Fishing Hack: “BOYD” Back off your Drag

maxresdefaultReels today are complex pieces of equipment. Take one apart (if you dare) and it looks much like a grandfather clock or a precision timepiece. Lots of tiny parts and springs that seem as though an engineer could only figure out. So here are a few simple things you can do to preserve the life of your equipment and keep your reel like new, on the water and not in the repair shop.

After each trip, lightly rinse your reels with freshwater using a spray bottle or the lightest mist on your hose nozzle. Avoid high-pressure water sources. Excess water may push salt, debris and marine life residue inside the reel not off. A good rule of thumb to gauge the pressure or volume of water is to imitate that of your shower.

Why stress about rinsing? The reason is simple. Every time saltwater gets on the reel and dries, it leaves a light coating of salt residue or crystalline. This salt coating will not only attack and corrode the complex precision components in the reel it will also create the same wearing and binding effect as sand or dirt. Once you properly rinse your reel wipe it down with a rag or towel to remove any excess water. Next, grease and oil your reel using a good quality, light grade product designed for fishing reels (Not spray lubricant such as WD40). Proper lubrication is important; too much oil or grease can reduce the performance level of a reel as well.

So, you rinse your reels after every trip and grease them every month, but do you then practice BOYD? I first heard the term at Madeira Beach Municipal Marina by Capt. Dave Zalewski, which I made him repeat the term several times thinking he was up to something funny in his usual fashion. But not this time. What is BOYD? One of the simplest but most commonly missed and one of the most effect measures to keep your drag system and reels at peak performance. BOYDBack Of Your Drag. What does your drag system have in common with the rest of your reel? Not a whole lot. Components made up of different substrates some fiber washers some metal. The constant compression as you smash the two together as you tighten or just plain lock down your drag can cause the fiber to transfer. Backing off the drag system after a trip reduces this transfer and keeps the transfer of the fiber washers from becoming gummy, sticky and fusing together producing a rough surface on the metal ones. It Creates an unsmooth or “jerky” drag, ultimately drag failure! After a good rinse and before stowing your rods until your next trip practice BOYD. Extend the life of your drag washers, keep your drag system smooth and at its peak performance and land more fish!

Note from the author: Not being use to this practice of BOYD be sure to tighten your drag before you fire down a big pinfish on your gag honey hole, for this will sure end in disaster!

 

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