A clean reel is a dependable reel.

When it comes to taking care of catfish reels, Jarrett Tempus compares them to any important tool a person might use. Good maintenance is the key to the lifespan of the tool. Tempus is the proprietor of River Rat Reel Repair in Carbon Hill, Alabama.

“A reel is no different than a vehicle, boat, outboard, or anything else mechanical,” offers Tempus. “Maintenance adds to the life of it! A poorly maintained reel leads to mechanical failures which result in lost fish.”

Tempus should know, he has spent about 34 years taking care of other people’s reels. Oh, the stories he’s heard. It is kinda’ like the Farmers Insurance commercial that says, “Farmers knows a thing or two because we’ve seen a thing or two.”

“We hear it all the time,” recalled Tempus. “An angler tells me that he hooked the fish of a lifetime and the line guide hung. Result—lost fish. Or he tells me that the drag wasn’t working properly and the line snapped. Result—lost fish.”

Tempus recommends that fisherman do a regular inspection of their reels. If they see it’s getting nasty looking or not performing like it once did its time to do some maintenance.

“Pouring oil on the reel isn’t maintenance,” warned Tempus. “For example, if you look at the worm gear and it’s dirty and dragging and hanging some, putting oil on it is the wrong thing to do. Without disassembling and cleaning you’ve turned lubricating oil into cutting oil and pawl and worm gear failure is soon to follow. If the reel handle is not turning as smooth as it once did and you pour the oil to it you not only turn lubricant into cutting oil you also contaminate the drag washers.”

Tempus says he would love to have everyone’s business but recommends to anyone that thinks they can handle it to give it a try. He follows that by saying that if you tear one down and run into problems or need some pointers, give River Rat a call. They will try to walk you through it.

“The biggest mistake we see the do-it-yourselfers make is using too much oil/grease or using oil/grease in the wrong locations. We also see a lot of reels assembled wrong.  A professional reel shop will give you a better product whether it’s us or another reel shop. There’s a lot of good ones out there. We have seen it all and know what to look for on each specific reel model. Certain reels may have a weak spot that is very common in that particular model. We’ve dealt with it and know what to really inspect.”

“We work on all makes and models and all species-specific models,” continued Tempus. “A bass reel has the wear and tear of nonstop casting with the buildup of dirt, grass and other debris. A catfish reel has the wear and tear of casting heavy rigs and also has the buildup of dirt, grass and other debris. But, the number one thing that we see with catfish reels is the buildup of blood, guts, scales, and slime from the bait used. What most people don’t know is that blood causes corrosion as bad as saltwater.”

“We recommend a minimum maintenance schedule of once a year, but if you fish hard every week or fish in some nasty conditions, we recommend twice a year. We are very proud of our turnaround time. If there is a parts availability issue it may take longer but we try our best to provide a 7 to 10 working days turnaround.”

“Reels are getting more and more expensive and it’s foolish not to maintain them,” said Tempus. “Each reel shop charges different prices for a clean and lube, but we charge $12.50 for standard freshwater reels and $15 for large freshwater (catfish reels) and most saltwater reels. That’s a small price to pay each year for trouble-free fishing.”

Epilogue: Need a new roof? Use skipjack scales.

Of all the dirt, grime and debris that Tempus has found and removed from fishing reels, skipjack scales are one of the toughest.

“I’ve determined that if our home ever needs a new roof I’m forgetting shingles or metal,” joked Tempus. “I’m using skipjack scales! Those things will stay stuck to anything. Rain, snow, sleet or a nuclear blast won’t remove them.”

Tempus can be reached at River Rats Reel Repair, PO BOX 54, Carbon Hill, AL 35549. Give him a call at 205-388-6477 or text him at 205-522-0562. He can also be reached through the River Rat Reel Repair Facebook page.