# Fly line cleaning



## BrownDog (Jun 22, 2019)

How often are you fishing? Seems like a lot to run your lines through after every trip.

How old are your lines?
Do you see any noticeable dirt/cracks?
How cold is it where you fish?


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## saltyhackle (Jun 28, 2020)

BrownDog said:


> How often are you fishing? Seems like a lot to run your lines through after every trip.
> 
> How old are your lines?
> Do you see any noticeable dirt/cracks?
> How cold is it where you fish?


I fish between 2-3 times a month and the lines are probably 3-4 months old. No noticeable dirt or cracks, the lines are just now starting to show some wear, but subtly.
I'm in tampa and our water this time of year is a bit chilly.


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## Hank (Jan 14, 2019)

Your super cleaning is more like something to do once a year or before storage for a long time. Most I'd do is to slosh the line in a bucket with one or two drops of dawn (no more) and then rinse well. I like 303 for a dressing. Others here use food grade silicone. There was a thread here not too long ago on line dressings.









2 Dress or not to Dress??


Not talkin bout your fancy Fly Fishing clothes her gang. I am Talkin bout our fly lines and if you do dress them, what do you use?? Any secret MS formulas out there to add another 10ft to my fly cast?? He! He! :)




www.microskiff.com





Also, the detergent may remove some of the plasticizers from the coating of the line. I think you are cleaning too hard. Maybe just a fresh water rinse and wipe down is enough, then dressing.


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## BrownDog (Jun 22, 2019)

I agree with the above that you may be over cleaning and stripping the line of its coating.

sometimes cooler water will also make a tropical line not shoot as well too.

I do a deep clean like that when I notice issues with the line like dirt buildup, lines just get rinsed on the reel after trips.


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## Rich11111 (Jun 6, 2018)

I recently saw a youtube video of Flip Pallot showing what he does with food grade silicone spray when line not shooting like it was when out on water. I've been using his approach after rinsing after a day on the water. I've noticed the line shoots like new again. I'm going to slow down the frequency of dawn drop bath.


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## permitchaser (Aug 26, 2013)

Rich11111 said:


> I recently saw a youtube video of Flip Pallot showing what he does with food grade silicone spray when line not shooting like it was when out on water. I've been using his approach after rinsing after a day on the water. I've noticed the line shoots like new again. I'm going to slow down the frequency of dawn drop bath.


You still my thunder. I was wondering why they never saw this. Man I used that stuff and my line flies also spray it on my jack plate and other stuff


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## jackson man (Aug 13, 2020)

Rich11111 said:


> I recently saw a youtube video of Flip Pallot showing what he does with food grade silicone spray when line not shooting like it was when out on water. I've been using his approach after rinsing after a day on the water. I've noticed the line shoots like new again. I'm going to slow down the frequency of dawn drop bath.


Hard to disagree with any of "Flip's tips". I would definetly make sure that any lines washed in soaps of any kind are thoroughly rinsed as the soap residue can actually allow dirt to adhere to the line.


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## Loogie (Jul 24, 2019)

Soaking your lines from 30 minutes to two hours with a soap designed to break down stuff that attaches to your car is probably ruining your line and removing applied coatings from the manufacturer. Fly lines are resilient, the only time you need to clean is to rinse off the salt which can be done with a quick freshwater hose on the reel and rod. If you feel you need to clean your line, use what the manufacturer recommends and apply it. 2-3 times a month of use and the fly lines are 3 months old or so, you should not need to clean those lines at all. If you feel you need some less friction use food grade silicon on the fly line as mentioned above. If you feel your fly line is not performing the problem is probably the person casting the line versus the cleanliness of the line. I would humbly suggest to work more on casting and less on cleaning.


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## Xcapnjoe (Jun 5, 2013)

Only thing I use is warm water. 
I strip the line into the bucket with a towel to hold it down for 10-15 minutes. Then I strip the line from the bucket through a soft looped towel then crank it back on the reel.

I've used food grade silicone sprayed onto an old t-shirt. Again I strip the clean line off the reel through the towel, then crank it back on the reel.
Shoots like a dream after that. If the line isn't too dirty it'll spiff it up leaving some greenish brown schmutz on the t-shirt.

Cheaper than buying fresh!


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## Pudldux (Mar 3, 2016)

If your lines are SA get the cleaning pads and run through until no more dirt shows on the pad. Fly line dressings last a few hours at best and are not recommended by SA.


