Johnson Citation 110A spincast reel overhaul

[happyhooker]

A "LOWLY" SPINCAST REEL

A spincast reel?  You mean the ones only kids, beginners and (heaven forbid) women use?  The kind that might destroy themselves if anything larger than a runt bluegill even swam past one?  Reels that typify plastic construction and sell for $5.99 at your local big box store?

I ain't intending to make this post a "why not use spincast reels", but I will say just a couple of things that represent the flipside of some of the above statements.  First, lots of anglers use spincast equipment.  They don't have exterior mounted bails to get banged around like spinning reels do and they're simple to operate, for the most part.  Gary Klein had a Zebco 33 on his boat during the 2014 Bassmaster Classic.  Robert "RT" Troseth, noted Keys fishing captain, got into an interesting challenge (as related in a 2013 Field & Stream article) and won it by catching a 10 lb. false albacore with a spincaster.  It may be more fish are caught every year on spincast reels that any other kind.  Second, there are some pretty tough spincast reels available today (I'm thinking the saltwater-rated Qualia line and the Zebco Big Cat XT models, among others) that are capable of catching most freshwater fish and some saltwater varieties as well.  And, yeah, a Barbie reel won't be the choice of most anglers, but the vitually all metal Johnson Citation 110A I want to chat about below might be near the top of the list of all-time favorite spincast reels.

I don't use spincast reels that often.  I poo-pooed them like a lot of folks as the reels that too often look more like pencil sharpeners.  But I've mellowed.  Even if you never fish with one, spincast reels are a part of fishing history and you can admire a classic one for it's fine construction as much as any other kind of reel.

Johnson made most, if not all, of its Citations in Mankato, Minnesota.  As near as I can tell, the Citation 110 first appeared in 1956, followed by the 110A in 1958 and the 110B in 1962.  A lot of folks remember the "racing green" color, although there were look-alikes made for other companies in other colors.  Factory spooled line was available in 8-17 lb. test, although heavier line could be maybe be used and newer, thinner lines with higher tests would likely work OK.  The handle is reversible for left or right hand retrieve, and the spool is reversible too so you can use the reel on the underside of a spinning rod without too much trouble (the factory instructions even explained how to do it!)  Most of the reel is of metal construction, notably excepting the A/R knob, drag pointer and dial, handle knob, drag shoes and a small slider that moves the pickup pin in and out.



Disassembly starts by unscrewing the front cover ("bell").  The rotor then removes by taking off the nut securing it with either an appropriate small socket or a coin (the latter apparently an aid to streamside repairs).  Note the pickup pin mechanism inside the rotor; it has a minimum of parts and is easily cleaned in place.





This particular reel has a 1 1/8 inch "C"-type brass clip that can be pulled or pried off to enable removal of the metal spool.  I have seen wire-type clips on other similar models and I gather several different types of clips may have been used.



The handle is removed by unscrewing the nut holding it with a 3/8 inch socket.  The handle is keyed to the main gear shaft.  Unscrew the two screws holding the side plates on with an appropriately sized flat bladed screwdriver.  For whatever reason, the reel below has the screws on the handle side cover, whereas others have them on the opposite side cover.  Whichever side they are on, removal of the screws will free both covers to be taken off.  The handle side cover will remove with the A/R knob; the main gear and shaft may come with this cover or slide off into the body.  There is no retainer holding the main gear and shaft to the cover, but mine took some effort to pull out of the cover.  Put the A/R knob to "OFF", pry off the wire retaining ring that holds the knob on, then remove the A/R knob.  Note how the A/R mechanism works; there are two thin brass "dogs" that are held to the inside of the cover with spring-loaded studs; turning the A/R knob to the "R" will allow one of these dogs to extend and engage the A/R teeth on the backside of the main gear; turning the knob to "L" allows the other dog to do the same thing.  You need both the "L" and "R" settings so the A/R will work whether you have selected right hand retrieve or left hand retrieve.  Engaging the A/R enables a "clicker" when retrieving line.



