Product Care
FAIR CHASE 6/8 and 9/12
RINSE! RINSE! RINSE!
A – Always
B – Be
C – RINSING!
Unlike a disc drag system, the Fair Chase utilizes a click and pawl style of drag. As with any click pawl reel, there is metal on metal contact between the spring, pawl, and the clicker gear. It goes without saying that, much like a motor in your car, metal on metal contact will eventually lead to wear. We have carefully designed and engineered the pawl radius and gear tooth radius to limit wear, but it is inevitable in time as pawl contact on the spring is a high friction and, in turn, a high temperature area. We have included a small syringe of synthetic grease along with your reel; the application of this grease to the pawl contact on the spring not only helps lubricate, but reduces the risk of work hardening the metals, and overheating the parts on a long outbound run. It is imperative that you periodically check your clicker grease and add a small amount as regular maintenance (see below).
How To:
Change Retrieval Hand
In order to switch the reel from Left to Right hand retrieve or vice versa you will simply need to remove the spool and flip the anti-reverse bearing over. To do this:
Remove Spool- Simply squeeze the center cap and rotate it counter-clockwise. It may take some force to release the cap, so we reccomend grabbing it with a glove or a small towel to give extra grip (we do not recommend using pliers unless it is absolutely necessary. If doing so use a towel between the pliers and the cap to prevent scratching the coating) As you unscrew the cap the spool will slide away from the frame. With the spool off, you will see a blue bearing carrier. That holds the one-way/anti-reverse bearing. If the carrier is still inside the spool, you may need to pop the upper bushing (white plastic part on top of the spool) out and press the carrier out with your thumb. By flipping this bearing over you will reverse the direction of the reel.
Install Spool- When reassembling, make sure that both the upper spool bushing and the thin lower plastic washer (between bearing carrier and clicker gear) are seated in place. The lower washer rides on the clicker gear and sits around a small lip at the base of the gear. If that is not centered the reel will not go work when assembled. At this point you can slide the bearing carrier onto the shaft, then set the spool on by lining up the flat spots of the blue carrier with the flat side on the inside of the spool. The spool will not go completely down until the cap is screwed down into position. You can now begin to tighten the cap in the clockwise direction. Make sure to take your time so that the cap screws on nice and straight. As you tighten the spool will draw down into position. Make sure you snug the cap up with your hand only. It shouldnt tighten all the way to a stop. If everything is lined up correctly the rooster head/logo should be facing up when the reel is hanging from the rod.
Grease The Clicker
Greasing the Pawl and Spring- Using the supplied grease syringe, you will need to routinely apply grease to the clicker housing. This minor maintenance item is crucial for proper operation of this reel. Remove the spool (action described above) and look for the 2 square covers that cover the spring and pawls. You will notice a very small hole in the housing (near the eye of the rooster). You can simply press the syringe against the hole and gently inject grease until you see it start to ooze out near the clicker pawl. Once greased, be sure to move the clicker back-and-forth to be sure the grease is spread throughout. We recommend greasing the pawl after every 5 trips. If the reel has been covered in sand then we recommend re-greasing after that trip. A freshwater wash down of the reel will not remove the grease, so when servicing you may realize it is still full. Better safe than sorry! If you need more grease you can find Mobil 1 XHP222 grease on Amazon or at any auto parts store. Be sure to wipe off any excess grease from around the covers so it keeps everything clean.
Replace/Remove Clicker Pawls and Spring Bar
Clicker Pawl Removal or Replacement- If you would like to decrease drag, you can simply remove one of the clicker pawls (triangle that contacts the gear) and it will reduce the drag by 50%. With the spool off, remove the two small phillips screws and be sure not to lose them. You can then lift off the clicker housing and expose the pawl and spring. Turn the clicker gear so that both pawls are pointing at each other (6 and 12 o’clock). At this point you can pull the pawl out from one side. You can leave the spring in and just save the pawl for later use. Simply line up the housing back to the holes (3) in the reel frame. You may need to set the housing closer to the gear then slide it back towards the spring until it sits nicely down on the frame. Re-install the two screws and be sure not to over-tighten. Your reel is now set up as a single clicker for lighter tippet applications.
Spring Bar Replacement- To replace the pawl and spring, repeat the same steps from above. In order to remove the spring you may need to use the point of a hook or a needle nose pliers and pop the spring out of its holder. You will need to reinstall the spring before you put the pawl back in place. To do this you will put one of the rounded ends of the spring into the small triangles beside the clicker housing. We recommend doing this with the spring twisted down slightly towards the center of the reel. You will then twist the other end of the spring up into the triangle opposite the housing. You will pre-load the spring so we recommend pulling the center of the spring toward the reel center to create a downward arc. This will help get the free end of the spring locked into position. Once the spring is in place, make sure it is flat against the body of the reel. To install the pawl, first make sure the clicker gear has a tooth indent facing directly at the center of the housing. At this orientation the pawl can be pushed against the spring until the nose of the pawl (rounded point) slides down into the gear tooth indent. Make sure the center of the pawl hole is over the small hole on the reel frame. You can now place the clicker housing cover back onto the pawl, making sure that the small post under the housing cover lines up with the pawl hole. You may need to slide the housing towards the outside of the reel in order for it to fully drop into place (you will be pushing against the spring so it may take some force). Once it is sitting down nicely against the reel frame you can carefully reinstall the two screws that hold the housing down. Be sure to add grease to the pawl before use (see above).
FAIR CHASE G2
RINSE! RINSE! RINSE!
