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Two bearings carry the spool of a baitcasting reel. Swapping them is the upgrade you feel most on the water: the spool starts easier and spins longer. On most reels the job takes a few minutes. This guide shows the general way. Every reel comes apart a little differently, so take your time and work at your own risk.
What you need
- The two spool bearings in the right sizes for your reel. If you do not know them, type your reel into the bearing finder.
- A small screwdriver and a pair of tweezers.
- A pin remover, if one of your spool bearings sits behind a pin on the spool shaft. The bearing finder tells you whether your reel is one of them.
- Thin bearing oil and a clean, lint-free cloth.
You find pin remover and tool kit under tools, the oils under reel oil.
Where the two spool bearings sit
One bearing usually sits on the spool shaft itself, on the side of the spool that faces the handle. The second sits in the reel, often in the side plate you open to take the spool out, or under the cast control cap. Some reels carry both bearings in the frame and none on the spool. Have a look before you start pulling.
Step 1: Take the spool out
Open the side plate on the palm side the way your reel is built for it: a lever, a dial or a screw. Pull the spool out and put it on the cloth. Work over a tray or a towel. Small parts roll far.
Step 2: Remove the bearing on the spool shaft
If the bearing on the shaft sits behind a small cross pin, the pin has to come out first. Use a pin remover for this. With pliers the risk of slipping is high, and a slip means a bent pin or a scratched spool. Push the pin out straight, slide the old bearing off, slide the new one on and push the pin back until it sits centred.
If there is no pin, the bearing simply slides off the shaft.
Step 3: Remove the bearing in the reel
The second bearing is usually held by a small wire clip or retainer. Lift the clip carefully with the tweezers and keep a finger over it, because it likes to jump. Take the old bearing out, put the new one in and seat the clip again so it sits fully in its groove.
Step 4: One drop of oil
Give each new bearing one small drop of thin oil and spin it in with your fingertip. More oil does not protect better. It only brakes the spool and collects dirt. Bearings that come greased need nothing.
Step 5: Put the reel back together
Put the spool back, close the side plate and check that it locks. Then set the cast control again: tighten it until the spool has no side play, and no further. After a bearing swap the old setting is almost always wrong.
Before the first cast
- Spin the spool by hand. It should run freely and evenly, without scratching.
- Ceramic bearings run a little louder than steel bearings. That is normal and not a defect.
- Set the brakes a little higher than usual for the first casts. A faster spool overruns faster.
What new bearings do and do not do
New spool bearings give you an easier start of the spool and a longer free spin. You notice that most with light lures, and many reels cast lighter lures after the swap than before. They do not raise what your reel can handle. The upper limit is still set by the reel itself.
Which bearings to take
We build three classes. Apex is maximum performance, our pick for reels built for 2 to 60 g. Edge is the all-rounder between performance and durability, for reels built for 5 to 100 g. Core is built to take a beating, for big baits from 8 to 200 g. The lure weights are our recommendation for your reel, not a load limit of the bearings. Type your reel into the bearing finder and you get the exact pair with our pick marked.