Ozark Trail 5000 -- Service and Lubrication -- Young Martin's Reels

In this video we disassemble, clean, lubricate and reassemble an Ozark Trail 5000 spinning reel.
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Young Martin’s Reels was created to honor my dad Martin B. Stivers of Louisville KY. He was an avid fisherman and repaired thousands of fishing reels in his lifetime. I spent numerous hours watching him do so, but I have forgotten most of what he taught me. Now that he is gone, and I find myself in need of reel repair, so I am learning how it is done and trying my best to pass it on.
If I can be of assistance, feel free to contact me [e-mail]
I would also like to thank Dennis Kuntz of 2nd Chance Tackle. His videos have helped to fill in the gaps in my “reel” knowledge. Without his KZbin videos I’m afraid Young Martin’s Reels would not exist.
Rick Martin Stivers

[@chuckspires-hl8md]

I paid $5 on clearance. Got 3 of them. Great video.

[@Tightt88]

You need to try the $30 Ozark Trail OT spinning combo. That spinning combo is $10 more than the reel in this video and far better and it comes with a good rod. The $34 OTX is awesome too!

[@youngmartinsreels5314]

I usually try to use 5000 sized reels and 7’ rods. The combo you recommend is a 3000 size with a 6’’6” rod. That’s a bit small for my use. I certainly wouldn’t mind servicing one someday.

[@Tightt88]

@@youngmartinsreels5314 are you a deep water angler? I only use 5000 plus for inshore or cat fish. Also, is that OT 5000’s crank arm graphite or some kind of alloy? The 3000 is a zinc alloy crank arm. And finally, is it me or does that drag sound great?

[@youngmartinsreels5314]

I enjoy heavy reels with light line. I seldom use anything over 10 pound test but I like the feel of the heavier reels. As for that handle, I’m pretty sure that it’s nothing more than a lightweight plastic. I was so unsure of the quality of it that I purchased a replacement handle for it. So far, I’m not overly fond of this reel. For inexpensive reels, I prefer the Sougayilang reel that I’m testing. I’ve already had this one back on the bench trying to eliminate the clicking sound it makes when you wind it back in.

[@Tightt88]

@@youngmartinsreels5314 yeah I have never used the $20 OT reel but like I said before, I really like the $30 spinning combo and the OTX spinning reel. I would maybe try the OTX Pro 4000 spinning reel. That is only $34.

[@jasonlopez4855]

The Ozark trail bale and handle looks like Lew's reel 🧐

[@youngmartinsreels5314]

Jason, I’m sorry to say this rod and reel ended up on the bottom of Lake Calaveras.

[@Marioguajardo3167]

That’s what you call a rookie mistake when you leave the bell under pressure. Lol!!!

[@youngmartinsreels5314]

Yes it is. Of course you all know that I make plenty of mistakes.

[@Marioguajardo3167]

@@youngmartinsreels5314 lol! Not that many rick.

[@christopherjenkins2373]

@@youngmartinsreels5314it’s not covering up mistakes that gives integrity to your channel. All of us who are learning to work on reels screw up from time to time. - Chris

[@christopherjenkins2373]

Rick, did this reel have stainless screws throughout? They could have made the reel with the color in the graphite so paint would not matter. This is why I like the metal case reels with baked on paint. The design of the reel is a classic one but I just wonder about the longevity of the reel. I’ve looked at the saltwater versions but I decided against getting one. It will be interesting to see how it lasts on your boat. You’re correct that we need reels at this price point on the market. Glad you showed us one of these! - Chris (I’m off to the coast in the morning. Wish me luck!)

[@youngmartinsreels5314]

Chris, if those are stainless, they are the softest stainless I’ve ever seen.

[@christopherjenkins2373]

@@youngmartinsreels5314yeah, that’s what I figured. The old adage of you get what you pay for is still basically true. Still, for the money this may be about as good as you can get. It doesn’t appear to be a bad reel - not great but not bad either. - Chris

[@Marioguajardo3167]

I bought the 8 combos for my boat rick and the only problem I had were the handles. The handles to me were the weakest on the reel. But other than that it’s a great reel.👍

[@youngmartinsreels5314]

So did they break where I felt they were weak? How many broke?

[@Marioguajardo3167]

@@youngmartinsreels5314 mine has a little button to push and put the handle sidesways for storage. I broke 2 of them and bought a different handle and it works better then the original handle.

[@ddselvig]

Mario - Those handles must be a commodity item. I see replacement handles for those reels being sold on eBay all the time. A friend of mine broke his handle last week, and I steered him to the right part on eBay.

[@Marioguajardo3167]

@@ddselvig yes I replaced the ones I broke and work even better

[@warpedweirdo]

Looks like it will catch quite a few fish so long as it is maintained, you don't use the gears to do heavy lifting, and you keep the drag tension reasonable. And plastic bushings are better than insta-rust steel bearings in my book, standing up to horrific neglect because they don't need much if any lubrication. This is the sort of design ultra-cheap reels should stick to.

[@youngmartinsreels5314]

I had to go back in and lubricate the reel again because it was making a ticking sound during retrieval. Since then it has worked fine but it hasn’t caught any fish yet.