type environment.  His reasoning is also probably that these reels are not used for casting where distance is a factor, but merely for dropping the lure overboard & letting the line out as in mooching or downrigger trolling.  The other reason is this grease will help keep out the salt water.

On the far LH end of the line counter is a slotted head #545 maintenance cap.  I can see nothing behind it that can be adjusted, so maybe it is there for another reason.

This is one reel that a person without excellent eyesight & all thumbs, should consider taking it to a repair service when maintenance is needed.
 

Shimano Tekota 600LC with RH sideplate removed	Shimano Tekota 600LC drag parts showing the parts in order from the left to the right.  The right being outside

Inside a Line Counter Reel : (Project #2)   Here we will be working with the Okuma Magda Pro MA 20DX  line counter reel.  It is obvious that they copied many other good things from existing reels, & they also have some innovative ideas of their own.  Plus some very precision injection molding parts, all leading to a what appears to be a precision reel at a modest price.

In this photo, the RH sideplate has had the main shaft removed to show the drag system, but some of the internal metal parts have been placed back into position to show where they go.  One very interesting thing about this line counter is that it is driven off the RH end of the level wind shaft off a bevel gear.  The mating bevel gear (which transmits the power to the actual line counter) is vertical with a worm gear on the other end, which then leads into the line counter.  The line counter itself just slides into it's cover as a unit.

The 2 drag washers appear to be a Nylon fiber of 1.020" dia. with light oiling.  There is another washer on the inside of the drag shaft between the anti-reverse ratchet & the main drag gear.  On this shaft is a ball bearing that is a slide fit inside the sideplate.  When the star drag lever is turn in, (or out) this bearing is between the lever bushing & the drag washers, but self aligning inside the sideplate.

In reassembly, the main shaft needs the .860" dia. fiber washer first, then the gear with the recess for the drag washers pointing outward.  Followed by the large dia. hole 1.020" dia. fiber washer, the thin steel plate, another 1.020 dia fiber washer , but with a smaller hole, then the eared steel washer with the ears pointing inward, followed by another of the small dia. holed fiber washer, then the thicker steel washer.  This then goes in to the RH sideplate.  Now the the main shaft inner brass plate can be screwed to the inner of the sideplate using the larger headed screw (NOTE that the exploded drawing shows a E-Clip retainer instead of this screw) for the rear & secured by the flat washer under the large headed screw.  Be sure that the anti-reverse ratchet (RED ARROW) is in position on it's stud of the sideplate & the brass stepped bushing is in it's proper place.  You will probably have to loosen the screw at the top of the clutch lever's shaft, part #804 to be able to get all the parts back in their respective locations.  This part will probably have to to be moved outward slightly to ensure that the rear screw will tighten down enough. 

Next comes the 2 small thin washers & the concave steel spring washers, with the two placed so the inner radiuses are on the outside of each.  Now the brass spacer followed by the ball bearing into the sideplate shaft hole.  The thin concave washer goes on under the star drag wheel before wheel is threaded onto the shaft.  You will notice this wheel has arrows on the spokes & the words "loosen" & "tighten".  Finally the handle threads on with the brass nut holding it in place & the plastic nut cover secured by it's small screw.

You can now re-install the line counter assembly.

Now assemble the level wind cover & shaft, slide it into the main body from the RH side only far enough to allow the line guide to be slid over the shaft & cover, then push it in all the way.  You will have to rotate the cover to index it into a notch allowing it to slide all the way in, leaving the bevel gear exposed as that is what drives the line counter.

Next would be slide the body onto it's mating studs of the RH sideplate.  The bevel gear will pretty much self align into its mate in the sideplate.  Insert the 4 screws in the sideplate & tighten them down.

Slide the spool unit into the body from the LH side.  Place gear #705 onto the level wind shaft that is protruding on the LH side.  Be sure that the gear #707 is on the shaft outward from the other gear that is attached to the spool.  Slide the LH sidplate onto the body & tighten the last 4 screws.

Now you can go back & install the level wind pawl & it's retainer cap.  You may also have to adjust the RH spool tension nut to remove any excess side play of the shaft or loosen it if it is too tight.

