Winter Reel Project

[Andy]

I enjoy tinkering with the various reels I own,and have been getting a little braver as time goes on. This past winter, I opened up my Abu C3, Shimano Catala 201, Curado and Citica baitcasting reels for cleaning and lubrication.

The Abu was new this year, and I really didn't need to take it apart, but did anyway. It has the new carbon matrix drag washers and they are still as good as new, I just made sure they didn't have grease or oil on them as they are meant to run dry.

The Citica and Curado had the original drag washers and I replaced them in both reels with a set of Carbontex washers (CT200) from Smoothdrag. I lightly greased them with Cal's drag grease (also from Smoothdrag) and the drags are noticeably smoother.

The cost of two sets of washer and a small container of grease was just over $20.00 US. Not an expensive way to upgrade your reels and use up a cold winters day.

The Catala I own has much different drag stack than the other two other Shimanos are are not available in a set. That being said, I find Dawn at Smoothdrag to be very helpful, I sent her the measurements of the drag stack, and hopefully she can put together a set of drag washers for this reel.

If you are looking for a way to tinker with your tackle, consider replacing/upgrading your reel's drag. I would recommend a copy of the schematics and an clear workspace. I lost a tiny screw from my Abu, and had a heck of a time finding it on the kitchen floor. I'm really not too afraid of messing it up, because Aickmans in Cooksville has great service and I can always pack up the pieces and have it put back together by a pro.

I have also learned that I've been over lubricating my reels and that a little oil or grease goes a long way, especially as most of us are not fishing saltwater all the time.

The are a number of articles online pertaining to reel maintenence. (Tackletour site, Shimano site, numerous others)

http://www.smoothdrag.com/

Andy