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## Ben Sheppard (Feb 1, 2020)

Pudldux said:


> If your lines are SA get the cleaning pads and run through until no more dirt shows on the pad. Fly line dressings last a few hours at best and are not recommended by SA.


I agree with the comments, you’re hurting the fly line with the soap. Warm water and soft damp towel to clean line.
Soaps attract dirt, at home clean carpet with hot water or steam clean. Soap residue will catch dirt. The periodic spray of food grade silicon will help your line shoot, sort of a bridging action until you clean the line.

last, if you read the manufacture recommendations you will find that they want you to avoid soap , especially harsh soaps


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## LtShinysides (Dec 27, 2018)

The silicone trick works great. Same stuff I use on my bunks.
I'd say your definitely over cleaning. 
Also, I didn't see what kind of line your using? I know most of my warm climate lines get a little stiff this time of year.


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## lemaymiami (Feb 9, 2007)

Whenever I read that someone is washing their fly line (or their fly reel...) I expect that they'll soon be reporting troubles of some kind... I never use any form of detergent on a reel (or a fly line) period. Bad things happen as a result... over time. With fishing reels you're removing lubricants (unless you religiously dis-assemble and re-lube afterwards) and with fly lines the post that noted you're removing necessary plasticizers -is right on the money. 

I use my gear a lot more than most recreational types - but not nearly as much as some other guides I know. Here's my routine when my fly gear has been in use for a day or two (or longer if I'm going day after day...). Each rig has the fly line stripped off down to the backing - then everything - rod, reel, and fly line gets a thorough rinsing with the nozzle of the hose set to fan spray (no direct hard spray on any reel...)... If the line is not visibly dirty or sticky it gets wound back on the spool while still wet, the reel's drag is backed off completely and the rig is set in the corner with all my other fly rigs to dry... If the line is visibly dirty or feels sticky -then I use a Scientific Anglers cleaning pad on the wet line and scrub it up and down - then dry it off with a soft cloth. Any time I use the pad it's followed by a drop or two of Scientific Anglers line dressing (pretty much a heavy silicone based formula) on a clean cloth that's carefully rubbed up and down the line to make it slick again. Lastly (and this is the important part...) that fly like is rubbed down with a clean cloth to remove any excess line dressing. Leave too much line dressing and your fly line becomes a dirt and dust magnet... requiring you to clean it much more often than you should have to... That's the heart of the matter... the less you work over your line the longer it lasts until it gets old and you must replace it... 

For reels again.. only rinse them off in cold water - then allow to dry. If you must, a tiny drop of good quality oil (I like Gunslik or Break Free) on any moving part or a tiny bit of grease on things like gears and anti-reverse dogs (if your reel even has those sorts of things where you can access them...) and that's it. period. The only other thing a fly reel really needs is to have that drag backed off completely when the reel is not in use... 

Not the first time I've posted this info... Moderator, you're welcome to hold this as a "sticky" if you approve.

"Be a hero... Take a kid fishing"


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## georgiadrifter (Jan 14, 2009)

As mentioned....I strip the line into a 5-gallon bucket of warm water and let it soak...no detergent. As a matter of fact...I soak as many as three lines at once, carefully “layering” each line. They are removed from the bucket in reverse order to avoid tangles. Wipe dry and then spray with food-grade silicone a la Flip.

When I read your post, I wondered about “soaking the spool.” Doesn’t your backing become saturated? I doubt it completely dries, and therefore could weaken the backing over time. Purely speculation on my part...but I avoid soaking the backing for this reason. I’m thinking of Dacron backing.

Dos centavos.


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## saltyhackle (Jun 28, 2020)

@Hank @Loogie @Ben Sheppard @lemaymiami Wow thank you so much. To all of you. I think the consensus is yes, I have been way over-cleaning my lines. While it is initially disheartening, its good to hear there's not only a better way to do something, but a quicker way. My previous routine took quite some time and I would always dread it on the way home. Thanks for helping me out guys, this is one of the reasons I love this platform.

Moving forward I'll drop the soap all together and stick to warm water, might try to get my hands on some silicon spray too.

@georgiadrifter yup, full soak... unfortunately smh... I leave it out to dry for a few days but it's possible it never fully dries. Now I know better.


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## redchaser (Aug 24, 2015)

Normally I just give the line a good freshwater rinse after each trip to the salt. Once in a while when it starts feeling grungy, I'll clean with soap, not detergent. I just use a bar of bath soap, apply some to a wet soft cloth and run the line through it until I stop getting skid marks, then rinse well and apply a line dressing like Loon or Rio. I find I get better results cleaning it first, then applying dressing. I do this maybe 3 times a year and am happy with both the immediate results and how long my line last. Next time I may try the food grade silicone.