This reel is basically the same as the Cabelas DM 20.  The Cabelas reel has a shinier body & sideplates with some of the screw heads gold plated instead of just being stainless.

Okuma Magda Pro MA 20DX disassembled

I have exploded this photo more than normal because I will bet IF you do decide to repair this reel, you will be looking at this photo more than once because the exploded drawings are not that clear.  And, I may add that this one was the most adventuresome of all I have undertaken for this article.

Open Faced Spinning Reels: It can get confusing as to whether these reels are RH or LH.  When  RH reel is mentioned it really has the handle on the left side & is designed to be held in the right hand.  The originator of this type of reel, the Mitchell 300 RH  was introduced in 1947 as a RH reel while later the model 301 was introduced as a LH reel.  These reels used some of the same basic parts, but different bodies & sideplates.  The later reels manufactured by many different makers, (last 20 years or so) have interchangeable handles where the handle & shaft can go in from either the RH or LH side. 

In operation, the lure needs to be hanging about 12" from the rod tip, flip the bail, (wire that goes over the front of the spool) until it locks at the same time holding the line close to the reel against the rod's forehandle with your forefinger.  Bring the rod rearward & as you cast forward, release the line from your fingertip right after the apex of the cast.  To reel in, you crank the handle or manually move the bail back into position & keep cranking.

There can be front adjustment drags or rear adjustment models.  About all, even the economy newer ones have a small lever or button on the rear where it can be easily moved to disconnect the anti-reverse dog of the reel.  This will allow you to let the reel wind backwards or let out line without flopping the bail open.  Usually the drag washers are minimal in these reels are not designed to withstand a lot of wear.

If you fish enough, the line will eventually twist because of the bail rotating around & laying the line again & again on the spool in a rotating fashion which is different that what the line does when casting.  Therefore line on  these reels needs to be changed more often than other reels.  Also when spooling new line on, some manufacturers say to spool 1/2 of it onto the spool from the top of the line package spool & then turn it over & do the rest letting the line come off the bottom.  This helps minimize the overall line twist.

Spare spools are sometimes supplied with these higher quality reels so the owner can preload different line weights.

Since the drag washers are minimal on these reels as they are normally not designed for heavy usage they may become less efficient over time.  However if the fisherperson is only fishing for panfish or trout sized fish, the drag will probably never be used as designed anyway.

If you have ever fished with a guide for steelhead where they use these spinning reels, you WILL be told to to NOT close the bail by cranking the handle.  It appears on many modern reels that is a design feature that the engineers failed to think about & with constant usage this way, things either wear out or break sooner.  For those of us who grew up in the Mitchell 300 era, this was the only WAY to close the bail.  My how times have changed.

older 1975 Mitchell 400 high speed	antique 1955 Airex Bach Brown model 5

 

Shimano FX 2000  (rear drag)	Shimano Sedona 4000FB  (front drag)

Inside Open Faced Spinning Reels:  (Project reel #1)  One of the reels I used for this was the old Mitchell  400 series.  This reel was one of the fore-runners of the modern open faced spinning reels. The 400 is simply a high speed version of the old 300.  So basically some of the gears will be slightly different for the slower retrieve 300.

To access a Mitchell reel museum website CLICK HERE

To remove the reel spool & brake system, push the small center chromed button & at the same time pull the spool forward.

If you need to remove the crank handle, do so before you take the sideplate off because it has LH threads & once the sideplate is off, you have nothing but the pot metal gears to hold onto when trying the back this handle off the shaft.  With the sideplate off, you will see the some of the gears still in the sideplate.  Also will be the anti-reverse lever & it's plastic dog which has a small flat spring to put tension on it.  Also a bronze bevel gear may fall off, that came from a peg in the front of the sideplate housing.  This bevel gear mates with another bevel gear that is attached to the rotating bail housing.

In the main body you will see a gear with 3 teeth on the underside which engages the slider plate.  This slider is what moves the shaft in & out, laying the line on the spool evenly. 

Internally in the bail body is a automatic bail trip.  The bail has a loosely fitted small roller line wear guide in the base part.  The bail is held in place by a shoulder screw on each end.  Under the large end where the bail pivots is a coil spring that activates the bail.  This spring is about 1/2" in overall diameter & has a 90 degree tail outward that rests in a slot at the bail's base.  The other end of the spring also has a 90 degree bend, but this is upward, fitting into a very small hole in the bail's base.

