Fly lines cracking

[Viking Lars]

I find it varies and I agree with Graeme!
However I find that cleaning (with a cloth and water) and the use of a lubricant (Shoot *is* very good) greatly increases the life of a flyline, even one used on grass. I run my lines through a wet rag every time I come off the grass and apply lubricant just before a training session.

I've never had a line crack in less than 10 hours, but a few crack after maybe 15. Usually I get much more hours out of a line. Worn rings are very effective at killing lines...

Lars

[clayed21085]

How are you guys applying "shoot" or similar line lubricant\conditioner? Say I'm already on the water, is there that noticeable of a difference in the casting aspect?

James

[Paul Arden]

Shoot just goes straight on the line when on the reel and the rings sort it out. The effect is immediate. However it’s not currently available and I’ve been experimenting with many replacements over the past 12 months. I’ve checking for long term affect on flylines with the current liquid and am not happy! This is currently work in progress.

Something that should be pointed out is that long term usage makes changing rings a problem because the epoxy doesn’t adhere well to the blank and needs thorough cleaning. This is a problem has had to deal with and Comp HT5s!

Cheers, Paul

[Jearley]

Question for all of you. How do you know when the guides are worn on a fly rod?

[Paul Arden]

Often you can see it, Jason, particularly on the tip ring which usually wears first. You could take a photo using a macro setting and zoom in to have a look. It’s quite interesting to see where they wear by the way.

Cheers, Paul

[Jearley]

I have some investigating to do. Thanks Paul!

[Paul Arden]

In my experience rings with inserts hardly ever wear out. SICs or Torzites for example - well I don’t think I’ve ever seen one wear. Snakes and particular wire tip rings are another matter. Particularly when fishing water with algae or sand or muddy banks. The only problem with lined rings is that they are slightly heavier and I really notice the difference on lighter rods.

I believe you can also check for ring wear with tissue paper but as I wrote, zooming in close on a photo should tell you all you need to know. Replacing a worn tip ring is easy, and can be done with a lighter and pair of forceps. In fact you may not even need glue if you are fast! I’ve don’t this many times. Replacing the other guides is considerably more time consuming!

Cheers, Paul

[Jearley]

I’ll be trying tissue paper and the photo as well. Strangely enough my guides seem “louder” than usual. All my fishing is on water with algae, sand and mud from the bank. And the endless hours practicing on dry, dusty grass doesn’t help. Maybe I’ll just change the tip-top just because. Probably time for a nicer rod as well! This is reason enough...

[Paul Arden]

It could also be the line. The lubrication in the lines dries out after a while. And some lines appear not to have any I use Shoot in all my lines. I’ll order up some more soon. After I’ve got my boat on the lake and given a few lessons

Cheers, Paul

[Jearley]

I hope you give a video tour of the houseboat when it’s done. Sounds like it’s going to be awesome.