Last month I was flipped from my kayak and lost my rod to the bottom of the Mississippi River. I recovered it the following weekend. I had tools with me to immediately strip the reel to pieces to clean and dry it out. The reel was covered in a coat of algae (as was the rod) and partially filled with mud.
Up until then, my rods (and reels) never got wet. If the reel gets submerged briefly (seconds) in water should one strip it or just continue to use it hoping all the water will drain out?
What to do with a wet reel?
Re: What to do with a wet reel?
The only time i have stripped a reel is when it gets sand in it, or occassionally to add more grease if it is starting to squeak or stick.
For a reel that's only been in the water a short while I wouldn't do anything to it.
For a reel that's been submerged a long time, I would open the cover and see if there is much grease/sand in it. If so, then clean out all the grease and re-pack (I have done this twice, once to a reel that got screwed up from being carried on the back of an ATV down miles of dusty roads, and another time from a reel exposed as you said to being dropped in a lake and not found for a couple weeks). In both cases the reels worked great after and are still in use.
For a reel that's only been in the water a short while I wouldn't do anything to it.
For a reel that's been submerged a long time, I would open the cover and see if there is much grease/sand in it. If so, then clean out all the grease and re-pack (I have done this twice, once to a reel that got screwed up from being carried on the back of an ATV down miles of dusty roads, and another time from a reel exposed as you said to being dropped in a lake and not found for a couple weeks). In both cases the reels worked great after and are still in use.
Re: What to do with a wet reel?
I think you are going to find that it depends on the individual.
In your circumstance, most people would strip it down, let it dry out, and re grease the whole thing. If it is just a reel getting wet from falling in the water for a few seconds or rain, I wouldn't bother. I would leave it in an area where it could dry out though. Even when it rains on my boat and the my reels are all in the rod locker, I will take them out and place them on the deck of the boat for a few days (I park my boat in the garage) to let them dry out.
I also send my reels out for service or do them myslef every year anyway so it would get done sooner or later.
Adam
In your circumstance, most people would strip it down, let it dry out, and re grease the whole thing. If it is just a reel getting wet from falling in the water for a few seconds or rain, I wouldn't bother. I would leave it in an area where it could dry out though. Even when it rains on my boat and the my reels are all in the rod locker, I will take them out and place them on the deck of the boat for a few days (I park my boat in the garage) to let them dry out.
I also send my reels out for service or do them myslef every year anyway so it would get done sooner or later.
Adam