To reassemble, place the spool shaft in first with the flat of the rear 1/2 facing out, followed by the slider plate.  Note that in the photo below this slider is shown 180 degrees wrong as the peg goes to the rear & is also shown flopped to show the peg.  On the rear inside of this shaft is a small peg.  This peg goes into a corresponding hole in the rear of the center spool shaft.  The slider plate rides on the flat of the body between 2 opposing screw heads as guides.  Now the odd gear with the "3 feet" goes on the shaft protruding from the body.  Move the slide as far forward as it will go & the place this odd gear's feet in so they mesh in the forward notches of the slider.

Place the dual diameter gear on the rear shaft in the sideplate as shown in one of the photos below.  Then also place the bronze bevel gear on front peg of the sideplate.  But before you leave the bevel gear there, there may have been 2 small brass shim washers that should be under the bevel gear.

Now comes the sideplate being reattached to the body with the 3 screws you took out.

Now comes the bail & spring reassembly.  This may take 2 or 3 tries to get the spring in the right position.  Tighten both bail retainer screws.  When it is  right it should be free to be pushed & snapped to the lock open notch.

The spool base is part of the spool assembly.  The drag system is minimal on this reel, being only one thin Nylon washer & a pressure plate.  This Nylon drag washer is .875" dia. & is placed in the spool drag cavity first, followed by a 3 tailed circular tension spring which mates to one flat side of the spool base to keep it from rotating.  Finally the 3 pronged adjustment knob goes on the front of the spool.  This all then can be installed onto the spindle shaft by just pushing it on until it snaps in place.

Mitchell 400 reel disassembled

 

Mitchell 400 showing anti-reverse dog in bottom right rear of housing	Mitchell 400 showing gear placement in sideplate

Inside Open Faced Spinning Reels:  (Project reel #2)   The reel I chose for this was the Shimano Sedona 4000FB.  These reels are either RH or LH retrieve, unscrew the cap on the opposite side of the handle & pull the handle out of the body.  Unscrew the grag nut on the front of the spool & remove the spool off the front.   Remove the 3 sideplate screws & lift the sideplate off.  The drive gear ball bearing may slide out of the sideplate.  There is now a semi-circled plate at the front of this plate that is tucked under.  It has to come out before the main gear can be lifted out.

With the reel in the position shown above, there are 2 small screws holding in the cover on top of the rotating section behind the line guide roller.  By removing these you can access bail the trip.  However be aware that there is a spring loaded plunger & spring base (for the bail trip lever) here that has a mind of it's own as to were it wants to fly to if you are un prepared.

In operation, the spool remains stationary, with the bail assembly rotating around the outside laying the line onto the spool.  As the crank handle is rotated, it rotates both the bail assembly thru a worm gear & also the driven gear attached to the spool shaft's gear on it's periphery which in turn moves the spool in & out, laying the line evenly across the spool.  Other makes do not attach this shaft directly to the inner gear, but allow it to ride in a elliptical slot in the gear, creating the same result.

The drag system on this reel has 3 drag washers .700" dia. & apparently made of a medium hard felt that seems to be impregnated with a silicone.   These washers &  their corresponding metal washers are retained inside the reel spool by a polygon snap ring.  The drag adjustment nut knob which holds the spool in place is adjusted by tightening it in, which puts pressure on the drag washer system.  There is a small spring clicker inside this knob which acts as a detent to not allow the knob to inadvertently back out.

These newer reels have a way better bail spring system than most of the older ones, which was a common failure.  The ones on this model are the more efficient spring loaded plunger type.

As shipped from the factory the main shaft & gears are packed in a Vaseline type grease.

The more you pay the more ball bearings you get in a reel.  These allow the reel to rotate easier, giving you more casting distance for less effort.  The reel torn apart here has 4 ball bearings, making it one of the better reels.  Some of the cheap reels have no ball bearings, but just bronze bushings.

