Ocea Jigger - no metal mincer edition

After we've discovered that the metal mincing edition of a Shimano Ocea Jigger can be fixed, a friend hesitated no more and got himself a new Shimano Ocea Jigger. Straight out of the box before the mincer part was removed, he was complaining about a light ringing sensation when cranking. The Ocea Jigger is a dream to use when paired with a slow pitch jigging rod, especially with Evergreen's Poseidon Slow Pitch Jerker. The thing with the ringing is like buying an expensive luxury car you paid through blood and sweat to discover that on the day you drive it off from the showroom, there's rattling noise coming out from the interior trimmings.

Right after our recent offshore trip, he immediately handed it to me to get it fixed, lube the insides and give it a drag upgrade.

Do not be deceived by its tiny stature. This reel would later haul up a lunker of a grouper after its performance upgrade without breaking a sweat.

This is a PG model with lower gear ratios for more cranking power versus speedier retrieve on the HG.

As expected from a new reel, it's bone dry with plenty of improvement to be found for protection and damage risks reduction.

Metal mincer edition parts in red. Where they used to be in green. Simple.

The first part you see is the metal mincer upon opening the crank case. It's easily accessible and removed without complications. Layer by layer as you peel them off to lube and coat every imaginable surface of the insides.

Sum of all evil parts. Don't think it'll be missed much. Not especially that it rattles like a toy. Body bagged!

Once the offending part's been removed, it's time to lube up the internals for maximum protection as this reel isn't waterproof but water do pass through with drainage ports around the bottom of the case. Therefore it's only logical to coat every surface available with marine grease to displace any possible salt water build up inside especially in the event of total reel submersion into salt water.

Looks bare but fully functional without the metal mincer.

We'll start from the furthest end of the reel where the sole bearing that supports the spool sits snugly in the housing. Retainer pin removed, bearing packed, all surface coated and back into the housing.

Marine grease brush down, bearings packed with marine grease. Note that this isn't use for casting, therefore grease is fine for spool support bearings for maximum protection instead of free spinning ability. Additional grease to fill the void between the bearings and spool shaft+body.

Stock drag that comes with this reel is somewhat too light for the kind of fish we haul up from the deep and we felt that it doesn't have enough stopping power to deny fat lunkers lunging for their homes. Custom and beefier carbontex drag is needed for the job for more stopping power.

A comparison between stock drag vs custom sized carbontex drag discs. Note the big difference in diameter as well as the amount of space available on the drag disc system. Thickness of the drag needs to be matched against the stock drag to avoid misalignment of gear and the entire drag stack.

As usual, layer by layer of rebuild is interspersed with marine grease coating for maximum protection. Thread locked screws need not be reapplied as it is still very new with plenty of hold available.

Here's how a Shimano Ocea Jigger - no metal minder edition looks like with beefier drag system.

Right after the fix, we had another off shore session and that's when this reel managed to stop a lunker and hauled up a fatty grouper. Ringing sensation gone, drag pull was steady and strong. Another happy slow jigger with many more happy endings for this angler.

Fatty lunker denied its home run.

Minced metal Ocea Jigger

My friends and I have been jigging with the Shimano Ocea Jigger for a while and we've got some mixed reaction towards this amazingly compact reel. The massive downsizing of the previous Ocea Jigger to this new Ocea Jigger has its pros and cons. What you gain from ergonomics, you trade-off cranking power as they scale down gear dimensions. In line with the overall theme of downsizing, some parts weren't given the right treatment as we discovered later that there's a bit of a flaw in the design of its (in)famously loud drag clicker. Some people have been wary of this reel as there were also peer reports of premature failures on the first jig drop.

A while back, on an offshore jigging trip, a friend's Ocea Jigger suffered a weird failure while retrieving a fish from the deep. The reel sounded like a nut cracker, cranking was difficult at first, he proceeded to slowly crank on with occasional binding. It felt as if a bearing exploded with metal bits got stuck between the gears. It definitely sounded bad and he feared for the worse of munched up internals. That's how this Ocea Jigger ended up on my operating theater.

As a refresher, I've previously examined this suspicious part and I've decided to disengage the clicker on my Ocea Jigger as it sounded like a cheap rattling toy. This time around, we discovered the real flaw and the potential risk damage this part of the reel can produce.

Looks hot outside, not so on the inside.

