Cleaning Your Lines

[Wildfisher]

Do you bother?

I know it has been discussed before but it's worth bringing it up again for newer members.

On Friday I started to notice a bit of stickiness with my 4 weight especially when fishing a short line. When I got home I stripped the line into the sink, and washed it with warm water with a touch of Fairly Liquid, running it though a cloth  to remove the worst of the muck.

Dried it then run it though my fingers applying two good coats of Snowbee Line Slick. I left it to sit overnight then next morning gave it a good "polish"  with one of those soft yellow furniture dusters.

The difference in the line performance was like  night and day. I believe this something that is worth doing reasonably  frequently if you fish a lot. Lines  pick up an extraordinarily  amount of dirt.

Worth mentioning again that you should not apply lubricants to sinking lines.

[ddp712]

How often would you suggest doing this? Sounds like a good practise to get in to tho if its going to improve the line as much as you said it did.

[Wildfisher]

Depends how often you fish I suppose, but I do it a few times every season, usually when I notice  a bit of stickiness. It would probably be better  to do it before this and it should also extend the life of the line. That said what tends to ruin my lines is me standing on them with studded wading boots. 

I do it with band new lines before I even fish with them. Floating lines only.

[ddp712]

Ive just put that new line on that I bought from you Fred so will do that before I go out fishing.

[Darwin]

I got lazy for awhile and did not clean my lines.  After cleaning and treating one I noticed a huge improvement in casting so now I try to clean the live after every day on the water and I do the polish thing after a few days use.

[Highlander]

one of those soft yellow furniture dusters

Good for you Fred but dispense with the above. A cotton Tea Towel or similar would be better, something that is lint free unlike a "Yellow Duster"
Tight Lines

[Inchlaggan]

Microfibre cloths from Lidl. Cheap as chips, no lint. I use them for woodwork polishing.

[Wildfisher]

Tony, I think the Mucilin  might make it sticky, don't know. Some of the guys use car dash board wipes, maybe some of those furniture sprays like pledge would  be OK - not sure

**** Disclaimer - if your line melts don't blame me  ********    :lol:

[Wildfisher]

Alan if you get spores, algae etc on your line these are organic and water based so water may  be better at removing  them than a chemical solvent and should not strip the coating. 

Whatever - it's well worth doing. The difference in my line from Friday to Saturday was remarkable and don't think it's just about distance. A smooth running line is noticeably better and nicer to use  at short range than a dirty sticky one. I'd say it's essential if you are not to go nuts.  In fact the more of a dirty line you have out the less noticeable it is for normal fishing (as opposed to distance casting)

[Highlander]

My take on it, manufacturers of fly lines go to great lengths to give us the super, slickest bits of technology they can in every conceivable colour & what do we want to do ?

We want to dye it or rub it with Armour All or  some other kind of car or furniture polish. Leave them alone, learn to cast with what you have got.
If the line gets gritty or dirty bloody wash it in likewarm soapy water & dry it with alint free cloth, nothing else. Polsihes may not harm the coating but you don't know that so why rub with something you  not know if it will react with the line coating.

Tight Lines
Mucilin is a floatant treatment, never was nor intended to be a cleaner.