A – Always
B – Be
C – RINSING!
Unlike a disc drag system, the Fair Chase utilizes a click and pawl style of drag. As with any click pawl reel, there is metal on metal contact between the spring, pawl, and the clicker gear. It goes without saying that, much like a motor in your car, metal on metal contact will eventually lead to wear. We have carefully designed and engineered the pawl radius and gear tooth radius to limit wear, but it is inevitable in time as pawl contact on the spring is a high friction and, in turn, a high temperature area. We have included a small syringe of synthetic grease along with your reel; the application of this grease to the pawl contact on the spring not only helps lubricate, but reduces the risk of work hardening the metals, and overheating the parts on a long outbound run. It is imperative that you periodically check your clicker grease and add a small amount as regular maintenance.
How To:
For a more detailed explanation please view our video below.
Change Retrieval Hand
In order to switch the reel from Left to Right hand retrieve or vice versa you will simply need to remove the spool and flip the anti-reverse bearing over. To do this:
Remove Spool- Simply squeeze the center cap and pull off at an angle. It will take some force to release the cap, but the only thing holding it on is a rubber O-ring. Beneath the cap is an aluminum collar with a small allen screw in the side of it. We have supplied a 1.5mm Hex Allen Key to loosen the screw. It won’t require much force and the screw only needs to be loosened, not removed. Once loose you can slide the collar off which will allow the spool to slide away from the frame. With the spool off, you will see a bearing carrier in the center that holds the one-way/anti-reverse bearing. If the carrier is still inside the spool you should be able to remove it with your finger. By flipping this bearing over you will reverse the direction of the reel.
Install Spool- When reassembling, make sure that both the upper spool bushing and the thin lower plastic washer (between bearing carrier and clicker gear) are seated in place. The lower washer rides on the clicker gear between the spool and bearing. It is critical that this washer stays in place. At this point you can slide the bearing onto the shaft of the clicker gear. You will need to gently rotate the bearing in the retrieval direction when reassembling. **If you have our optional retrieval clickers you will want to be sure that all 3 are still in the backside of the spool before assembling**. Put the spool on by lining up the flat spots of the bearing carrier with the flat sides on the inside of the spool. Gently slide the spool down and be sure that the clicker retrieval springs (if optioned) stay in place. The spool should sit all the way down onto the shaft and rotate nicely in both directions. The spool should spin nicely in the retrieve direction and make a light clicking noise (if optioned). Slide the collar back onto the shaft until it is almost flush on the center shaft. While the collar screw needs to be snug it doesnt need to be tight against the spool. We recommend just gently pushing the collar agains the plastic bushing on the spool then tightening. DO NOT OVERTIGHTEN THE SCREW. It only takes a little force to hold the collar on the shaft.
Grease The Clicker
Greasing the Pawl and Spring- Using the supplied grease syringe, you will need to routinely apply grease to the clicker housing. This minor maintenance item is crucial for proper operation of this reel. Remove the spool (action described above) and look for the 2 square covers that cover the spring and pawls. You will notice a very small hole in the housing (near the eye of the rooster). You can simply press the syringe against the hole and gently inject grease until you see it start to ooze out near the clicker pawl. Once greased, be sure to move the clicker back-and-forth to be sure the grease is spread throughout. You can wipe the excess grease from around the pawl. We recommend greasing the pawl after every 5 trips. If the reel has been covered in sand then we recommend re-greasing after that trip. A freshwater wash down of the reel will not remove the grease, so when servicing you may realize it is still full. Better safe than sorry! We also recommend removing the clicker housing screws (4 small philips heads) and cleaning the old grease out and reapplying new grease at least once a season. If you need more grease you can find Mobil 1 XHP222 grease on Amazon or at any auto parts store
Replace/Remove Clicker Pawls and Spring Bar
Clicker Pawl Removal or Replacement- If you would like to decrease drag, you can simply remove one of the clicker pawls (triangle that contacts the gear) and it will reduce the drag by 50%. With the spool off, remove the two small phillips screws and be sure not to lose them. You can then lift off the clicker housing and expose the pawl and spring. Turn the clicker gear so that both pawls are pointing at each other (6 and 12 o’clock). At this point you can pull the pawl out from one side. You can leave the spring in and just save the pawl for later use. Simply line up the housing back to the holes (3) in the reel frame. You may need to set the housing closer to the gear then slide it back towards the spring until it sits nicely down on the frame. Re-install the two screws and be sure not to over-tighten. Your reel is now set up as a single clicker for lighter tippet applications.
Spring Bar Replacement- To replace the pawl and spring, repeat the same steps from above. In order to remove the spring you may need to use the point of a hook or a needle nose pliers and pop the spring out of its holder. You will need to reinstall the spring before you put the pawl back in place. Once the spring is in place, make sure it is flat against the body of the reel. To install the pawl, first make sure the clicker gear has a tooth indent facing directly at the center of the housing. At this orientation the pawl can be pushed against the spring until the nose of the pawl (rounded point) slides down into the gear tooth indent. Make sure the center of the pawl hole is over the small hole on the reel frame. You can now place the clicker housing cover back onto the pawl, making sure that the small post under the housing cover lines up with the pawl hole. You may need to slide the housing towards the outside of the reel in order for it to fully drop into place (you will be pushing against the spring so it may take some force). Once it is sitting down nicely against the reel frame you can carefully reinstall the two screws that hold the housing down. Be sure to add grease to the pawl before use (see above).