When the crank case cover was unscrewed, the horror exposed. Minced metal served on the top drag plate of the main gear! The thin metal piece that was holding the drag clicker plastic gear in place got munched up good.

Powdered metal shavings everywhere inside the crank case. Bottom picture shows how some of the metal bits got caught between the main gear and the crank case cover digging a nasty groove on the crank case cover.

This is how it should be. A flimsy thin metal piece loosely holding a plastic ring with gear teeth that drives the clicker arm attached to the crank case cover. I initially thought this part to be little odd but figured that it shouldn't be off concern as it didn't need to take on any kind of cranking load, just a simple drag clicker push.

To further assess the damage, main and pinion gears were the next to be examined as it is the most critical mechanical part as there was binding experienced when it first happened.

Visual inspection didn't reveal any damages on both gears. These are definitely very strong and durable alloy material used. Further magnified visual checks upon degreasing and contact cleaning didn't reveal a single scratch on the gears. Amazing stuff really.

Powdered metal shavings everywhere meant that the entire gear box needs to be thoroughly cleaned and rebuilt with all bearings checked to ensure no further damages sustained.

Top picture shows how fragile and thin this metal piece is. Definitely a design flaw that will risk binding and making minced metal in the crank case. Metal shavings served all over the drag stack too.

Crank case side full strip down revealed quite a bit of minced metal all over. Luckily, none got into the one-way bearing as it was spinning and stopping as expected without binding. Everything else was either covered or sprinkled with minced metal. In my opinion, I believe that this metal retainer piece is just too flimsy for the job even though it's to hold something rather light with very little load on it when cranked. My theory is that there was an odd angle load transfer from the clicker arm onto the plastic gear forcing it into a 'prying' action thus the metal retainer flexing outward catching the crank case cover.

Stripped down, some scrubbed, some brushed with degreaser and contact cleaner to ensure no degreasing compound's left on any of the surface. This is to ensure proper grease coating during reassembly.

Typically, a reassembly would mean switching between inspection and lubrication. This goes on from the bottom most layer (closest to spool) all the way out the the handle. Inspect, lube, assemble.

Layering marine grease in between inspection and assembly. Top right picture shows the offending and damaged part removed. The choice is yours if you choose to retain the screws in the hopes of replacing the damaged part in the future.

Almost ready to battle once again. Drag clicker gear will be out of the picture in the mean time.

This Shimano Ocea Jigger thought us all an important lesson if we were to prolonged its lifespan and fishing enjoyment. Removing the 'flawed' part would reduce any risk of making minced metal pieces in the crank case. I for one would definitely remove it for peace of mind as I quite like this reel for its size and jigging feel when perfectly matched with either a long fall or slow pitch rod. It provides a lot more feedback from jig action and fish bite detection compared to a spinning reel. You can distinctly tell if the sea floor is muddy, sandy or even rocky as it provides crisp feedback.

With this simple solution of removing the not too crucial offending part, friends who's previously shied away from purchasing a Shimano Ocea Jigger are no longer concern over any premature failure of this amazing reel. Another friend was kind enough to quickly hand me his newly purchased Ocea Jigger to remove the offending part, drag upgrade and marine grease rub down on its internals before heading out for our next off shore jigging trip.

To wrap this post up, here's a video when this Shimano Ocea Jigger failed. See if you can spot the ailing reel in action!

Video courtesy of Tackle Source TV.

Scorpion missing the sting.

A customer sent in a Shimano Scorpion XT with the complain that it feels like a reel he used to know. There's something amiss with it that he cannot pinpoint. Everything seems to be working fine, accept that there's a weird kink or grind on a downward stroke of the crank handle.

It's one of those things that isn't going to stop the reel from functioning or create further damage when in use. It's a tiny splinter that gets under your skin that it's not 100% to your liking. It irritates the hell out of you with that niggling sensation resulting in a self imposed handicap.

We're off to taking this reel apart to see if there's anything wrong, worn off or perhaps just misaligned when reassembled together.

Excellent condition from the outside. Cranks creamy smooth with the exception of a weird kink on downward crank.

First to be eliminated, free spool support bearings. Both are in excellent condition spinning freely without any grittiness.

Not much to do with the weird kink but does look like it needs a bit of a clean up and regular grease rub maintenance.

