most excellent! alan
Thanks alantani
I just got finished upgrading 3 of my reels to "greased carbon fiber" drag systems.
The first reel that I upgraded was an Avel LX 6/2 2 speed reel. It was the older variant that didn't have the drag washer glued in. I used the carbon fiber drag washer that came with the reel and greased it. I fished it 2 weeks ago on a tuna trip and it exceeded my wildest expectations. I caught a very large spinner shark that made a big run and it stopped him in his tracks.
Next reel was a Diawa Saltist. It had the paper thin sandpaper type washers. I replaced them with Carbontex drags from Smooth Drag. I greased them and the reel and put it back together. With Alan Tani's step by step instructions I felt like a reel repair pro. After I got it back together I put it on a scale and got over 20 lbs of drag out of the reel. Much more than before. And, it was very smooth.
The last reel that I upgraded was a Shimano TLD 15. I replaced the felt washer with a greased Carbontex washer from Smooth Drag. Very simple upgrade IMO. I got about 24 lbs of drag out of the reel. I won't fish it that hard but I can button it down if need be. Again, very smooth drag action out of this reel.
Now, for some comments about the Avet. I have read the post by Alan that shows the Avets that had saltwater intrusion and the salt buildups on the drag washers. I must say that when I took my reel apart after this last tuna trip I didn't experience anything like that. In fact, there wasn't a drop of water in them. My Avet was fished hard on an overnight tuna trip so it wasn't because it didn't get used. The grease inside the reel looked like it did the day I put it in. Same with the drag.
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Anyway, I have a theory as to why a lot of reels get the kind of saltwater intrusion that Alan encounters. On tuna trips, they keep the hoses running most of the trip. When I'm not fishing I keep my rods & reels on the upper deck of the boat. I've seen deckhands, while washing down the deck with the raw saltwater, have to wash off chunks of bait and such that are right by guys reels. The reels get soaked. And, it's not the deckhands fault. They're doing their job and keeping the stink factor down.
Then, these same guys take their reels home and stick them in the garage. Out in the humidity. I keep my reels in the house where there is very little humidity. All of my reels look the same as they did the day I bought them. The above reasons are why I think some Avet reels get massive saltwater intrusion.
One thing I do the minute I get home is put all my rods and reels in the shower and give them a really good rinsing off. I let them sit in there wet and then rinse them off again in an hour or so. I may repeat this process a couple more times if I have the time. Then, I dry them and clean them. The freshwater rinses the spool out and gets rid of the salt.
Anyway, thanks Alan for the great reel tutorials. They are a big help to many of us on this board.
Lumberjack93
The first reel that I upgraded was an Avel LX 6/2 2 speed reel. It was the older variant that didn't have the drag washer glued in. I used the carbon fiber drag washer that came with the reel and greased it. I fished it 2 weeks ago on a tuna trip and it exceeded my wildest expectations. I caught a very large spinner shark that made a big run and it stopped him in his tracks.
Next reel was a Diawa Saltist. It had the paper thin sandpaper type washers. I replaced them with Carbontex drags from Smooth Drag. I greased them and the reel and put it back together. With Alan Tani's step by step instructions I felt like a reel repair pro. After I got it back together I put it on a scale and got over 20 lbs of drag out of the reel. Much more than before. And, it was very smooth.
The last reel that I upgraded was a Shimano TLD 15. I replaced the felt washer with a greased Carbontex washer from Smooth Drag. Very simple upgrade IMO. I got about 24 lbs of drag out of the reel. I won't fish it that hard but I can button it down if need be. Again, very smooth drag action out of this reel.
Now, for some comments about the Avet. I have read the post by Alan that shows the Avets that had saltwater intrusion and the salt buildups on the drag washers. I must say that when I took my reel apart after this last tuna trip I didn't experience anything like that. In fact, there wasn't a drop of water in them. My Avet was fished hard on an overnight tuna trip so it wasn't because it didn't get used. The grease inside the reel looked like it did the day I put it in. Same with the drag.
Anyway, I have a theory as to why a lot of reels get the kind of saltwater intrusion that Alan encounters. On tuna trips, they keep the hoses running most of the trip. When I'm not fishing I keep my rods & reels on the upper deck of the boat. I've seen deckhands, while washing down the deck with the raw saltwater, have to wash off chunks of bait and such that are right by guys reels. The reels get soaked. And, it's not the deckhands fault. They're doing their job and keeping the stink factor down.
Then, these same guys take their reels home and stick them in the garage. Out in the humidity. I keep my reels in the house where there is very little humidity. All of my reels look the same as they did the day I bought them. The above reasons are why I think some Avet reels get massive saltwater intrusion.
One thing I do the minute I get home is put all my rods and reels in the shower and give them a really good rinsing off. I let them sit in there wet and then rinse them off again in an hour or so. I may repeat this process a couple more times if I have the time. Then, I dry them and clean them. The freshwater rinses the spool out and gets rid of the salt.
Anyway, thanks Alan for the great reel tutorials. They are a big help to many of us on this board.
Lumberjack93
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