The price for a high end fly line is getting pretty silly. The thing is, they are worth it. So you just spent some good coin on a new fly line, let’s make it last! Here are some tips to help you take care of your fly line and to help ensure you don’t need to be spending $100+ on another one in the near future.
- Careful with your wading boots to avoid standing on the line. Pulling it against the cleats on the bottom of your rubber soled wading boots is basically cleaning your fly line with sandpaper. Any walking/standing on your line is bad for that matter. It will cause your fly line to reach its expiration date much faster than you would like.
- Clean your line. Modern fly lines are slightly porous. This helps them retained that out of the box slickness. The pours overtime however will get clogged with dirt or debris. Cleaning your fly line with a mild detergent will get it back shooting like its brand new. A more in-depth post on cleaning your fly line can be found here.
- Avoid unnecessary UV exposure. Not trying to tell you to fish in the dark here. The time spent fishing in the sun is not going to hurt your line. You just do not want to store it in an area where there is prolonged sun exposure. If you keep your rods rigged up when not fishing, try and find a shady area.
- Keep away from Sunscreen and DEET. We want you to stay safe from the harmful UV rays of the sun and annoying bug bites, but if at all possible, avoid handing your fly line with hands freshly covered with sunscreen or DEET. Both will cause the fly line to breakdown and greatly shorten its lifespan.
- Be careful when you strip your line off of your reel. Most of us get in a hurry and pull line off of the reel as quick as possible in a downward direction. This can cause the line to rub/scrape against the post on the reel. Try to get in the habit of pulling the line off your reel in an upward direction, not against the post of the reel.
- If you plan on storing your fly line for an extended period of time, take it off the reel and store it in large loops. If you leave the line on the reel spool, it can take on a lot of memory. This is not as important with the large arbor reels but if you have a smaller reel, removing the line before extended periods of storage will reduce the amount of memory it holds. Regardless, stretch your line out before fishing it if it has been in storage for a few months.
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Good stuff! What is the expectancy life span of a top of line Fly Line last?
Hey Evan, It depends on how much use they get. I usually replace my fly lines once a year. But look for things like cracking in the line exposing the core, or the tip not floating as well, as good indicators that it is time for a new line.