Spinning the crank shaft without the gears produced the weird kink. To confirm this suspicion, a quick reassembly with the gears and crank case somewhat indicated to the crank shaft. When free spinning, it didn't look like it was bent or wobbly. Possibly a misalignment during installation. A total removal of the crank shaft should reveal the issue.

The culprit discovered. With closer inspection, the crank shaft support bearing seemed to be scrubbing against the shaft retainer metal piece. The outer ring scrubbing against the metal retainer (red). Another quick test this time with a thin shim slotted in (green) in order for the inner ring to be the contact point against the metal retainer/shaft so that the bearing can function properly with the outer ring flushed against the reel housing.

A tiny thin shim is all it takes to sort out the weird kink. Free spinning of the shaft doesn't produce the weird kink anymore. Light oil in the bearing, grease rub down all over and the reel's ready to be reassembled.

The entire drag disc systems just needs a clean up and new coat of marine grease for protection and smoother drag action.

The weird kink was quickly eliminated with an additional shim for proper bearing fitment. My suspicion is that minor wear and tear on the related parts may have generated that weird kink. It's just a matter of tuning the fitment to 'fix' the issue and give this Scorpion the sting it deserves.

Freshies on lures!

Fishing in our local waters are getting tougher and tougher over time. Paid ponds are a dime a dozen but catch rates have recently been mediocre at best as the fish somehow smarten up rather quickly within 2 weekends of bashing. My friends & I have to constantly check in with the fishing communities from various channels and connections for any new news in the likes of new fish stocks arrival in paid ponds or new fish species introduction.

We heard about this paid pond which recently introduced several tonnes of Giant Snakeheads to attract some anglers who regularly seek them out in the wild. This news was already 2-3 weeks old and we're wary that it's probably all fished out. We've heard people boasting about plenty of catches and exciting top water explosions when they first went there and hasn't had recent news about the latest catch rate. I guess we'll have to fill the numbers and find out ourselves.

My friends and I reached the pond just as they were opening the session for business and there were already a small group of anglers moving into position for their battle. The group were casting from 'the spot' where it is rumoured to be best spot to get most hook ups.

We quickly huddle next to 'the spot' and started casting top water lures, frogs and spin baits. Before we could start working out the areas to pepper our lures with, the guys at 'the spot' were getting plenty of top water explosion and hook ups. Giant Snakeheads after Giant Snakeheads, we too get plenty of top water explosions near our lures but none got a proper hook set. Seems like there's a batch of ambitious Giant Snakeheads with eye sight problems as they kept missing our lures. After an hour or so of frustrated misses while the other group was getting all the action, we moved on to another area in search for some decent Giant Snakeheads without vision problems.

As we worked our way around the pond reaching the far end, I noticed some commotion near an abandoned drainage piping and I quickly a crank bait in, hoping to land myself a nice Giant Snakehead. A violent take and dash. Not a Giant Snakehead but a strong fighter nevertheless.

A Pacu takes on Realis Crank. Easily tamed with a medium heavy setup of combo of a pimped up Shimano Conquest matched with Evergreen Temujin's Crossfire "The Stallion".

Pacu must be very angry with the crank bait's disturbance.

Moving around further with no Giant Snakeheads taking any of the jerkbait minnows as the sun starts to gain intensity, I switched to bottom bouncing Geecrack's Swing Chatter jig head. Too hard to ignore by some bottom dwellers. Not the target, nothing to complain about since hook up rates aren't looking good.

Cat on a chatter!

Geecrack's Swing Chatter jig head too hard to ignore.

As we monitor the surface, plenty of Giant Snakeheads surfaces to gulp air and it's just too hard to ignore the fact that they are holding at some depth in there. After all, this visit is supposed to stir up Giant Snakeheads. So I switched back to a jerkbait minnow and repeatedly pepper the same spot. A violent take followed by several strong spurts. I'm guessing this is finally it.

A nice sized & colourful Giant Snakehead, not exactly a giant yet but puts up a nice bull fight.

Majorcraft's Jerkbait minnow repeatedly worked into the same area to stir some curiosity of this healthy Giant Snakehead.

Further casts around the area didn't get anymore strikes nor do I see that many surfacing for air. Time to search a variety of water column with a vibe instead.

A few casts into the center of the pond with some structure in place really got this Pacu agitated and struck this DUO Tide Vib Score. Perfectly matched medium heavy tackle of a pimped up Shimano Conquest and Evergreen Temujin's Crossfire "The Stallion". A mouthful!