Shimano Sedona 4000FB  with the main components disassembled	Shimano Sedona 4000FB  spool & drag

Closed Faced Spinning Reels:  These will normally be the economy type found on entry level (kids outfits that are easy to cast).  However there are some nice old reels still around.  These reels work great for trolling for trout, because you have a thumb operated lever that controls the amount of line going out as compared to a open faced spinning reel where you have to deal with either allowing it to turn backwards or open the bail & allow line to spool off while keeping it from tangling.

They will have a thumb operated push button at the rear.  This usually does 2 things, it disengages the rewinding system & at the same time pushes the spool (which has a rubber face) forward bumping the forward enclosed end, preventing the line from moving as long as you hold the button down.  Upon casting, the fisherperson releases the button just after the apex of the cast allowing the line & lure to be expelled forward by the sweeping motion of the rod.

They will usually have a drag system built into the design with a drag wheel immediately inward of the handle.  There may also be a clicker lever on the reel also.  The reel handle will only turn one direction, (bringing the line in).  The inner spool cover has a dog that protrudes upon cranking catching the line, which revolves laying the line on the spool.  The reel's front cover will be attached by either threads or a notched locking system.

On the Shapespeare 1766 shown below the words "Push Button" are on the reel below the model number.

The older makes shown here had the bodies cast of a aluminum pot metal, while the newer reels will be made of a plastic or nylon type material.  Zebco was a economy manufacturer of these reels for many years.

Jorgensen Admiral X 82	Shakespeare 1766  model EE

Inside Closed Faced Spinning Reels:  Shown below is the above Shakespeare 1766 reel disassembled.  This reel had not been used for 40 years & has probably never been apart.   And it was probably about time for a line re-spool job anyway.

The spool cover is a quick disconnect rotating thread exposing the spool cover & the rubber line stop / brake / line spooler on the front.  This brake unit is secured by a single screw into the shaft.  Beneath the brake is the stationary line spool that has 2 rear protruding pegs that engage notches in the body & is  retained by a spring on the front.  Inside the brake unit is a plastic lever that activates a polished metal line spooler peg that moves in during casting & back out to pick up the line to spool it upon the first crank of the handle.

The sideplate is held on by 3 small screws.  Under it is the main gear that is attached to the handle / drag shaft that drives a smaller gear that is attached to the rotating brake / spooling shaft.  This shaft has a outer spring inside the body & is activated forward & rear by the large brake lever on the rear.  When the brake lever is pushed, it captivates the line against the inner part of the spool cover, which allows the fisherperson to hold the line in position during the casting movement & release it by the lever at the proper time.

The drag system is a single fiber washer between the shoulder of the main gear, a steel washer & the inside of the reel body.  The star drag lever threads onto the shaft & when tightened, pushes a bushing inward putting pressure on this drag unit.

Shakespeare 1766  model EE disassembled

Single Action Reels:  These reels are pretty straightforward & very easy to clean / maintain.  Another name that has been popping up recently that associates with this type is center pin type.  For the freshwater fisherman they are known as fly reels.  In saltwater, especially in the west coast of Canada, they are known as "knuckle buster mooching reels".    Some of these traditional reels (& it seems high cost) use the name center pin many do not have a drag & are made with an oversized spool lip that lets you palm the rim for added resistance when fish make a strong run.

Some like the old Heddon fly reel, shown on the left below have readily removable spools so that the fisherperson can change pre-spooled line on the stream bank.  Most have a clicker, & some like the Canadian moocher on the right also have a drag system as seen in the center of the spool.

Heddon 300 fly reel	Canadian mooching reel

Inside Single Action Reels: These single action reels are so simple that it is kind of embarrassing to show this one apart.  You will however notice the 2 clickers, (permanent, can't release them) & this make has a screw head knob activated drag shoe that puts tension on the inner rim of the spool by tightening the shoe.  This model was probably one of the first "made in Japan" before they became known for products like this.

Heddon 300 disassembled

Saltwater Spool Reels:  Now the word "saltwater" being used here may be misleading a bit, but to me they typically will be larger than their freshwater cousins & have a minimum spool capacity of 250 yards of 25# monofilament line. 

