I'm having problems with reels loosening on my spin rod builds. I've been using Fuji reel seats on most of my builds. With a Shimano Stella 5000 reel the fit is sloppy and loosens while reeling in fish. My last build was a shark spinning rod using an Alps reel seat and a Shimano Saragosa 1800 reel. I can't tighten the reel in the seat enough to stop the reel from wobbling in the seat and eventually loosening.

The Stella is used on Stripers, Bluefish and False Albacore and the Saragosa for sharks and tuna. The seat/reel combinations see a lot of twisting pressure at the contact points and work loose while fighting a fish.

Any thoughts on a fix?

Thanks,
Don

Hi Don,
With a sloppy fit you can build up the reel feet with electrical tape or similar and that usually fixes it, if it's not really sloppy. You also might want to adjust the reelseat sizes if possible but you might have a size that fits your hand well and want to stick with it.

ESFNEM Col
Port Kembla, NSW
Australia

Don,
Recycle time. Cut a shim or two from a plastic milk bottle. Trace the reel foot and cut it. Weather proof and water proof.

Don,
From the sounds of it, you are having your reel do some pretty heavy work. I might suggest that for future builds, that you take the reel you want to use on the rod to a component supplier and try the fit of the reel on a bunch of different reel seats.

See if you can find a reel seat where everything really seems to click in for you and lock up solid.

Good luck
Roger

Hi Don,
Richard's idea is better than mine but you could also use shrink tube, as many layers as required, on the feet of the seat or over the shim to hold it in place and would all come off easily if necessary.

ESFNEM Col
Port Kembla, NSW
Australia

I have had the same issue with an Okuma 6500 in a 16 sized Project X reel seat that i build for chasin snapper, I had to shim it out with some brass shim sheet, then about 3 months ago i replaced the Okuma with a stella 5000 and the reel fits in like a glove without the shims

Hi Dave,
The Project X seats are good for a light weight aluminiun seat, but as always something doesn't like it. Maybe Don can try one of those and see how he goes with his Shimano's.
Where abouts in the land of OZ are you?

ESFNEM Col
Port Kembla, NSW
Australia

Col sorry for such a late reply but i have been away, I based in Port Macquarie at the moment

Dave O'Brien
Port Macquarie
Australia