HOW LONG SHOULD A FLY LINE LAST?

[PennypackFlyer]

I am think about the life of a fly line. Normally I will replace mine every two years sometimes sooner. Alot depends on the quality of the flyline and keeping it cleaned and lub'd.

What are your thoughts on this subject?

 

[MKern]

I think a lot depends on your style of fishing. I have had lines last close to ten years without too much decrease in performance.

 

[springer1]

I'd say it depends mainly on how many times you step on it ... and then somewhat on if you clean it every once in a while.

 

[JG63]

Buy a whole bunch of em in different weights/densities etc to cover the whole water column then don't fish any of em as they sit on their respective closed out spools/reels. It's what I did! They last for years and years. I got 20 year old air cell supremes, air cell ultras, Mastery Trout, mastery salt slime lines, full uniform sinks, sink tips, Cortland 444, 333, and 555 clear. Most of em fish just fine when they see the light of day. Currently using 6 year old shark skins for most work. With a little maintenance (cleaning with mild soap/water) after use, they will last for a long time. Stepping on them and grinding into mud isn't good - I usually stretch them slightly before use.

 

[lestrout]

I track the ffishing hours I put on each of my lines. I think in terms of the usable taper, as opposed to the whole line. So for a double taper, I have gotten 100 (Masterline Chalkstream) to several hundred (Cortland 444) before I have to turn them around. I have an old AirFlo that looks more durable than the 444s. Some of the newer models strike me also as maybe more long lasting too, but I don't have enough hours on them to know yet.

I've played with using the back end of WF lines, that is, the running line, for close in work for my 1-3 wt rods. Of course I had to mess with adjusting leader butts and the leaders themselves to provide some semblance of an overall taper. When the end wears down, snip it off and reattach the leader. This way, I figure I can get thousands of hours out of the line.

I haven't put enough hours on any of my silks to know their longevities, but I'm expecting those to go thousands of hours.

Since I have a couple of hundred lines left, I need to keep working real hard at using them up. Tough work, but somebody has to do it.

 

[dubthethorax]

I fish 150-200 times a year. On my go-to rods, I put new line on every year.

 

[greenghost]

I buy Cortland 333 and 444. My double tapers last 3 years (sometimes 4) because I flip them. My weight forwards, typically 2 years. I go fishing more than 30 times a year, usually. How do I know when to flip or replace? I watch for fine cracks across the diameter of the line. I do clean after each outing using the Cortland pads, and once in-season with soap and water.

 

[dryflyguy]

I usually get 2 years out of a WF line - or 4 years out of a DT after flipping it.
However, I have a WF ridge line that is on it's 5th season right now - and doesn't have a single crack in it yet. That's the longest I've ever had a line last by far.

 

[Chaz]

On the low side I've had them last a year, on the high side I've had them last a long time (never used) for years.