The reel I have came with right hand retrieve enabled. There was a small washer-like shim on the gear shaft behind the gear, which I assumed might have been an adjusting shim (ala the Mitchell 300 spinning reel).  On closer inspection, the shim was crudely made and may have been added by an earlier user sometime in the past.  When I reassembled the reel, I set it up for left hand cranking (reflecting my long use of spinning gear, where a right-handed person usually retrieves with the left hand) and put the shim back in; however, the reel would bind upon cranking in this configuration.  Removing the shim allowed for smooth retrieve and virtually no play in the gear shaft.

The cover opposite the side of the handle has two bosses that hold the push button on; removal of the cover screws allows both covers and the push button to come off.  You are then in a position to remove the pinion gear and shaft back out through the body (the push button spring comes with the shaft).  Remove the screw holding the spring-loaded drag adjusting knob located on top of the body (watch it doesn't fly off and get lost, or, worse, hit you in the face) and remove the knob and dial below.  This reel had a dial with 1-8 markings; some of the earlier ones may have a 1-6 marking. There is also a small, shovel-shaped flat drag bar that can be removed back through the body; note the orientation of this item on removal so it can be replaced in the proper orientation upon reassembly; note also that this bar comes in various shapes, so another 110 may have something different than this one did.

Back on the front of the reel, note the thick white-colored washers (plastic-Teflon?) that constitute the drag shoes for the reel.  This reel had 3 shoes; I am told this can varying among different 110s.  These shoes are located on a round shaft that is part of the reel body.  The shoes are not quite a press-fit on this shaft, but it takes a little urging to get them off.  On this particular reel, the shoe in the middle is different than the two on either end; I believe the two on either end are the same, but on reassembly, note that the hole that goes over the shaft is recessed or chamfered on one side and the chamfer faces away from the center shoe on both the outside shoes.  All three shoes have a squared recess through which the drag bar goes.  Note how the drag operates.  As the drag adjusting knob is tightened, the drag bar moves upward inside the drag shoes, which moves the middle shoe upwards to apply pressure to the spool.  More pressure, more drag.  The adjusting knob is not just limited to the 1 to 8 marking on the dial (8 meaning more drag).  If the knob is turned to "8" and the drag is still insufficient, you can pull up on the knob and dial together (remember, they are spring loaded) with one hand, turn the knob back to "1", then release the knob and dial back down, giving you another eight numbers of drag adjustment (this process can be repeated or reversed if need be).  You can also pull up on the knob and dial and turn the holding screw to give more or less adjustment.  Upon reassembly, you will almost surely need to readjust the drag in this way to get the level of drag you want.  In any event, if you take the drag shoes off, note the orientation and order of the shoes as you remove them and also note the brass clicker located behind the last shoe that fits in the body recess for it.



The above picture shows the following, starting at left and going clockwise: 1) "C" clip that holds spool on; 2) brass drag clicker; 3) main gear with shaft and pinion gear with shaft and push button spring; 4) drag bar; 5) drag adjusting dial; 6) three drag shoes (in order as removed); 7) drag adjusting knob, spring and screw.  In the center is the shim that was located on the main gear shaft (referenced above).

Reassembly would reverse the above process.  I'm thinking a little grease on the main and pinion gears and oil on their shafts where they go through their respective bushings.  Maybe a dab of grease on the A/R dogs and light coating inside the body.  I suspect the drag shoes do not get lubricated, as the Teflon should not need it.

Hope this proved interesting, and let me know if any questions come up.

[Crow]

    I have....and use...spincast reels quite a bit. They are great for , what I call, "creek fishing"....narrow, lots of overhanging tress and brush....and lots of deadfalls and snags, too. I have a "matched pair" of Citations that belonged to my Mom & Dad....they used them for crappie fishing, on Lake Norfork, in Arkansas, and , just a few weeks ago, I did what you just did......tear down, clean and lube, new line....got 'em all ready to give to my Daughter and her Husband (she's fished a lot, as a "Kid at Home", but he hardly knows which end of the rod to hold ! It will be a good "starter reel" for him....and a "capable" reel for her !

