Reel Repair by Alan Tani

Good one, Alan!!

Best Regards, Fred

Yes, I have too many reels.  Convicted.

My 12 step process

step 1 - Search ebay and buy the cheapest reel and admit that you don't have many reels

step 2 - buy more reels and have a Pepsi

step 3 - buy more reels and have a Pepsi

step 4 - look for parts to fix the reels and have a Pepsi

step 5 - fixed the reels and buy more reels

step 6 - go fishing with them

step 7 - buy more reels

step 8 - store these fixed reels in the kitchen

step 9 - store more fixed reels in the living room

step 10 - buy more reels to fix up and have a Ice coffee

step 11 - store more fixed reels in the other rooms in the house

step 12 - if the wife and kids find them, tell them they cannot have one and don't admit that you have too many reels

Okay. I feel better already. Time to buy more reels.

Hi, my name is Lee and I have a fishing gear problem.

A small part of my collection is from people think I run a home for unwanted gear.  I try to use parts to get reels working and give them to kids and younger people that I feel will use them. 

Quote from: Keta on October 08, 2026, 01:48:05 PMHi, my name is Lee and I have a fishing gear problem.

A small part of my collection is from people think I run a home for unwanted gear.  I try to use parts to get reels working and give them to kids and younger people that I feel will use them. 

Lee, there is no fishing gear problem that can't be solved here.   I like your charity instinct and would like to figure out a way to do more of that myself.  Had some ideas about sending gear to Cuba or the Dominican Republic, but no follow through yet. I know Alan is active is charities.

I have 6 or 7 Daiwa 600H reels I rebuilt for a friend that sold his charter boat due to sudden health issues that  left to me.   have been trying to sell them on fleabay with no luck.  These reels are rough on the outside but smooth running now and bullet proof.  No one has been interested.  I have an hour plus in labor and $20 plus in parts in these reels and no bites at $30.00 "buy now".

Quote from: Keta on October 08, 2026, 02:25:55 PMI have 6 or 7 Daiwa 600H reels I rebuilt for a friend that sold his charter boat due to sudden health issues that  left to me.   have been trying to sell them on fleabay with no luck.  These reels are rough on the outside but smooth running now and bullet proof.  No one has been interested.  I have an hour plus in labor and $20 plus in parts in these reels and no bites at $30.00 "buy now".

I think that is part of Being a reel repair guy, I also suffer from the same, a small part of my collection is from people that dont want to fix their reels if the replacement parts is more than $30 dlls or so,    , you can imagine the kind of reels they left, old but good reels, as those sealine 400H or 600H, jigmasters, beachmaster, old 4/0 with posts,  non branded reels etc, most of them really worth the time to fix them and use them fishing or use them as gift for people that cant affort any reel, no plans to get money from them because they arent good sellers.
PS: many of those reels are still pending to repair because I also dont want to spend money on them either

 Fixing older reels is all about passion.

 I love the older USA made penn reels, and my passion always shoves me in a rabbit hole, but I'll never lose my passion for those older Penns that can be given a 2nd chance at life. Nowadays I will only fix up a reel if it just needs a simple clean up, lube, and maybe a new drag stack. That way its less of a rabbit hole for me to jump into

Quote from: Maxed Out on October 08, 2026, 05:28:03 PMFixing older reels is all about passion.

 I love the older USA made penn reels, and my passion always shoves me in a rabbit hole, but I'll never lose my passion for those older Penns that can be given a 2nd chance at life. Nowadays I will only fix up a reel if it just needs a simple clean up, lube, and maybe a new drag stack. That way its less of a rabbit hole for me to jump into

Liar liar liar pants on fire! You just bought a jigmaster to fix up! It just needs all parts except the spool!!!! 

The boxes of my Mariner/Master Mariner, Senator and miscellaneous other Penn reel colections is too high to reach as my slowly  healing knee does not like ladders.  My parts boxes too.



GTIs

Quote from: thorhammer on October 08, 2026, 06:36:27 PM

Quote from: Maxed Out on October 08, 2026, 05:28:03 PMFixing older reels is all about passion.

 I love the older USA made penn reels, and my passion always shoves me in a rabbit hole, but I'll never lose my passion for those older Penns that can be given a 2nd chance at life. Nowadays I will only fix up a reel if it just needs a simple clean up, lube, and maybe a new drag stack. That way its less of a rabbit hole for me to jump into

Liar liar liar pants on fire! You just bought a jigmaster to fix up! It just needs all parts except the spool!!!! 

LOL  Gotcha !!

well the spool only needs a clean up, lube, maybe a new drag, perhaps a sideplate or two, there is a chance that it could help to get a main gear and pinion gear just in case and the rest of screws and bits are cheap as chips, so its an almost free built.

 You guys are funny. Building a custom jigmaster around a seldom seen spool is a whole different ball game, versus fixin up an older reel with minimal expendatures, and leaving it stock

 Its been a while since I built a custom Cortez reel, so I was overdue. Plus it completes a set of silver Cortez jigmasters. Plus fishing season is over and it'll give me something to stay busy