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## Ben Sheppard (Feb 1, 2020)

Captain LeMay thank you very much for taking time to teach and advise. I appreciate how busy your job can be and you still make time for those of us who are learning. And you say things nicely. Very appreciated


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## lemaymiami (Feb 9, 2007)

If I had a few more bookings you wouldn’t hear much at all from this quarter... Thanks for the kind words. 

For those not aware, all of the backing we use these days, Dacron, super braids, etc. are synthetic and can’t rot. They can mildew and look ugly (really ugly) but that doesn’t cause line or knot strength to drop off...


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## HunterOnFly (Apr 15, 2020)

Save water, shower with your fly line.


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## Snakesurf (Jun 18, 2019)

I have been using a little dish soap and water about once every 6 months. Rinse off everytime I go fishing and the line holds up for a few years. Just started using the silicone about a year ago. Was just using fly line dressing. The silicone is a little less viscous and easier to apply and works well.


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## jay.bush1434 (Dec 27, 2014)

I live right on the water, fish or practice cast in the water at least once a week, sometimes more when its nice out so my gear gets a pretty good use through out the year. When I'm done fishing, rod, reel, line and flies get a freshwater rinse. If the water was really dirty I'll strip the line off down to the backing and spray all the line with the hose. I'll take the reel off, tap the rod on the ground against the rod butt to knock off excess water, wipe the rod and reel seat dry with a clean micro fiber rag. Set the rod aside and open up the reel to dry off the inside of the reel body and spool. Then put reel back together and wind line up through the micro fiber cloth. I leave the reel covers off and put them in the rod rack in my climate controlled fish room to dry and rest happily until the next adventure. Every so often I'll spray some food grade silicone on the line and rod.


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## knot_trying (Oct 28, 2020)

Once had a presentation at a TU meeting from a guy who worked at Scientific Anglers. He said that just cleaning occasionally with soap (NOT detergent) was a good way to get rid of gunk. Then just some silicone. Seem to recall he said it needed to be done maybe 1-2 times a year.


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## Steve_Mevers (Feb 8, 2013)

I have used the spray silicone a few times while on the boat for a quick fix for sticky fly line, less is more when spraying it on the line. I clean once in awhile by stripping all the line off the reel, wet a rag with just a little Dawn soap and run the line through it a few times till it is clean, then run the line through a clean wet rag, then a dry rag before applying a line dressing.


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## Hogprint (Feb 23, 2020)

lemaymiami said:


> Whenever I read that someone is washing their fly line (or their fly reel...) I expect that they'll soon be reporting troubles of some kind... I never use any form of detergent on a reel (or a fly line) period. Bad things happen as a result... over time. With fishing reels you're removing lubricants (unless you religiously dis-assemble and re-lube afterwards) and with fly lines the post that noted you're removing necessary plasticizers -is right on the money.
> 
> I use my gear a lot more than most recreational types - but not nearly as much as some other guides I know. Here's my routine when my fly gear has been in use for a day or two (or longer if I'm going day after day...). Each rig has the fly line stripped off down to the backing - then everything - rod, reel, and fly line gets a thorough rinsing with the nozzle of the hose set to fan spray (no direct hard spray on any reel...)... If the line is not visibly dirty or sticky it gets wound back on the spool while still wet, the reel's drag is backed off completely and the rig is set in the corner with all my other fly rigs to dry... If the line is visibly dirty or feels sticky -then I use a Scientific Anglers cleaning pad on the wet line and scrub it up and down - then dry it off with a soft cloth. Any time I use the pad it's followed by a drop or two of Scientific Anglers line dressing (pretty much a heavy silicone based formula) on a clean cloth that's carefully rubbed up and down the line to make it slick again. Lastly (and this is the important part...) that fly like is rubbed down with a clean cloth to remove any excess line dressing. Leave too much line dressing and your fly line becomes a dirt and dust magnet... requiring you to clean it much more often than you should have to... That's the heart of the matter... the less you work over your line the longer it lasts until it gets old and you must replace it...
> 
> ...


Does the backing off of the drag apply to cork drags only or the whole enchilada of reel drags? Thanks in advance for the gouge.


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## Adamfishes (7 mo ago)

anyone use that silicone spray on the guides?


