Iced up equipment

Hi guys!
In northern Europe we are used to simple equipment for ice fishing. Plastic “rods” with simple spools to hold the line. Last couple of years proper rods with spinning reels have become more common. I have followed IDO for a few years and see that you guys use spinning gear for all your ice fishing. How do you handle the cold? In real cold conditions I find my Abu Veritas useless as the reel freezes completely. I guess that is the time for an Otter?! I see James and crew using the Okumas. Do they handle the cold better that simple ice fishing reels bought as combos?

Need to swap out the grease and oil for a low temp substitute like quantum hot sauce.

x2 on hot sauce

x3 on the hot sauce. Make sure to clean as much of the existing grease out of the your current real.

FDR

My ice fishing setups consist of a few shimano sienna 500’s and a cheap gander mountain reel that I have had for years, and no issues with the reels in cold temps. The worst part of fishing when its really cold for me is ice building up on the line.

Thanks!
I will check out hot sauce and other lubricants. Ice building up on the line is also an issue, but simple plastic reels still work. The Veritas reel though started to ice up even on the bail and line roller.. I was sight fishing lying down on the ice, so for that type of fishing other type of reels might be more suitable.

The sienna 500fds are the business! I have a few now that they are discontinued. Ive never had a problem with mine

The MAJOR thing these guys are forgetting to tell you is that when they say to use Quantum Hot Sauce is that it needs to be Quantum Hot Sauce OIL and not the grease. It would be a big mistake to use the grease, the same problem you are having would still exist.

Im not a big fan of things turning red when the quantum products leak out of the reel…

For that matter any reel oil would work but you need to do your best to get the old grease out of your reel. Reel oil is just a thin weight oil.

No, I use the grease for grease surfaces and oil for oil.

What are you using for line? A braded type of line holds more water and will freeze up more then a mono or clear line.

Lars Horgen wrote:

Thanks!
I will check out hot sauce and other lubricants. Ice building up on the line is also an issue, but simple plastic reels still work. The Veritas reel though started to ice up even on the bail and line roller.. I was sight fishing lying down on the ice, so for that type of fishing other type of reels might be more suitable.

For preparing reels, rifles, and other fine mechanical equipment for the cold, first remove all grease with solvent. Benzine was terrific for this but is now no longer allowed, so now I use citrus based firearms action cleaner in the spray can.

Then I lubricate with a small eye-dropper bottle of Mobile 1 0W-20 motor oil. This oil remains liquid to about -45 F so it does not “gel” and impeded functionality. A 1-litre bottle represents a lifetime supply of reel/gun oil. This is plenty of lubrication for reels, there is absolutely no reason to smear them with grease in the modern era.

Grouse

I’m with Grouse… I have used hot sauce for years, but I stripped everything down, took out the drag, sprayed mine with brake parts cleaner, blew it out with compressed air and used mobil one. Never had a problem since. I did put a little amsoil blue grease in the gears. I polished the drag and my shimano’s are silky smooth. I have 2 symmetry, a stradic 1000, and a Sienna. Pfleugers got the same treatment.
Looking back, brake parts cleaner was a bit aggressive LOL!

Again, thanks for replying. I must admit I do not know what line is on this particular reel.. What is even worse is I did not spool it myself I should probably start by stripping of the line and putting on some quality ICE line!
The simple plastic combo I have compared with has plain mono, so obviously there was going to be a difference. But I feel like the spinning reel froze in areas where line would not matter that much. Will look into replacing lubricants and line!

Some of my old and cheaper gear are susceptible to cold and rain. They start to stiff up or bind down at certain places. The number one problem with spinning gear is that line roller. Next thing is probably my reel knobs. Then it’s probably the rotor and after that the oscillation gear or main gear.

There are times when simple maintenance of reducing grease or using cold weather lubricants will help out. Then there is also just getting better gear, like having a ball bearing in the line roller or even a nylon bushing is better than straight up nothing in there.