I've seen a bunch of posts and comments across ths fishing subs about how saltwater damages gear and how to prevent it. Saltwater is a cruel and unforgiving mistress and without proper care it starts damaging immediately. Here's some Do's and Don'ts to keep your gear running smooth, as well as my on-the-go cleaning kit. I'm not affiliated with Salt Off in any way, I just swear by it.
Reels and Saltwater
Rule #1 -"Saltwater"-rated does not mean you can drop your reel in the ocean and it'll be fine, and "sealed" in most cases only means sealed against splashing and spray. Almost all reels on the market will need to be disassembled and serviced if they fall in the water even for a moment. Even in a foot of water, the pressure will immediately force water and grit into the internals of the reel, bearings and drag washers Keep your reels off the sand and out of the water at all times. If you dunk reels regularly, look for an IPX8 rated reel like the Shimano Spheros SW or Saragosa. That is the minimum rating for a sealed reel than can be fully submerged without requiring a rebuild.
Cleaning and Care
Unless you drop a reel in the water, routine maintenance is simple: tighten the drag down to prevent water intrusion and spray it off thoroughly with a light spray of fresh water. Think the kind of spray pressure you would use to rinse mud off a child or pets face. High pressure will only force salt and water into the reel. I also use Salt Off but I'll get into that later.
I can't stress this next part enough: never, EVER submerge a reel in water in an effort to clean it. Understand this has no benefit or function and will only force the salt, grit, and water that's collected on the reel into the internals, bearings, and drag. This is the absolute worst thing you can do to a reel, short of not rinsing it off at all. Rinse thoroughly, air dry thoroughly, service annually unless something starts feeling "off".
IPXX Rating System and Sealed Reels
IP stands for Ingress Protection. It's a standardized process where devices are tested to determine how impermeable they are to dust and water. The XX is replaced by numbers that correspond to dust and water intrusion, though the first X is not used when it comes to reels. The rating system goes from 1 (protected against vertical water drops, like rain) to 8 (protected against full immersion in water). So, a reel with an IPX6 rating means it is untested for dust intrusion but is protected from "high pressure water jets from any direction". In the context of fishing, that would mean things like a crashing wave, a storm at sea, or spray while traveling on a boat. Not all reels are IP tested but in general, the cheaper the reel, the less protection it will have and the more important it will be to keep it out of the water and clean it as soon as possible after every use.
Higher end reels more commonly have IP ratings, and both Penn and Shimano usually advertise them. Couple examples:
Penn Battle – No rating. These use basic seals to keep out low pressure water drips that happen during the day
Penn Slammer – IPX6 rated, protected against high pressure spray. This will survive any conditions except being submerged.
Shimano Nasci – basic sealing (Shimano Core Protect)
Spheros and Saragosa – IPX8, fully submersible, but that doesn't mean you can reel them underwater.
ZeeBaas, Van Staal – very high end workhorse reels. Not IP rated, but can be fully submerged and reeled underwater with no intrusion. That level of sealing sacrifices smoothness and requires a higher level of service, but if you're swimming to rocks in a wetsuit, that's your reel.
Cleaning Kit
That pic is my mid-trip cleaning kit. I have been using StarBrite Salt Off on my gear and boats for over a decade and I absolute swear by it. It is a salt neutralizer that kills it at a molecular level and leaves a protective coating on everything. A small bucket, a spray bottle with diluted Salt Off and a small juice bottle full of fresh water with tiny holes in the lid to shower my gear off.
When I get back to the car, any lures I used get sprayed with Salt Off and dropped in the bucket, rods and reels get sprayed and that all sits for 10 minutes while I pack up. From there I use the water bottle to rinse the reels and rods, and just dump some water in the lure bucket, wash them around and then hang to dry on the edge of my gear crate. Depending how the day goes, I might spray my bike, pliers, sunglasses etc. For $10 and a couple minutes time your gear will thank you.
Well that's all I got. If you read this far I hope it helped!
Posted by fishin413