Fellow angler Brian from LAriverfishing gives you a step by step breakdown on important fly line maintenance and cleaning. Check out his article below and be sure to check him out on Instagram and give him a follow.
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Clean your lines!
By: LArivierfishing
One thing that many fly anglers can overlook is line maintenance. Your line should be seen as just as, if not more important than that fancy reel you saved up to buy. It’s true that fly line is replaceable and you often have many types for many different scenarios but they should all be maintained and cleaned to maximize their life span performance and to not lose that trophy fish you’re after. Weather you fish the local drainage ditch for carp or the flats of the caribbean for permit and tarpon you gotta clean your lines! You can spend up to $130 on a fly line so why not protect that investment?
In all types of fly fishing your line will pick up debris, dirt, sand, salt and anything else lying around. This grit will cause unnecessary wear and lead to poor casting and damage to your line. So take 5 minutes to do these steps to save yourself a couple bucks in the long run and get better casts.
Supplies needed:
- 2x buckets or waste bins (Make sure they are clean!)
- 3x Microfiber towels
- Few drops of dish soap (I use an unscented, dye free, eco friendly)
- Line dressing/ protector (I use 303 UV Protectant)
- Reel or spool of dirty fly line
STEP 1:
Fill each bucket with about 4-5 inches of water.
STEP 2:
Add 3-4 drops of dish soap to ONE bucket and mix lightly.
STEP 3:
Strip you line from your reel into the soapy water, inspecting it for nicks, cuts or abnormalities along the way. You should go all the way to the backing. Unless it’s a lighter weight line that you never use the last bit of. This is a good time to check the condition of your loops and knots to make sure they aren’t damaged well.
STEP 4:
Set your reel aside. Clasp a microfiber towel in palm of your hand with the line in it beginning at the connection to the backing. Now begin to transfer the line from the soapy bucket to your clean water bucket. Run every bit of line through the microfiber. Be sure to change the position of the line in the microfiber along the way to use a new, clean portion of the microfiber several times as you do this.
STEP 5:
Dump the soapy water out of the soapy water bucket. Rinse and lightly dry it. Now transfer the line from the clean water bucket to the dry bucket while using the same technique of running it through a microfiber towel to dry it. Changing the area the towel that the line runs through to a new, clean/dry area several times.
STEP 6:
You can stop here. But it’s highly suggested you put a protector/dressing on. There are many out there but a crowd favorite is 303 UV protectant It helps protect the line as well as makes it cast a little better.
To do this, use the same clasping technique with the microfiber towel as in Steps 4&5 but spray a bit of the 303 on the towel and run your line through it as your reel it back onto spool. I pinch the towel between my index and middle finger and hold the body of the reel in the same hand. Add a spritz of 303 to the towel every 20ft or so and always using a new portion of the towel to ensure no debris is picked up.
STEP 7:
Get on some fish!
Depending on where you fish and how you fish the frequency in which you should clean your line can vary but it’s suggested every 3-4 days of fishing. Or before your store your lines for a season or long period of time.
I fish a little drainage ditch know as the Los Angeles River and can be pretty rough on my lines. So I’ve made this a part of my routine. Now it goes by so quick now I don’t even think of it as an extra chore.
I’m not an expert on fly fishing, but this method works for me, it’s fast and easy it’s very is similar to what companies like Rio Products suggest. Adapt this technique to what suits your needs.
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