treating a fly line?

[trigger7mm]

What do you recommend to use as a good fly line treatment to use after cleaning it? Is there a good alternative to the specialty products. Thanks for the advise, and have a great weekend everyone!

[fishermansfriend]

im to afraid to wreck my fly lines with solvents i just use warm water and rub em down.

[pikergolf]

I have used a little gink fly floatant rubbed on my fingers.

[Darren N]

Originally Posted by pikergolf

I have used a little gink fly floatant rubbed on my fingers.

Hmmm - good idea. How long does that last?

[Okotokian]

I picked up a little device that clips to your rod and you run line through it. Has foam inside. YOu put some line dressing on it and it cleans and conditions your line. Casting after is like having a new line. I probably picked the kit up from WSS for $10 or something. small enough to keep it in a fly vest pocket.

[BPman]

The modern plastic fly lines don't need treatment. Their enemy is dirt or residue from the water such as alkali salts. Wash them in mild soapy water - I use Sunlight dish soap and warm water with a soft rag.

[pikergolf]

Originally Posted by Darren N

Hmmm - good idea. How long does that last?

Don't know, I wash my lines a couple of times a year rub a little gink on the floater and forget about it, sinking lines I don't treat. Washing them does make them cast better, the downward slide is so slow you don't notice ,but once you clean them the difference is noticeable.

[Lornce]

Just keep em clean better than any treatment.

[fishermansfriend]

Originally Posted by Lornce

Just keep em clean better than any treatment.

x10 i always try and keep my rods, reels and line in pristine condition... but i have dropped em in the mud before.. but warm water always works for me.

[Okotokian]

Originally Posted by BPman

The modern plastic fly lines don't need treatment. Their enemy is dirt or residue from the water such as alkali salts. Wash them in mild soapy water - I use Sunlight dish soap and warm water with a soft rag.

Probably quite true, but I think the treatment acts as a bit of a lubricant through the guides, particularly if the line is a little old and starting to crack. At least that is what it has seemed to me when I've used it. But yes, proably the main effect was to simply lean off the line in the first place.

[trigger7mm]

Thanks for the input gentlemen! I appreciate it.

[MTB_FlyFisher]

Just curious if there's any special tips or tricks to know about cleaning a fly line?

I'd assume you'd just strip it off the reel into a bucket with some warm water and a small amount of dish soap (or something similar), swish it around a bit, strip it through a clean cloth into a bucket with just warm water in it, and then reel it back on while running it through another clean cloth. Does that sound about right?

Also, about how much use do you get out of a fly line before you change it out and how can you tell when it's time to consider changing it?

[shep dog]

FWIW, original Armour All will make a clean line slicker. If it's cracked, it's done.

[Norman]

I've been using rain X as a line conditioner after cleaning, I've been doing this for years and it works great.

[pikergolf]

Originally Posted by MTB_FlyFisher

Just curious if there's any special tips or tricks to know about cleaning a fly line?

I'd assume you'd just strip it off the reel into a bucket with some warm water and a small amount of dish soap (or something similar), swish it around a bit, strip it through a clean cloth into a bucket with just warm water in it, and then reel it back on while running it through another clean cloth. Does that sound about right?

Also, about how much use do you get out of a fly line before you change it out and how can you tell when it's time to consider changing it?

This is how I do it. I wouldn't change a line unless I wasn't happy with the performance anymore, I have a floating line that has a lot of cracking in the working mid section, doesn't affect the performance though, so I still use it.

[Lornce]

A while back I experimented with Armorall on five different brands of fly lines (3 inch pieces), it ruined three of them and did not affect two. One became mushy and the coating slough off. Another became really brittle and cracked like a potato chip. Of course we can't guess on long term effects. There is a wide variety of fly line compositions out there and you certainly take your chances by adding any chemical. Armorall is a sealer and will seal in dirt.

Your best bet is cleaning with a mild dish washing liquid, pulling the line through a cloth to get the dirt and grime off or picking up a line cleaner recommended by the manufacturer.

There are some great fly line dressings out there that you can find at your local fly shop that are safe. Personally I use Red Tin Mucilin to recondition a line that starts to sink at the tip. It's what I was taught to use on silk fly lines when I started fly fishing. It will not help a cracking fly line as the line will soak up water along its internal core which is often made of absorbent thread material.