A good hook set without complications, no chance for the Pacu to chew and damage the DUO Tide Vib Score.

As the session quickly come to a close, a last few casts didn't produce much while searching different columns of water but instead a slow retrieve near the bottom got this little cat excited. I'll happily take it with such a slow day overall.

Small cat gets the vibe on!

DUO Tide Vib Scores a small cat.

As suspected earlier, 4 of us in total only managed to land about 10 Giant Snakeheads, we're old news to the fish in this pond. We later heard from friends that the catch was worse following the next few weeks in. Fish here smartened up very quickly but we had some fun, just not exactly something to brag about. As usual, enough to settle some score when we're in between big trips.

DC popped a spring!

Here's another freak CSIesque case I received recently from a customer. This somehow involves someone's foot and a popped 'spring' as well as it sounds weird and rough when cranking. This Shimano MetaniumMg DC is a very solidly built reel using an ultralight magnesium alloy.

The popped spring in question sounds like it's coming from the inside of the crankcase. Shake it hard enough, you hear light rattles.

Mint condition reel, well taken care of but had an unfortunate incident resulted in a need to stripped apart, repair the offending bits as well as give it some new coat of lubrication.

First thing that comes of is the handle cap screw. Some signs of damage from misalignment of screw and crank shaft. Or perhaps from the unfortunate freak incident. I can't tell. Then comes the nasty rough bits from the mechanical brake side spool support bearing.

Slight damage (red arrow with metal shavings) from handle cap screw and crank shaft, no deal breaker. Note the damaged bearing shield (white arrow) and dark pits around the bearing. Hidden surprise when the bearing's removed with rust all over the inside of the bearing as well as the crank case housing. The bearing seemed to have crushed balls inside.

The crushed balls and rusty bearing has created some pits within the bearing housing. Luckily, there were no damages inside of the crank case. Crank case inside looks rather well used and dirty.

Dirty inside. Degreased, contact cleaned and gave it a nice coat of marine grease for water displacement and protection. One way bearing's also given a thin film of one-way bearing oil. No damages, works fine and stops without back play.

Upon cleaning the crank case cover, the bearing housing also given a scrub down to remove rusty bits, some pits have emerged from the rusty concoction soaking for long periods of time. Nothing serious, just some minor cosmetic damages so far.

Notice the light pits in the bearing housing. Offending bearing's replaced with hybrid ceramic bearing.

Popped spring wasn't hard to spot. It's just there, stuck to the top layer of drag discs. The spring looked like it's been crushed a little. Hopefully no between the main gear and pinion gear.

Popped spring spotted (red arrow). Where it's suppose to be. (green arrow). This spring is suppose to pop the centrifugal brake side cover open but somehow got dislodged and went rogue within the crank case. Case still opens fine without the spring, best is just retire the munched up spring.

A thorough clean up by degreasing and dirt removal scrub is definitely needed for such a well used reel. This is probably the first time the insides of this reel seen light.

Visual inspection reveals no major damages. Just old dirt and grease all gunked up.

There are however some permanent dirt stuck on the drag disc as it is an ultralight alloy material that isn't really the most durable material against corrosion and pitting.

As clean as it can possibly be. Looks rather new actually.

Took quite a bit of elbow grease to remove stubborn dirt stains on the drag discs. There seems to have some corrosion and pitting over long periods of time.

Drag discs inner surface shows some minor pitting. Outside looks new & fine. Drag washer material's good as new after cleaning. Pinion gear looks ok after visual inspection. Only a full assembly crank will it reveal if there are any damages sustained on the gears.

Reassembly was rather straight forward without complications. Interspersed with grease coating and assembly to ensure all surfaces is being coated with marine grease for lubrication and protection.

Grease, assemble, grease, assemble, grease, assemble. Repeat after me.

Handle bearings a little rough too. Quick clean up with contact cleaner is all it needs to remove dirt and repack it with marine grease for longer lasting protection and durability.

Contact cleaned and packed with marine grease. Smooth as silk.

Case solved without breaking a sweat. Offending bearing's removed, popped spring removed, gave the internals a new coat of marine grease and it's back ready for some long distance casting.

Ready to fly with one less spring.

The reel now feels like a new creamy smooth reel. Gave it a good few cranks and there seems to have no indication of a damaged gear, just a nasty spool support bearing that's causing most of the roughness. The reel is as good as new now and ready to battle once again.