[wfjord]

I have two Johnson spincast reels that belonged to my dad.  I've never used them, but have it in the back of my mind to overhaul them someday; maybe I'll do that sooner in memory of him. (My first reel was a Zebco 33 he bought for me way back in the '50s.)

I had a bass fishing buddy many years ago who used red ABU Garcia spincast reels for decades as his main go-to for largemouth bass, and he usually out-fished me. He was a true old-school guy and had some more desirable baitcasters (in my opinion), but to this day he still only uses those spincasters.

[Brendan]

Not in my wheel house but i like what youve done.
Tight lines, Brendan.

[Ruffy]

They're an interesting concept; you don't see many spincasters here in Australia, at all. The only one I can think of ever seeing on a shelf here are the Daiwa Royal/gold/silvercast models. I know there's an older Daiwa Seiko model down at the local hock shop, might have to pick it up for a play.

[Gfish]

Spincaster: +'s   ~easy one handed - push button casting(novice & kid friendly)
                        ~ line held in place until button released(control & accuracy)
                        ~ line protected from elements by spool cap
                        ~ relatively inexpensive
                        ~ easy to service
                        ~ some nice quality vintage( mostly 50's & 60's) reels out there
                       

                 -'s    ~ rotor often "wobbles" 'cause it's only attached with a relatively small nut.
                         ~ low line capacity
                         ~ line twist
                         ~ retrieve rate usually slow
                         ~ gotta remember to dry out line by removing cap(mold!)
                         ~ most don't have spool ossilation system(which'ed increase spool size n' line capacity)
                         ~ not enough demand by avid fisherman, so there are few choices out there for quality reels

      Got a Diawa Goldcast with the ossilating spool and a pretty good drag. A well made spincaster, but it do twist line somethin fierce and the retrieve rate is pretty slow.          

Gfish

[mo65]

   My Dad is a "dyed in the wool" Johnson man. He has fished those ol' Johnsons for over 50 years. I've seen him make some nice catches on them. He even has the first one he ever bought as a kid. My brother and I still use some spincasts for certain applications where they excel.

[happyhooker]

Gfish, you're pretty much on the money with the plusses and minuses.  One plus I would add is that a spincaster is the way to go if you're fishing in weather cold enough where you want to wear gloves.  For me in Minn., that is usually the main factor that leads me to a spincaster.

I've got a Johnson Guide 160 that has good line capacity & an oscillating spool, but I've never used it.  Supposed by many as the best spincaster Johnson ever made.  It does not have left hand retrieve, which I like, but I may have to overhaul it & see if it's as good as they claim.

Here's a last pic of the Citation 110A I forgot to included earlier, showing the decorative non-handle cover writing.  Some of the 110s just had plain block lettering.

[Midway Tommy]

Nice and informative explanation. In my mind the Citation was one of the better spincast reels of its day. One advantage it has over most others is the larger diameter spool which serves at least three purposes. It holds a little more line, helps reduce line twist and also helps reduce line memory. After we weened off of baitcasters to spinners back in the early 60's we had a couple of Citations. They were nice reels and we used them until dad and I switched over to Mitchell 304s in about '63 or so. Open face spinners were much better live bait walleye reels for feeding line on a bite. That's why we switched, but my mom used one of the Citations for quite awhile after that.

Here's a nice 5.5 lb walleye I caught back in '61 on that Citation.

   

[Cor]

When I was very young I had one that I used for bass fishing to cast very light lures and it did the job pretty well.

I now feel about them about the way happyhooker describes in his opening paragraph, but on two other occasions in my life I went and bought one when I needed something very small, & light, Ive always disliked spinning reels so this was the only alternative that worked......if the cap did not fall off while retrieving, or the line did not get tangled inside somewhere, or the drag (sorry what drag)

I still have a Daiwa somewhere.