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Line Longevity

N

Neil Watson

Senior Member
Hi

Does anyone have any idea al how long fishing line lasts before it needs replacing. The are some articles, on the Internet, that suggest that fishing line starts to degrade and should be replaced every two years.
 
Depends on how much UV exposure it receives. Boxed and unused it will last a lifetime, left in the sun it will degrade ....but very slowly (years). Dark line will degrade faster than lighter coloured line. The only true answer is : test it (and best comparing it to the strength you found it to be when you first bought it).
N.b.. the line that's deepest on your reel spoon with have been exposed to less UV, and the factor that's most likely to reduce line strength is abrasion. So check the last 5m of your line regularly for nicks/lack of smoothness, and, say, strip off 2m of line after every session.
 
Terry Simner said:
Depends on how much UV exposure it receives. Boxed and unused it will last a lifetime, left in the sun it will degrade ....but very slowly (years). Dark line will degrade faster than lighter coloured line. The only true answer is : test it (and best comparing it to the strength you found it to be when you first bought it).
N.b.. the line that's deepest on your reel spoon with have been exposed to less UV, and the factor that's most likely to reduce line strength is abrasion. So check the last 5m of your line regularly for nicks/lack of smoothness, and, say, strip off 2m of line after every session.
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I store my bulk spools so that are not exposed to light. Thanks for your post👍
 
If we are talking on the reel, I change it after every few sessions, as I’m paranoid of it getting damaged on snags, rocks etc. I always use cheap backing line on the spool, so I never add more than 100 ME max of my main line. When you consider a bulk spool contains 1200 ME, its not a big financial outlay to replace it regularly. Also when only putting 45 - 50 ME on my Barbel pins, the bulk spool lasts forever.

I’m forever haunted following a 3 day session on the Wye, where I caught a lot of Barbel. 12lb mainline and the following week, I did a session on the Dove, where I was playing a right lump, before the line unexpectedly parted between rod tip and lead. I was totally gutted, as it was a serious fish! ☹️
 
Don't forget , you can always reverse it before replacing, just empty one spool on to a 2ft winder, then wind on some backing on your spool that you want to refill up to the brim.
Wind that back on to your empty spool, then add a similar amount of backing to that spool and wind the line on your l2ft winder back on. Don't forget to reverse it on the winder tho , or just walk it out round the garden.
2 new spools of line!!.
Phew, what an effort tho eh?.

I just use braid now...
 
Jim Gregory said:
Don't forget , you can always reverse it before replacing, just empty one spool on to a 2ft winder, then wind on some backing on your spool that you want to refill up to the brim.
Wind that back on to your empty spool, then add a similar amount of backing to that spool and wind the line on your l2ft winder back on. Don't forget to reverse it on the winder tho , or just walk it out round the garden.
2 new spools of line!!.
Phew, what an effort tho eh?.

I just use braid now...
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Or, 3 reels if you don’t have an empty spare spool
 
I remove my line after every session when using my centrepin reel.
I usually spool up about a hundred yards of line on a reel for a session. Because I use bulk spools of sensor costing about 11 quid the price of a hundred yards of line is a few pence, so negligable.
On a good days fishing my line gets hammered due to the rocks etc, and very often some quite long trotts means there can be damage right down the line.
Appart from not wanting to risk the loss of any fish next time out, it' nice to trott line off a freshly spooled reel.
 
And that's mostly why I use braid , I can get 300 yds, on my pin and I strip no more than 5m,,, if I've encountered some abrasive elements.. Im still using the same for 4yrs now and I know I've only stripped approximately 45 m , so have probably another 7yrs to go.
I really think most are afraid for a better word, of using braid , thinking it's abrasion resistance is very poor.
But if you are serious about using braids for float work, or indeed ledgering.
There are some exceptional braids available at the mo..
The ones I use are mega abrasion resistant, and cut through wind and water the same rate as any mono available today..
If you want some information on spooling up , just pm me and I'll gladly advise.
 
I tried using various braids numerous times many years ago, power pro was my preferred braid.
I dislike braid for trotting a float, it has to many downsides....horrific noise when going back and forth through the guides, not as tough as mono when grated on rocks whilst under pressure, seems to sink after a spell during use, cuts my hands when casting etc...so mono for me by a country mile.
 
I think if we're talking on the reel lifespan every year is a good general guide I feel. I also strip off yards off line from time to time if I feel any slight damage or just feel like getting back to some "fresher" line up the spool for my own peace of mind. Generally I found any weakness occurs in the last few yards. I also find cleaning the last few inches of line will clear any abrasive particles that can surprisingly reduce knot strength, generally resulting in an easy break when testing the knot.
 
Stuart Linton said:
I think if we're talking on the reel lifespan every year is a good general guide I feel. I also strip off yards off line from time to time if I feel any slight damage or just feel like getting back to some "fresher" line up the spool for my own peace of mind. Generally I found any weakness occurs in the last few yards. I also find cleaning the last few inches of line will clear any abrasive particles that can surprisingly reduce knot strength, generally resulting in an easy break when testing the knot.
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The point if this post is not about reel lifespan. Most change anglers change there line annually. It's about long does a bulk spool last when stored.
 
Richard Isaacs said:
I never knew that.
Very interesting information.
What’s the reason please Terry?
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Dark/black absorbs more light ...white/silver reflects more, Rich. But then, if you'd got clear line on a spoon, any (potentially damaging) rays would penetrate deeper into the layers of wound on line. Perspex sure doesn't like UV!
 
Neil Watson said:
The point if this post is not about reel lifespan. Most change anglers change there line annually. It's about long does a bulk spool last when stored.
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As I said earlier Neil ... boxed and unused it'll last a lifetime. Nylon is a highly stable polymer ...but UV (well, any radiation) can chip away at the polymetric chains.
 
I replace the first 150 metres of monofilament line at the start of every species specific season, regardless of previous use. I use two rods (not three) for tench, barbel or pike so replacing it is not a big deal.
 
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