wd40 leaves a very nasty stick film/coating on what ever it is sprayed on. trust me when I open a reel that has had wd40 treatment it greatly complicates the cleaning getting rid of the stickiness. If a guy feels he needs to spray something into a reel , Remington Guns makes a spray/oil that is excellent in reels with zero ill effects. It's the spray used to go inside the gun barrel.


between cleaning a saltwater abused reel or a wd40 infected reel. i'd gladly take the saltwater reel.

another tip i'd give anyone buying a reel that 'll be used in saltwater is to breakdown the reel and thoroughly lube the bearings, clickers, and similar parts. trust me on this, manufacturers may claim the reel is saltwater resistant. they do a very pore job in lubing the interior of the reel. for example bearing have ZERO protection on them. There's grease out there that's saltwater resistant. I lube every saltwater reel very well. since saltwater reels are not casted, I feel a thick greased reel is a good thing. never had a complaint yet about my servicing a saltwater reel yet.