Cleaning your line

[TroutAholic]

I have been cleaning my line using a "scrub pad" thing from SA, which doesn't seem to do a good enough job.

I'd like to hear how all of you clean your line;

Do you use a cleaning solution?

On stream?

How often?

Any other tips?

Thanks,

Steve

[AaronJasper]

try the rio agent x and or put some of the silicone sprays on your line. the one made by angling specialties works great.

[FK]

If you apply a chemical agent on a dirty line, it will have a tendency to seal in the dirt.

I like warm water with Ivory soap, apply with a sponge or cotton cloth.

Completely wash again with clean cold water.

Dry the line with cotton cloth or paper towels.

Use the SA micro mesh pad to remove any really stubborn dirt, this material is extreemly fine and will not damage the line or wear out the surface.

The modern lines should not require any additional dressing with the new chemical formulas.

Optionally you can use Rio or SA or my favorite "Glide" as a dressing,,,,it will not harm the line with the new formulas (Agent-X or AST or whatever buzz words they use, it is just additional silicone in suspension within the PVC coating).

The dressing works best if left to dry for several minutes and then polish out with a clean cotton cloth, then let it stay overnight to set up and harden.

If you are having problems with the line tip sinking,,,,,it is most likely the leader butt section,,,,,nylon absorbes water and the dirt in the river will stick to the nylon leader. Wipe it down with paper towel and apply some dressing to the leader while fishing, it all depends upon how dirty the water is in your situation.

Regards,
FK

[alanb_ct]

To clean my line, I strip it off the reel in my lawn at home. For a quick clean, I run it through the Glide System box while reeling it in. For floating lines, I have used the Cortland pads and they work well. The pads in the Glide box have a tendency to get really dirty or even moldy. If this happens, treat them overnight in a mild bleach (chlorine) solution and then rinse well with fresh water. I usually don't bother to dry and buff the Glide-treated line.

Cleaning your line is also an opportunity to stretch or untwist it. Stretching your line does not remove twist, but can help with the coils brought about my reel storage (now lessened with the advent of large arbors). To stretch my line at home, I simply hammered a nail in a tree for attachment. I give the line a few slow, steady pulls. If your line is twisted badly, I have used the Rio-recommended method: cut off your fly and let all your line hang downstream from you for a while.

By the way, when cleaning lines, make sure you tension the line with your off (non-reel winding) hand when it goes back on the reel. The line should stay flat and smooth on your reel.

[TroutAholic]

Thanks guys,

Steve