Reel Repair by Alan Tani

Jeri,

As you mentioned; you use an Avet reel with good maintenance. I like some of the others who've commented used to drag race and Ive served on the pit crew for a funny car and "maintenance" is the key to success. You mentioned that the reels youve been servicing for the tournament have been newish (probably without a pre-service). Since your known by the contestants maybe you should set up a tent/canopy for reel servicing adjacent/nearby the tournament where someone (more than one person) from your shop does "tear-downs" on reels for the contestants; similar to drag racers except for whoever wants servicing.

This pit crew reel servicing would prove educational for the contestants and provide your shop with valuable "field data" on the issues the contestants are having. Besides providing a service to the contestants; its just "good business".

Leo

Hi  guys,

Leon

The points that I perhaps didn't get across, was that these guys are at the top of the 'game', and still not technically minded enough to know that there is a need for maintenance – especially before the top annual international competition in the region. Equipment failure is a personal failure, and reflects badly on that angler, especially when you are representing your country.

Time spent changing a reel on a rod is lost fishing time in a competition, and on the first day that was crucial, as they landed over 2900kgs of sharks on that day – so any time any angler in a team didn't have bait in the water was having a negative effect on their team. Especially as the next 2 days of the event were relatively poor, with the effect that the final places were determined on the first day, the next days were just hold your lead, with relatively much lower catches.

The point you make about using cheaper bearings as a consumable product is in part valid, as they only bring a reel to be sorted when it fails. The point I was making, is that cheaper low spec bearings have no real place at top end competition level, as these folks are the ones stretching the boundaries to what we achieve in casting distance.

Leo

In Namibia we have the second lowest population density in the world, only Mongolia has a lower density. On the coast of Namibia we have the highest population density in the world of 'fishing experts' – or that is the way it seems at times.

I fully appreciate the drag car reference – I raced bikes at the then pinnacle of amateur level – the Isle of Man, and to have equipment failure would have at that time been a waste of 3 months of my life – 10 weeks preparation and 2 weeks on the Island. Getting that mentality across to some folks is very difficult.

I think at the end of the day, the fact that we stayed open well after hours each day to accommodate all the repairs necessary was enough commitment to helping the uniformed. Which reflects my experience when I fishing in couple of 'B' team internationals – as the guys in my team just gave me their reels at the end of each day to be cleaned and quick serviced. At the end of our last day of practice I had more than 12 reels to service, just to make sure all our team went to the first day with equipment that wouldn't fail.

I think that perhaps I am looking for a 'fix' that may well need more medical or pharmaceutical attributes???  ;-)  Or perhaps I shouldn't be so technically orientated, and seek to improve?? – But, then that is the curse of all engineers, always looking to improve and develop – even the humble mousetrap.


Cheers from sunny Africa


Jeri

Quote from: Jeri on December 11, 2014, 06:15:28 AM
Hi  guys,

Leon

The points that I perhaps didn't get across, was that these guys are at the top of the 'game', and still not technically minded enough to know that there is a need for maintenance – especially before the top annual international competition in the region. Equipment failure is a personal failure, and reflects badly on that angler, especially when you are representing your country.

Time spent changing a reel on a rod is lost fishing time in a competition, and on the first day that was crucial, as they landed over 2900kgs of sharks on that day – so any time any angler in a team didn't have bait in the water was having a negative effect on their team. Especially as the next 2 days of the event were relatively poor, with the effect that the final places were determined on the first day, the next days were just hold your lead, with relatively much lower catches.

The point you make about using cheaper bearings as a consumable product is in part valid, as they only bring a reel to be sorted when it fails. The point I was making, is that cheaper low spec bearings have no real place at top end competition level, as these folks are the ones stretching the boundaries to what we achieve in casting distance.

Leo

In Namibia we have the second lowest population density in the world, only Mongolia has a lower density. On the coast of Namibia we have the highest population density in the world of 'fishing experts' – or that is the way it seems at times.

I fully appreciate the drag car reference – I raced bikes at the then pinnacle of amateur level – the Isle of Man, and to have equipment failure would have at that time been a waste of 3 months of my life – 10 weeks preparation and 2 weeks on the Island. Getting that mentality across to some folks is very difficult.

I think at the end of the day, the fact that we stayed open well after hours each day to accommodate all the repairs necessary was enough commitment to helping the uniformed. Which reflects my experience when I fishing in couple of 'B' team internationals – as the guys in my team just gave me their reels at the end of each day to be cleaned and quick serviced. At the end of our last day of practice I had more than 12 reels to service, just to make sure all our team went to the first day with equipment that wouldn't fail.

I think that perhaps I am looking for a 'fix' that may well need more medical or pharmaceutical attributes???  ;-)  Or perhaps I shouldn't be so technically orientated, and seek to improve?? – But, then that is the curse of all engineers, always looking to improve and develop – even the humble mousetrap.


Cheers from sunny Africa


Jeri

Jeri,

there are a lot of people that think that opening a reel is like working on a nuclear reactor. I have met people who will happily take apart a carburetor but too scared to touch a reel. There are also serious amounts of nonsense talk that does the rounds about reel repair, as you say, there is a very high density of world leading experts at times along most coasts, not only Namibia! The funny thing is that there are many top league anglers that don't service their own reels, not even oil the bearings. Not sure why this is the case. Laziness or urban myths that it is too difficult to do? And a lot of shops that offer reel service do a terrible job and half the time they don't even know what they are talking about. They don't even do the basics of greasing screws. I bought a 2nd hand Saltist 30 which looked great on the outside and was serviced by one of the biggest tackle shops in South Africa who happens to be Daiwa agent as well. Well, I luckily got the reel in time, I just got the side cover screws out, they were nearly stuck from corrosion.

I prefer open bearings though for the spool bearings, I would rather have the salt water be able to run out than stay in a closed bearing. Its easy to put a drop of oil in and you know there is no salty depostis stuck under the seal.

Cheers,

Leon