Initial evaluation

It's a good idea to evaluate a newly-acquired reel in a systematic way so you have a baseline for comparison after you service the reel, e.g., if the clicker was not working, did servicing fix that issue or does it need more work? The basic beginning step is to start keeping organized records.

Photos and notes

Take photos of each newly acquired reel before beginning work and during all phases of disassembly. Keep a notebook and pencil/pen in the workspace and take some basic notes at the outset of each service project - date the reel was acquired, from where or who, cost, any notes on known issues, initial impression of condition.

It can be useful to have both a basic 8.5" x 11" looseleaf notebook and legal pads in various sizes. Legal pads are handy for bench use to quickly jot down notes, and the looseleaf notebook can hold not only longer notes, but printed 3-hole-punched pages, schematics, receipts for reels and tools, etc.

After getting some basic record-keeping information you can proceed to bench-test the reel.

Initial testing

Try the reel without mounting it on a rod, with the line it came with if that is basically serviceable. If not, removing the line comes first. You can do much of the initial testing without line on the reel.

Try whatever controls the reel has - the drag, the anti-reverse, clicker, the bail on open-face spinning reels, the button on spincasting reels, the anti-backlash (ABL) on baitcasting reels. Notice how smooth (or not) the retrieve feels. Add any notes to your notebook.

After bench-testing you can match the reel to a rod and start test-casting.

Rods - fiberglass and graphite, vintage and modern

The rod needs to be matched to the reel in order to build a balanced tackle outfit - this is imporant for ease of casting and to match the target species you're after. You will need different rods for each type of reel you want to work with since spinning, spincasting / baitcasting, and fly reels all require different rods. But it's best if you are just starting out to keep things simple - you can start with one good spinning or casting rod.

You can find specific rod recommendations for a specific reel on that reel's overview page - for example, the Penn 720 overview - go to the balanced tackle section. Since these recommendations are taken directly from Shakespeare's Secrets of Successful Fishing (1962) you can assume that they refer to vintage rods, which will perform somewhat differently than their modern counterparts.

You may want to match your vintage reels to vintage rods, but again, to keep things simple, it will probably be easier and more cost-effective to buy a modern rod, then start exploring the options for vintage rods. Shakespeare still (in 2026) makes good-quality, relatively inexpensive spinning and casting rods. Vintage rods definitely have a different feel, so for a truly mid-century, period-correct casting experience you will eventually want to pair these reels with mid‑century fiberglass rods. On modern graphite rods of the same rating, you can expect a lighter, crisper feel with more tip speed and bite detection.

Mid‑century rods were typically made of fiberglass and have slow- to medium-action, flexing deeply into the butt and recovering more slowly. They’re durable and forgiving but less sensitive than modern rods, and heavier for a given power (e.g., light, "sporty," heavy-duty, etc.). With a vintage glass rod, a vintage reel gives a classic, slightly tip‑heavy feel - the nature of the fiberglass rod and its action help absorb shock and hide some mechanical roughness in the vintage reels.

Modern rods are usually made of carbon / graphite, and by comparison with vintage fiberglass have faster action, where mostly the tip and upper third flex. They’re much lighter and more sensitive than vintage rods, with higher strength‑to‑weight. On a modern graphite rod, a vintage reel becomes a more noticeable part of the overall weight and “feel” of the outfit because the rod is lighter and faster — any inertia or vibration from the reel is easier to sense.

Fly rods, as with most things fly fishing, tend to be more expensive and the buying decision more complicated, beyond the scope of this discussion. Orvis is a very good source for fly fishing information, but even the beginner-level fly rods they offer are out-of-proportion expensive compared with the type of mid-priced reels that Vintage Reel Service Guides is focused on. As an inexpensive alternative, vintage fly rods can still be found (as of this writing July 2026) on eBay for under $50. Search for terms like "vintage fly rods" and check the "less than $50" box.

Test-casting and assembling a set of testing weights

If you are working with vintage reels intend to use them in the field, you should test them with a set of casting weights. A set can be made very easily and inexpensively using just a range of egg sinkers and some monofilament. Having a range of weights for the size reels you are working with is important. For example, the Penn 720 can cast lures in the 1/8 to 1/2 oz. range, so it will be useful to test it with 1/8, 1/4, 3/8, and 1/2 oz. weights. Casting plugs are available, but generally only in one weight, so they lack versatility for testing.

This sort of "field testing" can be done in your yard or anyplace with at least 50 to 75 feet of clear space for casting. If this is convenient to your workspace (e.g., your garage), so much the better. There is no need to go to the water or fish in order to test reels, and in fact casting should be practiced at home to improve your fishing experience when you do go into the field, and it can be an enjoyable, meditative exercise in itself. Working on casting accuracy and distance at home will improve your experiences on the water. We all have room to improve.

Egg sinkers are inexpensive and offered in a wide variety of weights. Buy weights matched to the type of reels and fishing you plan to do. Applying a spray of bright colored paint, red or yellow, will help you to locate the inevitable lost weight out in the yard, or up in a tree.

The test-casting weights will take a lot of abuse, so you need to use the correct knots on making these so they will stay attached to your line. Orvis has an excellent set of animated videos that show you how to tie the most common and useful (as well as some more specialized and exotic) fishing knots. These should be practiced at home anyway. Choose three or four of the most useful (e.g., the arbor, blood, and clinch knots) and practice!

Tie a loop of monofilament (say 14 lb. test) to the weight and a snap swivel to the end of your line so that you can easily and quickly change to different weights, and later, in the field, different lures.

Working out a balanced tackle outfit

In figuring out a balanced tackle setup, you need to determine:

What target species you're after and the type of fishing (e.g., casting, trolling, freshwater, saltwater)
Line weights - what range will work for the rod / reel / lure combo you are using?
Lure weights - what lures will you be casting?
Reel type and duty rating
Rod type, length, and action

A common angling practice is to start with the target species and match the rest of the outfit to that. Since vintage reels are the focus of this site, we can also start with the reel and then determine the rest - what species are good targets for this combo, what rod to use, and what line weights and lure weights work for a given reel.

As an example, let's consier the Penn 720 spinning reel. In practical field-use terms, one good, balanced outfit could be:

Target species: freshwater fishing for smaller bass and sunfish
Line: 4 - 6 lb. test line
Lures: 1/8 to 3/8 oz. range
Rod: ultralight 6'6" spinning rod