Fly line life

[Magnus]

I'm curious about how long people get from a modern freshwater line - from new until worn out (cracked etc.)

Magnus

[Paul Arden]

That totally depends Magnum. Since I’ve started coating them in Shoot far longer! But it’s hard to judge since I make very few shots here and don’t fish blind very often. Also because I fish more than one line weight nowadays it’s even more difficult to judge

Cheers, Paul

PS I have killed MEDs in 4 days muddy competitions. I think algae and dirt plays a huge role in fly line life.

[Viking Lars]

Alage, dirt, mud, sand, condition of rod rings, how much care goes in to it, storage etc. etc.
I have lines that are 20 years old and still in very good condition, because I've stored them correctly, tkane good care of them, and obviously they are not the ones I've fished the most.
Back when I fished coated shootinglines in the salt, a week's fishing would often see me cut off 10 feet and splice a new loop.

In fact, it would be interesting to measure in hours how long a particular line lasts. Any one up for developing an app? It would definitely break the app-stores :-).

Lars

[Boisker]

I reckon for one reason or another... 2 seasons...

[Paul Arden]

Maybe instead of hours/fishing it should be number of casts made! I know when I was reservoir fishing I would get six weeks out of a floater and 3-4 out of a Hi-D. And then I went to NZ and fished crystal clear waters and got a season out of the same floating line.

However I do a completely different sort of fishing nowadays and some days I might only make half a dozen casts. Fly lines are lasting me longer - but I have good Rod Rings, I coat them in silicone and hardly cast them! I can reasonably expect to get 12 months out of a Snakehead line.

I do find a significant difference between the durability of lines of different manufacturers. In fact lines from one or two manufacturers I find unfishable for the sort of quick shooting demands that I have when taking shots.

Cheers, Paul

[Torsten]

For floating lines: a friend of me used to record every detail in his log (he was a former Stasi-Officer) and told me ~50 days for Cortland Lines (444SL) and up to ~100 days for Shakespeare lines. Other friends reported less than 30 days for some lines - I think one of these was the Triangle taper (maybe they got better now with new coatings). One day means several hours intensive blind casting / fishing.
I'm sure it depends on care as well. Shooting heads however live much longer, I still fish some >20 year old ones.

[andrewparkeruk]

I don't fish so often. Cleaning things after each fishing day is part of the ritual. I wipe clean the rod and rings using a microfibre cloth. Most times I will wash the line (two bucket method, using a drop of hand wash liquid and a kitchen scouring pad), air dry, then wind back on the reel. I never closely examine lines for cracks. I don't tend to use line dressings. Rods and reels are kept in their cases away from direct sunlight.

You might use one of my lines and think this is f***ing dreadful!

I am a bit of a skinflint: flylines are expensive items. I fish small to medium sized UK rivers and if I can put the fly where I want it, and the line still floats, that is good enough for me.

Andrew

[Paul Arden]

That’s probably the best way to do it Andrew! I’ll be honest my lines and rods normally live outdoors. Apart from silicone I don’t do any maintenance.

Cheers, Paul

[andrewparkeruk]

That’s probably the best way to do it Andrew! I’ll be honest my lines and rods normally live outdoors. Apart from silicone I don’t do any maintenance.

Cheers, Paul

You fish everyday: you are the winner!

My friend David is a bait fisherman. His float rod never is taken apart; the middle joint is separated when travelling in the car. The nylon and the hook could be 20 years old.

A question about silicone: is there a product which doesn’t cost several £/€ for a small bottle?

Thank you, Andrew

[Paul Arden]

Not as far as I’m aware. I have researched buying from China. Smallest size is a drum for about 1500USD (plus import duty). Problem is some of the samples I have tried dried out the line. Even at £8 a bottle it seems like a lot of work for little or no return. And then there is shipping which can be a problem especially with liquids. I need to get it sorted soon though because I need it for my Snakehead shots!!

Cheers, Paul