Jonathan's Reel Repairs ,Services & Upgrades

19/10/2026

19/10/2026

Good evening All.

I got a batch of talica 50,s to do for Jean Schoonhoven; one of our Protea anglers.

This batch of reels was prepped for the competition that was held in Puerto Rico.

The reels were not in bad shape but there were areas requiring attention especially the drags as they were bone dry already.
Fishing lighter class lines for big fish, drags becomes the most important part i think once the fish has been hooked; keeping it attached to the line means it could be a winning fish or not.

There was some salt build up in areas and some light corrosion and rust that has started in places also.

The Talica 50,s are awesome reels and the new model Taclica A ones have lifted the bar even higher with sealed, stronger drags and beefed up cages, side plates, handles, drags and total free spool as well.

Shimano always lifts the bar even when one thinks they have reached the limit to what is possible.

The great thing is that they do not have gimmicks in their reels, they build reels that offer great value for money, reels that last for very long and have the most enviable reputation in this industry.

Your part in this equation is to enjoy the reels, catch the fish they were designed for and have them serviced annually is the ideal scenario.

Enjoy the post and pictures.

Regards Jonathan.

22/09/2026

Good afternoon All.

So i have not been posting as i am really very busy with work.
I have been requested to post so here is one of the reels i have done recently.

This Talica 50 arrived from one of the islands next to Africa.

What i found was seized and rusted and collapsed bearings, zero drag greases, of the bearings fitted were mild steel as well and parts were missing from the reel.

Then the grease used was not the correct stuff either as can clearly been seen by what i found.
Slopping a reel full of grease does not mean it has been serviced.

This is why i am constantly backlogged with work; if you look at what i get to fix. (there was more than one of these).

Have a close look at the pictures; getting those collapsed and rusted bearing collars out was fun.........................

See the difference after it crossed my workbench.

Have your reels worked on by people whom take pride in what they do and are experienced in working on your reels also.

Enjoy the read, kind regards Jonathan. See less

22/09/2026

Good afternoon All.

So i have not been posting as i am really very busy with work.
I have been requested to post so here is one of the reels i have done recently.

This Talica 50 arrived from one of the islands next to Africa.
What i found was seized and rusted and collapsed bearings, zero drag greases, of the bearings fitted were mild steel as well and parts were missing from the reel.

Then the grease used was not the correct stuff either as can clearly been seen by what i found.

This is why i am constantly backlogged with work; if you look at what i get to fix. (there was more than one of these).

Have a close look at the pictures; getting those collapsed and rusted bearing collars out was fun.........................

See the difference after it crossed my workbench.

Have your reels worked on by people whom take pride in what they do and are experienced in working on your reels also.

Enjoy the read, kind regards Jonathan.

29/06/2026

Good evening All.

I have not had time to post anything due to work constraints.

I am tied up with lots of work, and also with reels for the upcoming competition in Puerto Rico our SA anglers fishing for marlin there soon.

Now on to my post.

This is really NOT what one wants to see when opening a reel.

All reels require care, maintenance and your TLC as the owner.
My job is to ensure the reel works like new or even better than out the box, but you have a role to fulfill also in this equation also.

I always encourage anglers to not swim extensively with reels while fishing, there are however repeat offenders.

If you do this there are a few things to do;
1 open the reel after swimming remove as much salt water as possible;
2 no amount of packing a reel with grease will prevent corrosion, this quietly takes place under the slop of grease people put in the reels, i see this daily with reels done by folks using cheap grease and not understanding what care expensive reels require, especially ones with worm drives;
3 never allow a reel to stand with salt water inside after swimming, there is no other recourse other than to open it and strip it down, then to ultrasonic clean to get that damaging salt residue out correctly of all the nooks and crannys.

Reels with worm drives like Stellas and Twin Powers require special greases on these parts to prevent them from wearing and stripping prematurely, i see this so often also.

There are a few tips to help you along the way in this regard.

Now look at the pictures posted and see what happens when the above mentioned happens.

Nothing is more destruction that the salt water environment when it comes to metals and alloys.

Enjoy the post, have your reels serviced by people that know what they are doing and also those whom have a passion for reels, use the correct greases and work processes also.

Regards Jonathan.

20/05/2026

Good morning All.

Have a peek at this Tiagra 80W and 50W i did for a client.

Both reels needed a lot more than just some tlc.

They were corroded outside and inside, there was also rust in places.
Handle k**b shafts were rusted and corroded inside, Plunger assemblies rusted, clickers rusted, rust and corrosion in all the nooks and crannies, click levers rusting under the face plates, drags bone dry and jerky.

Everything you really don't want to see was being seen here.

Pay careful attention to the after pictures.

Note that anyone using car greases so service reels is NOT doing you any favours, they do not work, they were not designed to do the job required for use in fishing reels.

These greases can become tricky and have a complex role to fulfill with sea water exposure and metals in reels.

Its a case of run Forrest run when you see this, car greases being used.

I have seen so many reels with bad corrosion damage from using the incorrect greases once exposed to salt water and with electrolysis and the use of dissimilar metals it becomes a nightmare for me to resolve this after the fact.

The same incorrect greases used on the carbon drag washers results in the same issue, a drag that is never smooth like it should be under load and this also leads to premature wear on the carbon washer(s) and also the results in the polishing of the drag mating face plate(s).

Your really need to know what you are doing when it comes to reels, you have to use the correct products designed for this task.

Enjoy the post and pictures.
Take note of the comments.

Have your reels serviced by people with the knowledge, skills and experience to do fishing reels the correct way.

Regards Jonathan.