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## b gee (Apr 9, 2021)

My lines tend to get sticky when I cast them on the lawn. I just pull it through a soft cloth with some of this (https://www.basspro.com/shop/en/scientific-anglers-fly-line-cleaner) a few times and have never had a problem once the line stops leaving any dirt behind...


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## Snookicide (Oct 16, 2019)

Hogprint said:


> Does the backing off of the drag apply to cork drags only or the whole enchilada of reel drags? Thanks in advance for the gouge.


Yes. It absolutely does, especially with cork. Cork is a soft material that can compress over time. Look at it this way with any of the soft drag material, if it starts out at a quarter (1/4) inch think and is constantly compressed over time and that piece becomes seven thirty seconds (7/32) inch thick your drag will not function as it was designed to. Today’s reels (even the older Fin Nor reels) are designed to very tight tolerances and minute changes will likely cause failure at some point. As a side note, I have 25-30 year old cork drag reels that are still in service with their original cork drags. Some of my old Fin Nor spinning reels with cork drags used to see around 200 days a year on the water for the first 5 or six years of service. These reels are still in use each trip, although sadly I am no where near that many days on the water anymore. 

Back off your drags every trip, even the washer stacked ones.


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## Fliesbynight (Mar 23, 2020)

Snookicide said:


> Back off your drags every trip, even the washer stacked ones.


100% spot on here. Back off the drag every time you are done fishing for more than an hour, even if you are going back at it once the tide changes (or you swallow that sammich and beer).

I also find it make me more mindful of my drag setting. By having to reset it every time I go out, I am making myself think about what I am fishing for and setting the drag appropriately instead of hoping the drag from last time will be appropriate this time.


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## Shakeyfly13 (Apr 10, 2013)

After fishing saltwater, I rinse off the reels in the bathtub or sink with cold water, and remove the spool and let it airdry. The silicon spray is great when you're out on the water and it doesn't take much. I saw the same video and gave it a shot and was blown away by the different. 

I take my rods in the shower with me after fishing salt and then them rinse in the corner.


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## Adamfishes (7 mo ago)

Shakeyfly13 said:


> After fishing saltwater, I rinse off the reels in the bathtub or sink with cold water, and remove the spool and let it airdry. The silicon spray is great when you're out on the water and it doesn't take much. I saw the same video and gave it a shot and was blown away by the different.
> 
> I take my rods in the shower with me after fishing salt and then them rinse in the corner.


The silicone spray really is awesome. Though it does make the line a bit slippery to the touch.


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## Shakeyfly13 (Apr 10, 2013)

Adamfishes said:


> The silicone spray really is awesome. Though it does make the line a bit slippery to the touch.


I used to never clean my lines. I was normally just Freshwater, but Saltwater was different. When I started to clean my lines with the old Sci Ang stuff, it was like using a brand new fly line. When I saw this video, it was so simple, didn't require pulling off all the line etc. It just worked.


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## Adamfishes (7 mo ago)

Shakeyfly13 said:


> I used to never clean my lines. I was normally just Freshwater, but Saltwater was different. When I started to clean my lines with the old Sci Ang stuff, it was like using a brand new fly line. When I saw this video, it was so simple, didn't require pulling off all the line etc. It just worked.


work smarter not harder!


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## johnnywoods (Jan 13, 2020)

A lot of comments are saying that car soap shouldn’t be used because it is harsh. It’s the exact opposite. It’s actually more gentle which is why it’s used in car finishes. Car washing detergent and soaps is what’s recommended when using it through pumps or anything that has gaskets because the soap won’t dry it out because of the PH.

Dawn or dishwashing soap is what’s not good for your lines. A dab of car soap or other mild soaps in hot water will help break down the salt crystals that form when the water evaporates from the line. Then rinse reel and line in fresh water then pull the line through a cloth of some sort, shirt or towel, then let it all sit out to dry or run the line through a dry towel as you reel it in. Dress the line for next time, if that’s your thing.

Clean your line when it needs it. I’ve fished places where my line is left filthy so I clean it afterwards, whereas fishing the same place sometimes doesn’t visibly dirty up my line, so I don’t clean it. Probably not needed to clean the line after every outing. At most, after every outing, run the line through a damp towel and reel it back in.


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## TheHawk (Aug 9, 2017)

X2 recommendation for food grade silicon spray.


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## Clamfoot (Jun 21, 2021)

TheHawk said:


> X2 recommendation for food grade silicon spray.


no need to overspray.


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## AlbieFly (5 mo ago)

When I reel up after my last cast, I’ll try and take my shirt or a cloth and run the line through it as it gets back on my spool


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