Ice Fishing Reels (Not Working )

[Trigger]

I have about 5 rods that i bought that came with the reels allready spooled. I have no problems with the rods but when it come to the reels they always act up in colder weather. One thing they do is the drag seems to get reel choppy and it not a smooth resistance. The second is the locking lever doesn't seem to work some times and the the reel can be reeled back and fourth so i have to always have my hand on the handle so it doesn't spin backwards on me.

I was wonder if there are ways to fix this from happening or do i need to go out and by some popular brand names that i know will work. Because the No name brands are not holding up in the cold weather.

[Wellsy]

Reels that "typically" come on ice fishing combos are of poor quality.
The only reel to date on ice combo's that has been worth anything to me is off the cabelas XML ice combo. Even though the reel didn't match the rod action I still used it on another rod with good success.
A common problem with cheaper reels is moisture getting into the drag and reel housing which will cause your drag and free spooling action to hesitate or fail. try cleaning out the reels so their dry and apply some thinner lubricant and make sure your drag washers are good and dry.
Or you can drop the cash on some better reels, but I have still seen the moisture problem in better quality reels as well.


Good Luck,
Wellsy

[skulldugary]

Might be just cheap reels or it may be that the grease they used on them from the factory is setting up in the cold temp becoming stiff.Try to cleaning all of the old lube out of them and relube with a small amount of W-D40 or some Gibbs lube......just a thought.

[David Barber]

What is this "Drag" you speak of?

I prefer to Back-Reel.  Basically, backreeling as the fish fights to wear them out.  Similar to drag, except you have total control.  It is more reliable than drag.  And you won't lose fish due to your "back-reel" sticking.

[IceholeFisherman]

I would say it is a lube problem, but generally, you will get what you pay for when buying combo units. Take it apart, and clean out the grease with wd-40 or blaster. WD-40 should be good enough for lube in cold weather, But I use a few drops of thin sewing machine oil.

[Trigger]

Well i guess im off to the local hardware store to pick up some WD-40. Thanks for all your help guys

[IceholeFisherman]

I should also mention.....DO NOT use carb cleaner or brake cleaner to clean out your reels. They will melt
some of the plastic parts.

[Jello]

I can't remember the name of it, but there is a 'sub zero' reel greese on the market. 

I've also found that low cost "ice" reels or those included in combos always gave me problems.  I bit the bullet and built a collection of higher quality reels for ice fishing and have been much happier with the performance.  Most of them came with spare aluminum spools.  Great for switching between braid and mono when needed.

[lotwfisher]

I take my ice reels completely apart and clean them with a foam q-tip to remove all the factory grease and I let them dry out any water before putting them back together...Normally I dont add any oil or grease to the parts for the winter but I would recommend adding a high quality oil for the reel. I add oil to the reel to store them for the summer.

[scavengerj]

Usually clean all the grease out of my reels with boiling water, let them dry and put them back together. For winter time use, I usually do not put any oil in them. Then after the season I take them apart again, clean them if need be and re-lube with synthetic.

[ice dawg]

I clean mine up and use a cold weather oil called Hot Sauce. It may be Garcia brand but I'm not sure.