With the advent of the "spectra" type no stretch lines that have a smaller diameter ratio to breaking strength, somewhat smaller reels are now being used for saltwater because of the now greater line capacity on the smaller reel.  However do not be dupped into believing that the smaller diameter line is that much better.  What can happen is that if you get a big fish on that is running & at the exact instant that the level wind's line guide reaches the side of the spool, if the fish pulls hard or you react with more pressure on the rod, the line will cut into the edge & be buried deep in the spool's side & under many wraps of line.  Since it is the new spectra type line, I will bet that you will never be able to untangle it.  You will have to cut ALL of the line off the spool.  (Been there, done that).  The solution is to not go so light a test, so instead of using 20# go up to 40 or 50#.

These were originally non level wind styles, even the handle was geared directly to the main spool shaft on some early reels.  Some you could pull the handle straight out to disengage it allowing the line to go out without the handle moving.  And of course no drag system except maybe a piece of heavy leather that could be pivoted up from the rear & bearing onto the line on the spool which could be "thumbed".  Things improved & about late 1940s a star drag system was common.  In those days level winds were not that reliable & when the line guide's pawl stuck, about the only thing to do while on the water with a fish on was to cut the looped wire guide with side cutters. 

Many of the newer reels are pretty much made of injection molded graphite & stainless steel, which cuts down on maintenance, especially the outer surfaces.   Penn being a forerunner in these saltwater reels has not made many internal changes for very long time, so if you have an old Penn, new replacement internal parts are probably still available.  The outer cosmetics may have changed, but most internals are still the same including the newer drag washers.

On the Penn Senator in the RH photo below, you will see a rod mounting clamp that helps take the strain off the reel seat of the rod when fighting a heavy fish.  Also the ring eyes on the top rear are for attaching snaps from a fighting harness that goes over your shoulders.  This relieves much strain from your arms.

The Ocean City saltwater reel on the left below has a unique clutch lever that folds outward.   In use, when you make the first crank of the handle after this lever has been activated, the handle bumps the lever moving it back to the ON position.  Information available indicates that this company went out of business about WWII.

The Penn Senator is only about 20 years old, has been used for halibut but still in excellent shape.  The newer versions are very similar.

long obsolete Ocean City #112	Penn Senator 6/0  #114H

The Shimano TR 200 below on the left is a nice all around sized heavy steelhead & or light salmon reel.  It is made of a graphite casting & boasts a smooth ball bearing drag.  It's little brother the TR 100 G is the same size only a narrower spool to accommodate less line.

The Penn GTI 310 shown on the right below has proven to be a workhorse reel.  The whole 300 series is very similar to this smallest of the series.  The 320 is just wider, holding more line than the 310.  The 330 is larger diameter with more line yet & the 340 & a 345 (LH) with more line yet & have a teardrop shape with the level wind section protruding slightly farther forward.   The 340 & 345 have ring eyes on the top rear are for attaching snaps from a fighting harness like the Penn Senator.  These 300 series all have a cast graphite body that is strong & very precise.

Shimano TR 200	Penn GTI  310

Inside Saltwater Spool Reels:  (Project #1)  These reels shown are a little simpler to take apart, but reassembling the drag gear & clutch unit takes a little time.  The Penn  310 GTI shown apart below has a pretty straight-forward design, with few reassembly secrets however.  The factory nomenclature takes a bit of getting used to however.

Again, when you take a reel apart, lay the parts out in a sequence of disassembly & with the inner side down.  Do this on a clean table & preferably a white sheet of paper.

Penn supplies a special wrench with all their new reels that saves plier marks on the handle retaining nut. 

When removing the RH sideplate, take only the 4 outer screws #32 out, & pry this sideplate off.  The 4 bridge screws closer to the center hold the clutch plate assembly together.  It is easier to simply remove the whole sideplate assembly & then you can see the placement of these internal parts before they may be disturbed.

Tip the reel upside down & unscrew the pawl cover screw #48 & the pawl #47.

The level wind shaft (worm) #42 can be removed by unscrewing the aircraft locking nut on the shaft end.  The shaft & cover can then be pulled out from the gear end.  Note that there are white nylon bearings on each end that have a slight protrusion that slides into the opening of the cove to index it.   Now the line guide carriage #46 can be slid off the cover.  When reassembling, be careful to not over tighten the shaft nut.

