Taking Care Of Your Fly Lines

Looking after your fly lines can not only extend their life but it can make for a much more enjoyable fishing experience.

Top care tips for taking care of your fly lines

A clean fly line will perform much better than a dirty one. Even when you’re fishing in clean water, small particles of dirt will get stuck to the line. To clean your line properly, fill a basin or bucket with tepid water and mild washing up liquid. Strip the line off your reel and into the water. You don’t always need to strip to the backing so you can leave your line attached to the reel. Let the line soak for a maximum of half an hour. Then, taking a clean, soft cloth, gently pull the line through the cloth to clean it off. Wind your line back onto the reel. Ideally, you should clean your fly line every few outings. This is particularly important if you’re fishing in saltwater.
If you find issues with your line coiling, especially if it’s new, give it a good stretch before use.
Always practice your casting on water or grass and not on dirt or tarmac.
Line dressings make casting fun and help the line glide through the guides and float better. Apply line dressing regularly but sparsely. Always read the manufacturer's recommendations first.
Don’t drag your line over rocks or through bushes. Neither drag or ‘snap’ the line when it gets stuck on the ground. The coating is not built to handle this and will get damaged if you do so.
If on a boat, to remove twists and kinks, take off the leader and troll the line behind the boat for a few minutes. On a river, just let the line hang in the current. The removal of twists can also be achieved by pulling the fly line between your fingers - always from the rear end towards the front taper. You might have to repeat the operation several times.
Avoid using insect repellent on the palms of your hands as this affects the fly line. Use the back of the hands to spread repellent to the neck and face.
Never leave your fly reel exposed to strong, direct sunlight inside your car. The UV light will degrade the polymer.

Fly Line Cleaning Video Guide

In this video, JT walks us through some of the steps required to clean and restore your fly lines, looking at a range of products designed to make the task easier. He also shows us how to quickly replace a cracked welded fly line loop with a nice new braided loop.