When you own a house you need to maintain it. You have to paint the walls, install new washers on your faucets and change broken door handles.
When you own a car you need to maintain it. You have to change the oil, put new tires on your ride and switch out the air filters.
So, when you own a fishing reel you need to..?
Maintain it!
It’s a fact of life that all things need maintenance, especially things that have rotating parts like fishing reels. Regularly applying the best grease for fishing reels to your gear will keep it in top shape for years to come.
You wouldn’t drive a car without giving it a service every now and then, and you shouldn’t go fishing without putting on a little fishing reel grease or oil every so often.
Let’s take a look at the top grease for fishing reels in 2023 to make sure you are choosing the right grease to keep your real running smoothly.
Table of Contents
The Top Grease for Fishing Reels in 2023
1. Yamalube Marine Multipurpose Grease
- Trusted by fisherman the world over
- Does not break down in saltwater
- High viscosity means it flows where it needs to go
- Great for baitcasters, larger reels and conventional reels
- May be too thick for smaller ultralight reels
Yamalube Marine Multipurpose Grease sticks to internal components with ease due to its high viscosity. Because of its bright blue tint, you can easily see where you have applied it and where you may have missed a spot.
Due to its aluminum complex composition, it has a higher percentage of oil per unit than other brands. As a result, it sticks well to aluminum, bronze, and steel due to its excellent corrosion properties.
In addition, it is extremely thermally stable, so it can even be used in cold weather. This marine grease can also be used on your boat components since it is marine grade. Stick it in your tackle box and take it with you wherever you go.
It can be used on bait casters, spinning reels, trolling reels, and boats, making it probably one of the best products on the market.
2. Ardent Reel Butter Grease
- This reel lubricant is 100% synthetic and for use on both fishing reels and other mechanical equipment
- This lubricant bonds to brass, steel, and plastic on contact; compatible with all reel components
- Long-lasting formula is designed to outlast the competition to greatly extend reel life
- Contains a rust inhibitor to significantly reduce and prevent the onset of corrosion
- Features a UV tracer so that the grease can be viewed under a blacklight to determine when it needs to be reapplied
Ardent Reel Butter High Performance Grease protects reel housing moving parts from corrosion, and it is thick enough to adhere to moving parts. This grease is specially formulated for fishing reels, so it’s very much like the grease from your reel manufacturer.
Suitable for saltwater and freshwater reels, this product is easy to apply and flows well.
Because this is a 100% synthetic oil, it acts as a corrosion inhibitor, which protects all internal elements from the corrosion caused by saltwater.
As well as bonding to brass, steel, and plastic, it contains a UV tracer so you can use a blacklight to see exactly where Reel Butter needs to be added when you think you need a refresher.
If you find the Yamalube grease a little too thick for your fishing reels, then give the ardent reel butter a try and it works great on smaller reels.
3. PENN Precision Reel Grease
- Used by professionals worldwide
- Made using only the highest quality components
- This reel grease features superior lubricity, water stability, load-carrying capacity and rust protection over other conventional greases
- It is formulated to perform over a wide temperature range in applications where grease is the preferred lubricant
- Its advanced technology also contributes to excellent oxidation and thermal resistance
PENN Precision Reel Grease comes with quite the claim from Pennthat it is “the best fishing reel on the planet”. This grease actually outperforms Yamalube in saltwater immersion testing, which is what gives Penn the hubris to make their big claim.
And if you are looking for a USA made fishing reel grease then the Penn is the product for you.
Besides excellent saltwater protection, this grease sticks to metal like you wouldn’t believe. You can reel as hard and fast as you like, you won’t find this grease flying off your reel.
This grease comes in a variety of different sizes, from little tubes up to 1 pound tubs. If you lube up a commercial quantity of reels (or maybe you just love doing it!) then you can be sure to find a tub size that suits you. Keep the 1 pound tub in your shed and the 1/4oz tube in your tackle box and you will never need to mix lubes again.
Top 5 Features of the Best Fishing Reel Grease
Keeping your reel properly greased is the best way to extend its lifespan. Getting the most out of your reel is essential if you have invested in a higher-end reel. Providing you maintain and lubricate your reel properly, you can use it for decades.
The last thing any fisherman wants is to lose a fish because he didn’t take the time to lubricate his reel’s gears. If you want your reel to last a lifetime, make sure the internal workings are free of dirt and debris, then apply one of the best greases for fishing reels. Your reel will thank you for it!
These are the top 5 things you need to look for when choosing the right grease for your fishing reel:
- Lubricating Properties
- Separation Rate
- Water Resistance
- Corrosion Inhibitor
- Thermal Stability
Lubricating Properties
This might sound obvious but you need to look for a product that has good lubricating properties. Grease is a mixture of oil and soap in a suspension. In order to avoid grease buildup, look for a soap that holds as much oil as possible. Check the side of the bottle for “per ml of grease” so you can see how much of the active ingredient is in the grease.
Separation Rate
The rate at which the oil separates from the soap should also be considered. With the outdated lithium soap grease products, the oil will escape the emulsion leaving the soap behind. if the soap hardens in position you will encounter corrosion much more quickly.
Water Resistance
Speaking of obvious, your fishing reel grease needs to be water resistant! Be careful because not all greases are!
Although your reel should never be immersed in water, you can be sure that there is plenty of moisture coming off your line onto your reel. And plenty more moisture blowing the wind as you stand on the banks of the ocean or river. Waterproof grease is a must.
Corrosion Inhibitor
It’s important to check whether the grease has corrosion inhibitor properties, especially if you tend to fish saltwater regularly. Salt, the ocean and sea air is highly corrosive to your gear and a good fishing reel grease will protect your reel with its corrosion inhibition.
Thermal Stability
If you’re only fishing during the spring and summer, then you don’t need to worry about this but. However, if you’re an angler who enjoys fishing in the cold when everyone else is indoors, then you’ll need to choose a grease with good thermal properties. A grease that is thermally stable. If you don’t have grease built for cold climates then it can harden inside your reel and cause extensive corroding of the gear. And yes, this is as bad as it sound
Fishing Reel Grease vs Oil: What’s the Difference?
Although both grease and oil of these prolongs the life of a fishing reel, each serves a different purpose. Oil is used mostly on more difficult to reach parts like the crank handle and bail to lubricate. Since it’s thin, it can penetrate deeper and get into those hard to reach places in tighter areas where grease cannot. In contrast, grease is thick, heavy, and sticks to parts much easier. Because of this, grease is used to clean larger, easier-to-reach parts like internal gears.
The Last Cast
Just like everything in life (houses, cars, wives!) fishing reels need a little maintenance. A bit of tender loving care every now and then can go a long way to extending the life of your favorite spinning reel.
But don’t just grab any old grease. Sure there are fishing reel lubricant alternatives you can try at home. But the best anglers need a grease that is fit for purpose.
A grease with corrosion inhibitor properties to protect your reel from the saltwater. A grease with good thermal stability if you go ice fishing or cold weather angling. A grease that has more active ingredient then filler, and one that will stick to your reel no matter how fast your spinning that thing.
And of course it needs to be waterproof.
Applying the best grease for fishing reels about once or twice every year is all you need to do to keep your kit in top shape. An application at the start of the season before the bass start to spawn, and one in late summer or early autumn should be all you need.
If you’ve never greased your fishing reel before now is the time to try!
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