The 5 drag washers are made of a rough fiber & appear to not be lubricated. They are about .800" dia.
 

Penn 310 GTI all apart except drag unit	Penn 310 GTI drag parts

There are 3 things to be aware of, number 1, is the pinion gear #13 can fall out of the pinion yoke #12 if you move the RH sideplate around, so observe it early on.  Be sure it is back in position before you start your reassembly.  

Number 2, this reel has a small free spool button on the underneath RH side that overrides the anti-reverse.  There is a small brass lever called the dog #15 that has a notch in it that goes over a small coil dog spring #14 that is attached in the bridge assembly plate, part #3.  This lever will get slid out of position when disassembled when you remove the inner spaced upper bridge screws #17 which acts as it's pivot.  To reassemble it, you will need to observe the RH photo below.   Slide all the metal parts associated with this internal section into position, locate the other #17 upper bridge screw (the ones with only a few threads in the end) & get it started into bridge assembly plate, part #3.  Now you will need to use a ice pick type tool to come in from the inside facing bridge assembly plate, & locate the hole in the dog lever.  You may have to jockey it around to find the hole.  Once this is located slide the ice pick into the dog's hole to secure it.  Then install the other #17 screw.  It is advisable to not totally tighten these screws until you have also installed the lower bridge screws #16.

Number 3, now you will probably have the eccentric spring's tail #20 out position.  This can be seen in the LH photo below.  The tail needs to go into a Vee part of the housing casting to put proper tension on the eccentric lever #21.  To do this, rotate the lever to the left, place the ice pick inside the spring's coil & try to move it out & to the left as far as it can go.  Then with a small flat pointed screwdriver force the spring's tail inward & down until the tail is caught in the Vee notch.  Now you can tighten the bridge screws, & check to see if the eccentric lever & the free spool (direct drive) works.

Penn 310 GTI  clutch spring placement	Penn 310 GTI free spool disengage

Inside Saltwater Spool Reels:  (Project #2)  Illustrated below is the Ocean City 112.  This reel has a unique clutch system.  It is basically the same as the Penn reels, BUT on this unit the clutch lever instead of rotating & retracting this plate utilizing a cam, this lever pivots outward. 

This model uses the common components of it's time, with the endplates being screwed onto the standoff posts between.  The top rear crossbar has a radiused bend in the middle to accommodate a fisherman's thumb if desired.  The reel seat is also screwed onto the endplates.  All the exposed metal parts are made of chrome plated brass.

The clicker operates into a brass circular spring that when pressed in ward the springs snap over a wider section, holding the clicker in place.

The handle is threaded onto the shaft using the same threads as the star drag wheel.  Its retainer nut is held in place by a combination wrench & retainer that is secured by it's captivated screw on the balance end.

The drag system uses 3 washers made of what appears to be leather & are .710" in dia.  These washers are apparently saturated with a medium oil & which is then wiped dry.  There are 2 round brass washers & 1 brass eared washer, all pushed into the gear by a metal spacer activated by the star drag wheel.   On the inside of the gear is a hard fiber washer that bears against the anti-reverse ratchet which is under the gear plate.  The gear plate is screwed to the sideplate.

The clutch system is basically like the Penns utilizing 2 opposing springs under the clutch plate which retract the driven gear from the crank handle, disengaging it from the 4 square notches.  The clutch lever is placed in a location where the first complete crank of the handle will knock the lever into the off position.

Ocean City 112 disassembled	Ocean City 112 clutch lever in the on position, notice the shadow of the lever

Saltwater Spinning Reels:  These reels are basically a freshwater reel on steroids.  So the repairs will be very similar to their freshwater cousins.  The Shimano Sedona 6000 is basically an overgrown brother of the 4000 disassembled in the freshwater section above.

One suggestion, if you happen to use any of these in surf fishing, bank fishing for catfish or sturgeon, be sure to wash them off & remove the spool inspecting for sand before putting them away.

Diamond Super 100  of the 1955 era	Mitchell 306 mid sized saltwater reel
Shimano Sedona 6000FB	Shakespeare  Alpha Bigwater reel