TACKLE The same reel shown opposite, now fully restored and ready for action.
IGNORANCE is not
BLISS!
Make sure your reel is in top notch condition 46 • SKI-BOAT November/December 2020
By Paul Nixon
E
VERY experienced fisherman knows that preparation is a key element of any successful endeavour. With that in mind, tackle maintenance prior to the upcoming billfish and summer season should be well underway by now. Under the current circumstances, with a lot of us spending more time at home than usual, that time should be taken advantage of with both hands. Reel Ser vice Durban started as exactly that. Five years ago I was fishing significantly more often than usual and therefore needed to maintain my reels more frequently. My mates cottoned onto this and soon I was working on and servicing their reels as well. My normal work took a dive and evenings consisted of piles of reels being worked on, with some very late nights required to keep ahead of the demand and backlogs. Reel Service Durban has now been my fulltime occupation for just on three years, and the fishing community near and far have been fantastic with their support. Moving full-time into reel servicing whilst being based in Durban has opened up doors both locally and nationally for me to meet great fisherfolk. Nothing gives me more satisfaction than when I receive their feedback about landing excellent fish with reels I have serviced. Ski-boaters are highly competitive, always looking for a gap in the weather to jump on the water in the endless search for that “personal best” or “fish of a lifetime”. As a result, I have found that the words,“I’m not in too much of a rush for my reel” actually mean that work needs to begin immediately and that my client’s reel needs to leave the workshop in tiptop shape just in time for the next good weather day. Reels as a whole are like outboard engines — a lot of folk like the look of them on the outside, and like to use and drive them hard, but unfortunately not everyone has an understanding of how they work on the inside.They will often just give them a quick spray of Q20 and expect the equipment to give years of service thanks to that TLC. Anyone who has caught a marlin or watched one of those great fish being fought will know that the reels generally spend a lot of time in harsh saltwater conditions during peak fishing season for prolonged periods, are subject to extreme load and are then stored for months at a time. You would be doing yourself an injustice by not servicing and maintaining these very expensive and hard-working pieces of equipment. There are a few things that you can do post fishing that will help ensure your reels stay in great condition for
