cleaning fly line

[Pap]

Would the use of “Armor All” harm a fly line? I know it’s use is for cars but I was curious.
Thanks for any response you might have.
Pap

 

[gochs]

found this online

 

[WildTigerTrout]

I did use it one time but I think I would restrict it's use to shining tires. Buy some fly line cleaner. It really is inexpensive. I use Cortland's XL. Other companies make it as well.

 

[turkey]

I usually soak my lines in warm water with a little Ivory dishsoap, rinse, dry, apply 3M line dressing and wind back onto the spool. I know of guys that have used Armor All and some STP protectant, but all of the major line manufacturers discourage this. The phrase "deplasticizes the line" comes to mind...

I'm not saying those protectants don't work.I'm saying 'I don't know". I use Armor All on my boot foot neoprene winter waders. I know that the same manufacturers also want you to buy their brand cleaners and dressings. Fly lines cost a lot and I don't want to dress them with anything that I'm not sure of.

 

[Pap]

That is very interesting! The reason I asked was because someone I know claimed it wouldn’t damage the line. I knew about washing the line in dish soap but wondered what the line cleaner sold was made of.
Thanks for the response.
Pap

 

[Pap]

Thanks for responding everyone!
Pap

 

[evw659]

for what its worth, i was told by RIO's customer service rep. to clean fly line by using room temperature water and dawn soap. havent tried it yet but seems simple........

 

[turkey]

evw659 wrote:
for what its worth, i was told by RIO's customer service rep. to clean fly line by using room temperature water and dawn soap. havent tried it yet but seems simple........

huh...interesting. I can't remember where I heard to use Ivory, but the reason was that Ivory doesn't contain phosphate and has biodegradable components.

 

[gfen]

Dawn will eat the finish right off an antique Medalist, FWIW.

Zipcast is the bee's knees for cleaning lines, shame I'm too cheap to pay for shipping. I've been working through a bottle of Cortland XL for a long time now, alogn with dish soap and warm water.

 

[tennjed]

The first Airflo line I got a few years ago had care instructions included that said wash with warm soapy water, dry, and then Armor All. Now, the Airflo line I got this spring didn't have those directions. I guess since they're not made from PVC like most lines they figured it would work. Never tried it.

Zipcast is pretty good stuff. Doesn't last long, but it really does make lines slick.

 

[afishinado]

I used ArmorAll on my fly lines and it ruined several of them. One brand new line began to crack after a few weeks, another one turned to jello. Interestingly, the other lines were fine. They were all different brands and I don't recall which is which. Anyway, to me, using ArmorAll on fly lines is like playing Russian roulette with them.

 

[Chaz]

I fish with a very well know outdoor writer that uses Armoural to clean his fly lines all the time. I'm not convinced that it beats a god strong dish detergent, which is what I use.

 

[wsender]

Cleaning A Fly Line - Part 1 from Sol Duc Buck on Vimeo.

Cleaning A Fly Line - Part 2 from Sol Duc Buck on Vimeo.

Two good videos from Rio on cleaning line. Check them out.

 

[Pap]

Thanks for that information!
Pap

 

[nymphingmaniac]

This has been debated for years and I don't know what the right answer is. I use warm soapy water with minimal use of dressing.
Lately, I carry a microfiber cloth with me, wet it down with my water bottle and pull my line through at as I am packing up at the end of every trip. It removes the dirt and I hypothesize the purified water actually removes the very heavy water found in spring creeks. I actually wonder if allowing the line to dry with creek water on the line causes the lime/scale to build up in the micropores of the line. IDK though
One thing i can tell you is that you should avoid Rain-X. The alcohol (ethanol) base that dissolves the silconizing agent is terrible on PVC. But, then again, would a brief exposure really hurt?

 

[dryflyguy]

I tried armor all many years ago, and it definitely seemed to shorten the life of my fly lines.
Then I started to used a product called glide. It worked pretty well, but thought it to be a little pricey.
Lately, I've been using cortland XL - and think it works fine.
I clean a line with it, and it's good for at least a weeks worth of hard fishing

 

[auriemma]

I just picked up some fly line cleaner at ****s. My buddy at work keeps telling me to clean my line before and after every outing and it will keep the line supple and moving freely thru the guides.

While I can understand his thinking, is that too much?

 

[DaveKile]

Found this for you guys on and added it to the blog about fly line cleaning:

http://www.paflyfish.com/smartsection.item.227/rio.html

 

[wsender]

Hey Dave,

Isn't that the same video I posted a few posts back? ;-)

 

[jdaddy]

auriemma wrote:
I just picked up some fly line cleaner at ****s. My buddy at work keeps telling me to clean my line before and after every outing and it will keep the line supple and moving freely thru the guides.

While I can understand his thinking, is that too much?

Yes it is. How much do you value your time? I know people who clean all their line and respool it after every outing. These are people whose time is worthless. I fish almost daily. If you figure as little as five minutes to clean your line, even at a rate of $30 per hour, you could replace your line a couple times a year for less cost. If you don't value your time, I would suggest cleaning it hourly.