Free Spool Duration

[JC Wileman]

For how long "should" a BX2 Free Spool ?  (How long should any reel spin, if the reel is primarily used for surface, live bait fishing?)

I have a 400 that is only getting 5-7 seconds!?!  (Accurate serviced it last year, and I only fished it about 8 days this year.  My reels are covered, full-time, on the boat, with the only exception being when I'm fishing them.)

I have a 500 and a 600N - same service date, same fishing time as the 400 - that're getting 15-25 seconds.  Two others seem to get the same, right out of the box.

All of the reels have line on them.

The 400 is completely silent, by the way, while there is a very low whirring sound audible from the 500 and 600N.

The spool bearings are not open/are still shielded, and none of the spools are sleeved.

[JGB]

JC,

Jim Nomura here. The Boss and the Boss Extreeme still share the same basic design and suffer from the same weaknesses. Accurate spool bearings will stiffen up. This is caused by the lack of a spool bearing sleeve to eliminate the drag return spring pressure on the bearings during free spool. Also the drags will slough particles if used hard and they can get into the bearings and mix with  the lube they use. Recommendation is to get the the unserviced accurate serviced with TSI and sleeved so it will have maximum performance for the type of fishing you do. If you do send it in send the 965 with it - I have the idler gear still waiting for it.

FYI if you send your reel in to Accurate They will attempt to return the reels back to stock bearings and lube. The same is especially true for Avet (they will degrease the drag or replace it to make it dry again).

To answer your original question: My experience is that if you can get 30 seconds of free spool spin then you have enough free spool to fly line live sardines on 30# spectra  out to 100+ yards. Anything more than 30 seconds is margin as the bearings accumulate junk over time and use. If you use plain oil it will thicken and junk will stick and mix in it. If you use TSI junk will not stick and be allowed to move outside the ball grooves. This is why if your spool bearing 'freeze' up with salt crystals and you work the reel the spool frees up  (salt breaks up and move out of the ball race).

Jim N.

[jonathan.han]

I think about 10 seconds is acceptable. 20 is decent. 30+ is reserved for elitist fisherman who like showing the freespool off to other fisherman (I'm guilty). Basically, the length of your freespool time does matter. If you're tossing live bait, I would take more freespool than less just so I would never worry.

[alantani]

it should spin for 20-30 seconds.  you probably have a bad bearing.