Fly Line Care – You don’t always need a new fly line.
Fly Line Care & Maintenance is important! Most of us anglers take special care of our rods, reels and specific gear to help preserve their quality and performance. It has always confused me why more fly anglers don’t take regular care to maintain one of the most critical parts of the equation – the fly line. I couldn’t count how many times a customer has come to me and said they think they need new fly line and asked why they only fished their new line for a year or two by the time it started to sink and cast without the same “new line” pop. The solution is simple people, fly line needs regular maintenance and there are several simple but important steps one can take to prevent dirt build-up, cracking and overall degradation of your fly line.
While we fish from boats or from shore, our fly line gets treated to the same grime and junk that we all get dirty in and love. Remember that the outer core of the fly line has pores that help with floatation as well as sinkability with regards to sinking lines. These pores become clogged with dirt from the ground and bio-junk from the water itself. As these pores become clogged, the line becomes less effective and it needs to be cleaned regularly. I recommend at least once before the season and then once after you decide to hang up the fly gear and pull out the snowboards.
Tips on cleaning your fly line
There are several options for cleaning your fly lines and the first one I recommend is a product made by Airflo called Whizz Lube. It is a dimethicone-based product similar to silicone and environmentally safe. The product itself comes in a tube that you can insert your fly line through the cap and simply pull the line across the sponge top with the product applied. Many anglers are actually amazed at how much life they brought out in older lines with this product. Orvis also makes a similar product called Zip Juice and all of our shops carry both.
If you find yourself wanting to clean your line and in a tight pinch, regular dish washing soap and a rough sponge will also work. Remember to stretch the line as you clean it to pull apart those dirty pores and get the gunk out. If you make it a habit to maintain and clean your fly lines, you will find that the longevity and the performance of your lines will be greatly improved! Get out there and fish and remember to stop by any of our shops to find these fine fly line cleaners. Thanks from the crew at Three Rivers Ranch and have a fishy day!
