Is something I neglect. I recall purchasing a Cortland line a few years back and it came with a wee cleaning pad which I used but soon forgot about. I was thinking that it was about high time I started looking after my lines and give them a clean now and again. I was wondering instead of buying some bummed up cleaner from an angling store have any Wild Fisher Forumites got any tips or suggestions as to what they use for cleaning their fly lines.
Warm water & a mild detergent, dry with a soft lint free cloth is as good as anything.
Never been a fan of lubricants & treatments. Some may indeed work but I sometime wonder how many may damage a fly line.
Tight Lines
As Highlander suggests, a mild detergent and damp cloth works for cleaning. I did that once :)
After that, you can dry them off (don't use a yellow duster or you'll get lint allover the line) and then apply some lubricant :gay4 like the Snowbee, Wizz Lube or just use Armorall dashboard wipes :8)
Alex
Don't if I should be proud or not but I have never washed a fly line, I don't even give it a thought. Saying that I don't worry about my casting either :roll:
I do worry about tippet construction and which fly :worms
Norm
Had a chap going nuts because his expensive sink tip line wouldn't sink. I had a look at it and asked a few questions. He had "cleaned" it with Armorall wipes. Armorall will prevent a "sink tip" or indeed an intermediate line from sinking. It then works on the same principle as a "greased" silk line. Indeed, if you want to try a "silk feel", use an intermediate and grease ( or "armorall"! ) it.
If you have problems like this, rubbing the tip ( or the whole line ), down with alcohol in a soft cloth will usually fix it. Just soapy water wont work because the Armorall sinks in to the surface of the line ans is difficult to get off with soap, any silicone is hard to remove with "normal" soap.
TL
MC
I have a nail in a fence post in the garden and a couple of times a season I hook the line on to it and run it out across the garden.
I run a clean cloth along it and whizz lube before cleaning with a cloth.
I dont think modern plastic lines are affected much with these new cleaners but it would have been a different story with old silk lines.
Billy
I clean my lines about every 4/5 trips armaroll wipes do the job and adry with a clean cloth shoots great floats high and dry
This might be helpful/interesting. Came across it last night.
http://www.youtube.com/user/RIOPRODUCTS#p/u/4/taTfJMpiXeQ (http://www.youtube.com/user/RIOPRODUCTS#p/u/4/taTfJMpiXeQ)
http://www.youtube.com/user/RIOPRODUCTS#p/u/3/BdaC9UiwUQg (http://www.youtube.com/user/RIOPRODUCTS#p/u/3/BdaC9UiwUQg)