One thing that often gets overlooked when it comes to maintenance of your fly fishing gear is regularly cleaning your fly line. The cleaning process is quick and easy to do, but it’s often the last thing on your mind when you’re done fishing for the day. The way I look at it, with the price of fly lines these days, this is something simple you can do to help extend the life of your line. This will also save you money in the long run.
Let’s face it; your line is going to get dirty just by using it. Especially if you are using it in saltwater or lying at the bottom of your boat, kayak, or just using it in areas with grass and debris all contribute to a dirty fly line. Even when you are casting on dry grass your line is getting dirty
So when will you know when it is time to clean your line? You will generally want to do this about every 2 to 3 trips. Another indicator that you want to look for especially when using a floating fly line, is the head end of your line will tend to sink. You may also notice a loss of distance in your casts, and line tangles may develop more often while fishing.
The main benefit of cleaning your fly line is longevity, but you will also see the tangles disappear and you gain back increased shooting distance. The line will also feel noticeably different when you are done with the cleaning process.
Now that we have covered what causes you to need to clean your line and the benefits of cleaning it. Let’s get down to how you go about doing it. You will need 2 containers, mild dish soap, and a small soft towel for the cleaning process. I use 2 buckets and a larger towel for the last step, but you can also do this in your kitchen sink if you do not have any buckets you can use.
Step1.
In one of the containers, fill it with enough warm soapy water to cover your fly line. About 2-3 inches should be sufficient. In the second container fill it with 2-3 inches of warm water only. One important thing to remember is to not use hot water as it could damage the line.
In the container that you added the mild dish soap to, strip your fly line, leader end first into the bucket. Once your fly line is in the bucket push it down to ensure that all of the lines have been covered in soapy water. Try not to stir the line around in the bucket as you might cause your line to tangle. Let it soak in the soapy water for at least 5 minutes, but if your line is very dirty you may want to leave it to soak for up to 30 minutes.
Step 2.
Strip your line reel side fist into the bucket of warm water through a soft towel. Soaking in the soapy water helped to loosen up the dirt and grime and stripping through the towel will help remove the rest. Once you get all of the lines in the container, once again push down your line to make sure it is completely rinsed off the soapy water.
Step 3.
Take the leader end first of your fly line and once again use your soft towel to strip the line through onto a clean surface. I prefer to put a large clean towel on the floor and strip all of its lines. You can also use a clean dry container or bucket to do this step. Once all the line is stripped onto the towel you can then put the reel back onto your reel and you are done.