OKUMA line counter reels

[mildot1]

I have six of these and the other day one of them stopped level winding and very hard to reel in. Are they worth trying to send to a service center or just salvage the line and buy a new one??

Thanks
Mildot

[feelay]

I consider them disposable.

[feelay]

check these out.... same quality and a bit cheaper.https://northwoodsoutlet.com/product...trolling-reel/

[M R Dux]

I also consider them disposable but I will take one that fails and put it back to scavenge parts off of. I've gotten a couple of mine back into good working order by simple parts change. I recently had a level-wind issue on one and after 2 hours of pulling what hair I have left out, put it in the parts bin.

I have had line get behind the spool and break off when trying to get it out and that cause level-wind issues. Might be worth a check.

My Dad used to buy Murray lawn mowers from WalMart. His theory was he got a couple of years of good service out of them then just bought another one when they marked them down in the fall and junked the old one the minute it started giving him trouble.

[wicklundrh]

You didn't say "what" kind of Okuma you had. Was it a Magda, a Convector, or a Coldwater? If it is a Magda, I do what MrDux does and save them for parts. If however it is a Convector or a Coldwater, I would send them in for service. Keep in mind that many line counter reels (Okuma included) come with cheaper parts. When you purchase a new reel, you can take it in to a reputable repair guy and he can upgreade all the parts and that reel with be 1000 times better than it was out of the box. Tune Reel repairs out of Ludington Michigan is one I would recommend.

As for a quality replacement to the Okuma... Try the Diawa Accudepth reels. The drag is better, level wind is better, and the line counter reset button and coutner mechanism is better. I've used Okuma for several years and switched over to Accudepth for this tournament season. Since that time, I've switched out all the trolling reels in both of my boats. As Feelay mentioned, Northwoods (located in Pinconning Michigan) is the best place we have found to purchase these reels.

The accudepth size 17 takes 1000 ft of Berkley Big game 10lb Xt in order for the reel to be calibrated correctly for the line counter (yes, you need to calibrate a line counter reel). The Accudepth size 27 takes 1500 feet of the same line to accurately calibrate it. If you have questions on calibration, let me know. I wrote an article awhile back for a magazine and I'm sure I can dig it up for you.

[LowePro]

Sounds like you got some sand or trash in the worm gear. Spray it off with a water hose. May not even have to take it apart.

[wilbur]

Check the Drag. Sometimes it comes loose and wont reel.

[CrappiePappy]

I used a buddy of mine's and experienced something similar. Sometimes it seemed like the reel was "frozen up" and wouldn't release the line after pushing the release button. A simple pull back on the spool/line, with my thumb, fixed the problem. It only happened a few times during the day, so it wasn't a "major" factor to me. They were Magda 15's, spooled with 30 something pound test braid ... probably equivalent to 10lb mono diameter ... for calibration purposes.

[wicklundrh]

I used a buddy of mine's and experienced something similar. Sometimes it seemed like the reel was "frozen up" and wouldn't release the line after pushing the release button. A simple pull back on the spool/line, with my thumb, fixed the problem. It only happened a few times during the day, so it wasn't a "major" factor to me. They were Magda 15's, spooled with 30 something pound test braid ... probably equivalent to 10lb mono diameter ... for calibration purposes.

I have a 15 that does the exact same thing.

[Cane Pole]

I used a buddy of mine's and experienced something similar. Sometimes it seemed like the reel was "frozen up" and wouldn't release the line after pushing the release button. A simple pull back on the spool/line, with my thumb, fixed the problem. It only happened a few times during the day, so it wasn't a "major" factor to me. They were Magda 15's, spooled with 30 something pound test braid ... probably equivalent to 10lb mono diameter ... for calibration purposes.

This "freeze up" happens to me occasionally and I do the same pullback, same reel, 10# mono.