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.
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.
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. :D
I do it with band new lines before I even fish with them. Floating lines only.
Ive just put that new line on that I bought from you Fred so will do that before I go out fishing.
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.
Quoteone 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
Microfibre cloths from Lidl. Cheap as chips, no lint. I use them for woodwork polishing.
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:
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)
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.
If I think it needs it I will just rub it through a microfibre cloth which seems to be enough. I use red Mucilin on the front taper if I think it is lying too low in the water or if the tip starts getting dragged down by the leader when I am fishing the flies static or waiting on them to sink deeper.
Not an obsessive cleaner but I have done so and reckon it's made a small difference.
I also carry a 2" square of cloth soaked with Snowbee line lube sealed up in a tiny gripper bag. Sometimes when the casting goes to ratshit I stop and pull the flyline through this a couple of times. Not sure if it's the little break that works or the cleaning/lubing but things are always better afterwards.
I think cleaning fly lines makes sense and though not much experience of snowbee lube, I also think this sounds good.
But as I can't even find time to go fishing never mind the chore of cleaning lines, I haven't done either in years and don't think it makes me catch any less fish, ok so I'm catching bandies from hill lochs or from a boat on bigger lochs, but doubt I would have done any better with a cleaner line. When I fish it gets a wash :D
Just last Saturday a pal gave me one of the car dashboard wipes to clean my line whilst out fishing. It immediately made a difference in terms of running smoothly when casting. First time for me and I was impressed.
These dashboard wipes sound good. What are they called and where do you get them?
Quote from: admin on May 14, 2013, 09:15:38 AM
These dashboard wipes sound good. What are they called and where do you get them?
I use Armorall, available from any motor accessory place and possibly the big supermarkets?
Alex
Thanks
this them?
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/ARMORALL-GLOSS-DASH-WIPES-X25-36025EN-CAR-CARE-DASH-BOARD-COCKPIT-/171038348700?pt=UK_Car_Accessories_Car_Care_Cleaning&hash=item27d2ae159c (http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/ARMORALL-GLOSS-DASH-WIPES-X25-36025EN-CAR-CARE-DASH-BOARD-COCKPIT-/171038348700?pt=UK_Car_Accessories_Car_Care_Cleaning&hash=item27d2ae159c)
Quote from: admin on May 14, 2013, 09:24:54 AM
Thanks
this them?
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/ARMORALL-GLOSS-DASH-WIPES-X25-36025EN-CAR-CARE-DASH-BOARD-COCKPIT-/171038348700?pt=UK_Car_Accessories_Car_Care_Cleaning&hash=item27d2ae159c (http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/ARMORALL-GLOSS-DASH-WIPES-X25-36025EN-CAR-CARE-DASH-BOARD-COCKPIT-/171038348700?pt=UK_Car_Accessories_Car_Care_Cleaning&hash=item27d2ae159c)
The page is blocked Fred (I'm at work) but that sounds like the ones.
Alex
how about this
(http://i.ebayimg.com/t/ARMORALL-GLOSS-DASH-WIPES-X25-36025EN-CAR-CARE-DASH-BOARD-COCKPIT-/00/s/NzU2WDM1MQ==/$(KGrHqJHJBgE7)9Nc5hlBPEGIQEqeQ~~60_12.JPG)
Do these sad bastards who stand in fields with measuring tapes and try to out-cast each other use this stuff or is it considered a bit Lance Armstrong? :lol:
So, really, what we are saying is fly casting and fly line supply really has its roots in the failed British motor industry. Ironic. :lol:
Actually, more seriously - I got pack of these things this morning and cleaned a few lines and rods :shock:
The line I had cleaned the other day still produced a lot of muck on the Armourall wipe. Think I'll head out to a field now, can anyone lend me a measuring tape and a baseball cap? (Sage or Orvis would be preferred). :D
I can lend you a 5m tape, that should do it.
No Sage or Orvis cap though, would a Hardy do?
Quote from: Inchlaggan on May 14, 2013, 12:35:52 PM
No Sage or Orvis cap though, would a Hardy do?
Hardy? You're kidding me, right? That's a bit like going shooting with a spaniel that has a tail. You'd be laughed off the grass. :D
Quote from: admin on May 14, 2013, 12:30:00 PM
Actually, more seriously - I got pack of these things this morning and cleaned a few lines and rods :shock:
The line I had cleaned the other day still produced a lot of muck on the Armourall wipe. Think I'll head out to a field now, can anyone lend me a measuring tape and a baseball cap? (Sage or Orvis would be preferred). :D
Ranfurly not good enough for you now Fred? :D
Alex
Alan, there's a better way. Bizarrely it's called fishing. :lol:
I just tried it but not even Armourall could help a 4 wt cope with that wind and Alex - that was with me wearing a Ranfurly bunnet. :D
I'm currently negotiating a deal with the local car accessories shop. Wildfisher fly lines will be displayed for sale next to the Armourall wipes, but will be badge engineered and sold under the new name CARRIE-OH Fly lines. See the motor trade connection? :8)