How long....

[Darian]

can we reasonably expect fly lines to last and should we care??

In another thread, Tony raised an interesting concern that impacts we who fish in saltwater more so than fresh but both should/need to know when they buy a line just how long it will last. Given how many profiles, densities, lengths and the price of lines are these days it seems like we should take this into account when buying lines.

To me, a basic list of the elements needed to answer the question might be (1) being able to find out what the "shelf life" of each brand is, (2) which material is used to cover the core (vinyl/urethane), (3) what material is used to make (braided/straight mono) and (4) whether the covering is smooth, ridged or textured. I'm fairly sure that's not a complete list of info needed.

The first thing to find out would be how long is the "shelf life" of each brand line?? Not a real case but if the "shelf Life" of a particular line is 7 years from manufacture to sale and it's been sitting in inventory for 3 years, it should produce 4 years of use, depending on how strenuous. Altho "shelf life" is not easily determined, the other elements listed are usually printed on the packaging.

I once bought an Airflo, ridged running line for use with a shooting head at La Ventana. During the first day of the trip, while casting the line parted midway. When I returned, I called the vendor and was told that the useful life for that particular line was 4 years (I haven't purchased another Airflo, ridged line since). Not sure whether the vendor meant to say "shelf life" or not but there's a difference between "shelf life" and useful life.

I've seen lines in some shops remain on the shelf for many years before being moved to the "sale bin". That's where I buy my lines for Bass/sunnies, etc. For salty type fishing, I buy off the shelf. So, do any of you have any ideas on this????

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

I have seen old lightly used Cortland 444 Peach lines that were 30 years old and kept in the house in a closet that were almost like new.

Those old SA lines seem to dry out sooner.


The strength of the core might be an issue after 10 years for big game fish.

If the surface gets rough and/or cracked it all over.


That said, getting a new fly line is always a good idea especially for a good grip.

.

[Baja Fly Fisher]

A few years ago, I have a couple OBS's go back. They had a number of cracks and the coating came completely off. I sent them back to RIO and I also talked with Simon on the life expectancy of a line. He told me at that time a line with constant use and abuse
would probably last around 450 hours. Well, I don't think I got that many hours on the line but abuse? You know when your fishing from a panga, you step on it, wrap it around the engine cowling, hook into the big rooster and stretches the line to where it almost breaks, etc. I think I put pretty close to 400 hours on the line. It was used at least 3 years and at least 6 hours per day. At that time, I probably fished 35 days straight. Nowadays a line would last me 15 years. I only fish a few hours in the 10 to 12 weeks I'm in Baja. Although this year, I bought a new supply of lines for Christmas Island. We'll see how long they last.

[Darian]

So, under circumstances like a dark, cool environment the shelf life of older Cortland lines could be very lengthy; same for other brands???. For other brands we haven't much info. Jay reports that RIO considers the life of one of their lines to be around 450 hours with constant use and abuse. I don't have any older RIO lines to judge by but it might reasonable to to expect a lengthy shelf life for their lines as well.

I've had older SA lines that deteriorated while not in use and don't often buy them. That's probably not fair as they've undoubtedly improved their product line since then.

So, how long do fly lines remain in inventory at point of manufacture before sending to fly shops before purchase??? How long do they remain in inventory at the shop??? Is a date of manufacture available or printed on the packaging?? That would certainly help with the "shelf life" concern. Altho, I'm not sure whether that's important now that we know the 450 hour figure....

[kylgrn]

The ONLY thing that has "ruined" one of my fly lines, in all the lines I've bought in the last 12 years, is pinching the line to string it through the guides on the rod.

After 4 years or so of doing that the fly line cracked around that area and just kind of grew from there. It was still usable, but the only thing I can remember damaging my fly line.

[Darian]

That comes under the heading of use and/or abuse. I'd bet the majority of us use that method to string a rod. In the case of a floating line, it'd become a major issue over time, converting it to a sink-tip.

After thinking about it, I do have a RIO, Outbound Short, Clear tip, WF-F/I line that the running line portion has begun to separate from the core on. The line only has about 5 weeks, 6 hours daily, total time in the salt over a 5 year period. Lots of wear/tear from the salt and strong pullers. That's a total of 150 hours heavy usage. The line has been cleaned/prepped after each trip.

So far, "shelf life" doesn't appear to be a factor to consider in buying lines from the major brands. Most fly shops have air conditioned spaces, lines remain packaged until sale.

[Tony Buzolich]

When I started this question about the age of lines I failed to mention that I almost never use floating lines of which these are. Upon returning from Belize twenty plus years ago I cleaned and washed the lines and then coated them with "Glide". Remember that stuff? Kind of like a thick Armor-All that put a protectant on the coating. Since then they've been stored in my closet without exposure to light or dust.

I'm sure this has aided in the longevity of these lines.

Now, having said that, I just returned from Kiene's and purchased a new RIO 12 WF Quickshooter for those Christmas Island GT's :)

Tony

[Darian]

Tony,.... Will the older lines still float???

[Tony Buzolich]

???? They float on the lawn fine ??? :) Tony