what is best for cleaning fly line

[dustponds10]

Well, I am wanting to clean my fly line and I see alot of products out there but before I buy one I want to know what everyone has had good luck with. Also if there is a home made cleaner that you use please feel free to post. Thanks

 

[fredaevans]

For starters, this may help.

Cleaning Your Fly Line.

 

[Jackster]

What type of line is it that you want to clean?
For the better S.A. and Rio lines, the S.A./3M cleaning pads work great. They take a minute layer of finish off and expose a brand new, slick surface. For those lines (S.A. with AST, Rio with XS) the dry, slick finish you get is all you need, really. Being dry it doesn't collect dirt and pond scum as much as some treatments either.
If your line is stained or hasn't been treated in a while, if ever, running them through a clean towel with warm, soapy water a few times then rinse with clen water. Use soap and not detergent, detergent can leach the plasticizors (I use and was recommended Ivory bar soap)
If all else fails, simply use what the manufacturer recommends. It really doesn't cost that much and goes a long, long way.
I used to dump the line in a sink or tub to clean but got frustrated with the snags and snarls I always seemed to get. Now I pace an area stripping off line and laying it on the floor. I usually use up two rooms and a hallway, I then run the line through the cloths while walking the length of the line. No snags and it gives the line a chance to relax and uncoil. Just be sure the cats are locked in another room!

As for Armorall, it's not worth the risk. From everything I'm told and have read, not only is it water soluable and does not last long on the line, it isn't formulated for fly lines and several people have said it ruined their fly line. It's funny how in the link Freda provided that guys friend in Vancouver 'invented' using Armorall. Yeah.... him and 10,000 other people who didn't have anything else handy! :grin:

 

[dustponds10]

Awesome information. Thaks all, I think I am going to try and use the Ivory soap first becaue I can use it for more then just fly line. Thanks all. I appericate it. It wasnt til after I read some of the replies that I learned that my question was quite vague. Sorry, I was talking about Floating line. Thanks again.

 

[HELLFIGHTER5308]

I read somewhere that Pledge furniture polish worked well. Is there any truth to that? Can anyone verify this?

 

[caseywise]

give armor-all a try..... will clean your line and lube it as well


casey

 

[gt05254]

For floating lines:

I fill one 5 gal. bucket with warm soapy water, another with clear water. Strip fly line off into warm soapy water in big coils. Let sit a few minutes. Use soft towel, old sock, whatever, and strip the line through the cloth into the clear water bucket. On a clean floor, newspaper, whatever, strip the line out of the clear water bucket, wiping again as you go, onto the floor. Now, take yer bottle of Rio Agent X fly line cleaner and soak a sock or whatever with it. For this step it helps to have a peg on the wall or some other way to hang the line in coils. So, strip the line up off the floor, through the Agent X sock and loop it onto the peg/whatever. Let it sit for 24 hours. If the season is still on, back onto the reel it goes. If not, store in a warm dark place until the coming season.

I actually jumped through all these hoops before my September trip to the Miramichi... Awesome results for floating lines.

I have always...and likely always will..steer clear of automotive or any other product not specifically intended for fly lines.

A clean fly line is a happy fly line!
Gary

 

[mojo]

give armor-all a try..... will clean your line and lube it as well


casey

The Armorall debate has been going on for quite a while. From Simon Gawesworth. Yes it says Rio Products, but pvc is pvc.
How best to treat Rio Lines? What do you personally use (silicone spray? Armorall?)

"Never, ever use Armorall on a PVC fly line. It breaks down the bond and results in very poor durability. The line will dry out and harden with constant use of Armorall. We recommend a mild soapy water with a flannel to clean the line, then if you want to re-lubricate it, apply a 100% silicone, though very lightly. All PVC fly lines use silicone as a lubricant, so it is best to use the base ingredient to prolong the line's life."

 

[Ard]

I seldom have dirt issues but occasionally there is a flotation problem. This can be trouble plenty when casting with the two hand rod and a long line. If the line will not stay on the surface while you get ready to shoot it back to the target zone the cast will end up in a pile.

Thursday morning I had to stop fishing and take measures to get the line back in form. 'Old School here', I pulled out the whole 55' head and about 10' of running line, dried it by pulling through wool glove a few times then gave a good coat of Mucilin. Problem solved and the line was a pleasure to use after that.

Mucilin,

Ard

 

[Jackster]

gave a good coat of Mucilin.

Mucilin,

Ard

The green tin of Mucilin is silicone based, is this what you used or the red?

 

[silver creek]

The green tin of Mucilin is silicone based, is this what you used or the red?

Jackster raises an important point. One should never use any silicon based line treatment when that line is used on a bamboo rod. Silicone is very difficult to remove and refinishing the rod will be a horror show. The rod coating will bead rather than coat. So use the Red Mucilin with bamboo.

I also recommend not using Armor All or any of the auto dashboard treatments. Use products specifically designed for fly line.

Modern fly lines are self lubricating but they do get dirty, Soap and water will clean off the dirt.

Older fly lines do need line treatments. I still use some 333's and 444's that do better with Russ Peak's line dressing, Sci Anglers line dressing, and Zipcast.

 

[Ard]

Hi Jack & Silver,

I haven't had a 'tin' for over 20 years and now wish I had kept some of the old style containers. The lids on the plastic jobs seems always to come off while it is in my tackle bag. I have always used the original red label product and regardless of what age of lines I applied it to it always seems to work. I remember buying a green label when they came out with it but don't recall why I didn't like it, gave it to another fellow and stayed the course. If you happen to have a bunch of tins lying about I would love to have one

 

[Jackster]

Zipcast.

I remember when this stuff was all the rage. I tried it and found it to be just a tad more effective than plain water. It did leave a swath of dirt on the cleaning cloth I used it with but then so did plain water. It did seem to leave a bit more slickness but again, a very short-lived slickness especially considering the price and some very good, time proven alternatives.