Initial evaluation

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.

Initial testing: Try the reel without mounting it on a rod, with the line it came with if that is basically serviceable (if, for example, it is an old fly reel with crumbling line, removing the line will come first). 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 on baitcasting reels. Notice how smooth (or not) the retrieve feels.

Add any notes to your notebook.

Mounting on a rod and test-casting: Next try mounting the reel on the proper type of rod - see balanced tackle to determine what type of rod matches your reel.

Attach a test-casting weight of the proper weight (see following section on assembling a set), and try a few test casts / retrieves. You will need at least one general-purpose rod for each type of reel you want to work with since spinning, spincasting / baitcasting, and fly reels all require different rods.

Working with vintage reels may lead to working with vintage rods as well, but to keep things simple, if you are just starting out it will certainly be easier and more cost-effective to buy a few inexpensive modern rods, then start exploring the options for vintage rods. Shakespeare still (in 2026) makes good-quality, relatively inexpensive spinning and casting rods.

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.

Assembling a set of test-casting weights: If you are working with vintage reels with the intention to use them in the field, it will be very helpful to test them with a range of casting weights. This sort of "field test" can be done in your yard. Casting plugs are available, but generally only in one weight, so they lack versatility for testing.

This kind of 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.

Having a range of weights for the size reels you are working with is important. For example, the Penn 720 Spinfisher 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.

In practical field-use terms, if you are planning to do mostly freshwater fishing for smaller bass and sunfish you could assemble a balanced tackle setup with a Penn 720, an ultralight 6'6" spinning rod, and 4 or 6 lb. test line; with this setup you would get the best results with lures in the 1/8 to 3/8 oz. range, so that is the range you would want to use for testing. A set can be made very easily and inexpensively using just a range of egg sinkers and some monofilament.

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 9say 15 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.