Posted for Skip by Waders
"So, years ago, I bought a Johnson Unispin 7256 combo. This is an “underspin†outfit, basically a spincast reel that mounts under the rod, instead of in a reel seat on top of the rod. This particular model has a line-release pushbutton on top of the rod above the reel, a very unconventional layout. It was made in the mid-1980’s and I bought it used. Well, the pushbutton didn’t work.
Because of the odd layout, I was reluctant to tear into the outfit to locate the problem, so the combo languished for years on the rod rack in the garage. Disagreeable winter weather has had me in hibernation, so for lack of much better to do, I brought it in the house and decided to see if I could figure out what ailed this critter. I opened it up and began studying how the link between the topmount pushbutton and the pinion shaft was supposed to work. After some tinkering, I determined that the pinion gear had seized to the pinion shaft for lack of lubrication. I shot it a good dose of penetrating oil and let it think about that for 5-10 minutes, then tried the mechanism. It worked!
For cryin’ out loud, I let a perfectly good fishing rig sit for years because I didn’t know much about it! Rest assured, within a week, this outfit will be bathed, lubed, lined and ready to fish if spring ever shows up in the Ozarks. Moral of the story: don’t be intimidated by something you haven’t encountered before. “Boldly go where you’ve never gone before. You may surprise yourselfâ€.
