How many times have you had a problem with a reel – be it a sticky drag, a handle that won’t turn – or even worst, an internal hemorrhage that shuts down your day’s fishing?

A wise retailer once shared with me a truism around tackle – ‘buy the best gear you can possibly afford, and then maintain it.’ He was right.

As anglers we are reasonably good at cleaning our gear at the end of the day – at worst, the drag is tightened and the reel showered with fresh water – at best, cleaned with warn soapy water or some anti-salt product, followed by a quick rinse with fresh water and then a toweling down, finishing with your favourite anti-corrosion product. With the drag now backed off, the rod is racked and ready for the next adventure.

With a little a simple knowledge, anglers can take this to the next level, occasionally removing a side plate to expose the inner workings, to which suitable lubricating product can be judiciously applied. Stay within your comfort zone here. Don’t be ‘that guy’ who takes on more than he can chew, ending up with a box of reel components you have no idea how to put back together.

For the DIY maintenance person, there is a plethora of reel lubes out there, some better than others.

Now available in the New Zealand market, Deuthlon is a product that has been scientifically developed using its proprietary DUST SHIELD and AQUA SHIELD technologies for use in maintaining fishing tackle.

Deuthlon is a company passionate about fishing reel maintenance, putting hundreds of engineering hours into research and development to create what is considered by many to be the best reel lubes available. The company has worked with anglers to create reel maintenance product lines based on real-world feedback from across the fishing spectrum. This sees its product excelling in several key areas: optimising the power transfer from the handle through the gears with minimal energy loss; resisting water, sand and dust; providing protection against corrosion and rust  by moisturising parts with its semi-fluid grease; making maintenance clean and affordable; and ensuring reels, and in particular spool bearings, run as smoothly as possible.

The manufacturer believes its dedicated drag grease can increase drag performance by up to 40 percent and it has the potential to restore old reel gears with its ceramic based product.

With reels becoming smaller and more compact while having huge drag outputs, such a product will be welcomed by technically-minded anglers capable of fully stripping down their reels.

Over the next few months, NZ Fishing News in conjunction with Deuthlon and reel technician James Gibbons will be taking readers step by step through the basic maintenance steps for overhead (lever and star drag), spin, and level-wind reels.

The first one will start in the May edition or check out the below link for more info!

https://deuthlon.com/collections/sports-fishing-reel-maintenance