How to Clean a Fishing Reel Using Ultrasonic Cleaning Device?

Any veteran fisherman knows what fishing reels mean, but those who have just taken up the fishing hobby know less about the fishing equipment.

Fishing reels are the most significant items when going saltwater fishing.

ultrasonic cleaner for fishing reel

These reels don’t have to be expensive; for a start, you can have the basic one.

Fishing reels are of 3 types:

  • Fly fishing reels
  • Spinning reels
  • Baitcasting reels

There is a small mechanism that controls the line from the reel that prevents it from being paid out too quickly.

The reels that are often used are equipped with a ratchet system, and the expensive ones come with a silent disc brake.

Fishing reels are available in different sizes and shapes. These reels are rated by their action and power.

Amongst the different types of fishing reels, the most important thing is about holding a line.

Well-made fishing reels allow your fishing excursion to be enjoyable. And quality is the most important thing when you plan to buy a fishing reel.

When buying a fishing reel, ensure that there are no parts made up of plastic. The plastic will fail when you have a large fish on the line – it will all break loose once the plastic snaps.

Why Cleaning of Fishing Reel Important?

Are you taking proper care of your fishing equipment and reels?

They are prone to many contents, such as lubricating grease and surroundings, which can generate many different residues. Since people do fishing mostly in the ocean, the gear gets exposed to seawater.

Seawater which includes a large number of different salts in varying concentrations, can build up jamming or clogging of the fishing reels.

Moreover, certain minerals in the seawater are highly corrosive and can get into the parts as well, which causes jamming and clogging owing to rust forming and accumulation of other products of corrosion.

Freshwater even can cause damage to your fishing reels because it includes more bacteria and algae than seawater.

Fish scales, sand, bacteria, and silt can cause build-up residues in the fishing reels and gear.

It is therefore very important to get your reels and fishing equipment cleaned for proper functioning.

Especially after saltwater use, you need to get your fishing reel cleaned so that you can use it effectively next time while going fishing.

How to Clean a Fishing Reel After Saltwater Use?

Have you ever been deep-sea fishing?

If you have, you will know a fishing reel can become coated with salt and other debris, which makes the device difficult to use.

Here we list out a few easy DIY steps for cleaning your fishing reel after saltwater use.

Check them out, and we assure you that you will not have difficulty cleaning your fishing reels when you follow these.

Step 1. Unroll the reel

You may find this step bit difficult as fishing reels are long, but unrolling the device completely is indeed necessary to see where the salt and grime accumulation is.

Step 2. Go for a dry clean

Use a bristle brush or a fishing reel cleaning kit to clean off anything that hangs off of the reel, such as dirt and algae.

These substances don’t hold on the reel firmly, so you can simply scrub the debris off the reel.

Step 3. Soak the brush in a salt solution

Salt accumulation is the most important substance to be removed from the fishing reel. So, soak the bristle brush in a salt solution to make it fine and saturated.

Let the brush drip for some time to ensure it doesn’t drip in areas where you don’t want to drip.

Step 4. Check out the line again

The bristle brush now has the salt-away solution. Check the entire fishing line again with the brush and scrub off the salt and other debris.

You will see that the salt accumulation that was most difficult to remove is simply getting soaked with the solution and can scrub it later on.

This solution will get the salt, dirt, and stuck algae off the device.

Step 5. Clean the barrel

Cleaning the barrel is as important as cleaning the reel line because the improperly cleaned barrel will make the spinning uneven and tangled.

So, regardless of where you spread out your fishing reel, you should clean the barrel of the rod.

Use the bristle brush for cleaning the barrel, but ensure that you are doing this when the brush is dry enough to remove outward grime, then soak it in the salt-away solution and repeat the process.

This way, you can remove anything that holds on after the first scrub and also removes salt buildup from the reel.

Step 6. Rinse thoroughly

Once you have completed these steps, rinse the reel with fresh water and spin it back in. Your fishing reel is ready for use again!

Warning! Ensure that you remove even a tiny drop of water from the reel after the cleaning.

Give a thin coating of lubricant to the device, especially if you are storing the device for a significant time before the next use.

Should You Oil Your Fishing Reel?

Oiling the reel bearings and assembly after cleaning is a part of fishing reel maintenance and should not be skipped. If you do not like your reel to operate heavily, just put up a light coating of grease or oil.

Greasing and lubricating all the moving parts of the reel gives it an extra shield to protect it better against saltwater and contamination.

You need to remember when cleaning and oiling your reel bearings to never apply too much grease or oil. Just put in a light coating, and you are good to go.

It’s good to lubricate your reel every 3-4 weeks so that it functions well and is smooth.

Can I use wd40 on fishing reels?
WD40 is basically a solvent and not a lubricant. It works very well to clean the corrosion off the fishing reel. You can use it to clean the rod, guides, and inner rings on reels. However, since it’s not an ideal lubricant, do not use it for oiling the reel.

How Does Ultrasonic Cleaner for Fishing Reels Help?

Ultrasonic cleaning devices are today widely used for cleaning old fishing reels, equipment, and parts.

These devices create microscopic bubbles that can forcefully go off in a DIY cleaning solution. This process is called cavitation which blasts grease, dirt, grime, and rust away from any hard surface.

The cleaning solution lets cavitation take place everywhere inside the tank by producing millions of microscopic bubbles that hit/scrub the surface that needs to be cleaned.

The good thing is it occurs gently and more efficiently for the spinning reels than any other cleaning process so that it cleans salt off the fishing reel without any damage.

Ultrasonic cleaning devices for the fishing reels and rods have the advantage of getting into the inside parts and crevices that are otherwise inaccessible by a normal cleaning brush.

In the process, it also helps to kill the bacteria and other pathogens that may have been deposited on the spinning reel after saltwater.

However, as these devices are available in a wide range of models, sizes, power, and prices, it is a bit difficult to choose one that is perfect for your cleaning fishing reels requirement.

There are a few things to remember when buying the best ultrasonic cleaner machine for cleaning fishing reels. We have discussed some of them below.

If you follow these, you can surely get a fishing reel cleaner that is easy and effective to use.

Things To Consider When Buying and Using The Device

The cost of an ultrasonic cleaning device is a significant element to consider.

This usually depends on the power and other advanced features such as frequency and overall quality of the device.

Developed with piezoelectric ultrasonic transducers, this equipment is very efficient in changing the electrical energy into ultrasonic energy in the cleaning process.

When buying an ultrasonic cleaner, you are advised to know the effective ultrasonic power in the tank because many low-priced units are underpowered.

You will find a sonic cleaner and other similar products for a shorter operation period for home use.

This means that the unit has to be turned on many times to have an effective fishing reel clean.

Besides, ultrasonic cleaners for home usage can’t withstand long operation periods because of overheating and can break down.

You also have to check the run-time of the timer, and if you find it lower than 30 minutes, then the unit is not perfect for cleaning fishing reels.

Some ultrasonic cleaning devices are equipped with steady setting timers which can be used consistently and are more durable than other units.

Consider the shape and size of the tank while buying one.

There are big ultrasonic cleaning devices built with rectangular-shaped baskets, perfect for cleaning bait cast fishing reels because they keep the parts from gathering together during the cleaning process.

Choose a unit outfitted with a large basket that can fit your big fishing reel with all the parts and is deep enough to do full submersion of the parts.

Usage and handling of a cleaning device should be done carefully. You need to go through the user manual provided by the manufacturer to know well about the operation.

Using an appropriate cleaning solution is also an important thing to check. You should choose the solvent which is best suited for fishing reels and can help you get shiny looks.