Written by: Tim Linehan, Linehan Outfitting Co.
Spend a few minutes giving your reel and line a tune-up. . .or you might live to regret it.
Photo by Tim Linehan
Recently, I was going through gear in preparation for my first guide trip of the season. As I started pulling line off a reel, I immediately noticed two things. First, the line was filthy and instead of being slick and bright yellow, it was dull and almost gray. Additionally, it didn’t come off the reel smoothly, and I could actually hear grit inside the reel each time I gave the line a pull.
Like tuning skis before you hit the slopes for the first run of the season, it’s easy and important to tweak and prepare your lines and reels before you hit the water to help assure proper performance.
Here are five tips that will help you get your line and reel ready for opening day.
- Check your line for cracks. Fly lines have a life. Depending on how much you fish and the conditions you fish in, your floating line may only last a season. If your line is cracked, it’s time for a new one.
- If your floating line isn’t cracked and is just dirty, clean it. This is easy to do. Strip the line off the reel into a sink of soapy water. Swoosh the line around a bit and manipulate the first thirty feet with your fingers, since that’s likely the dirtiest part of the line. Rinse with fresh water, and pinch the line with a towel to dry it as you reel it up again.
- Treat your line with any variety of products designed to improve performance. You can find line treatment products at your local fly shop.
- Check your reel seat to make sure the screws are tight. Over the course of a season, it’s not uncommon, depending on usage, for a screw to loosen. (This is true of us fly-fishing guides, as well.)
- Remove the spool and check the drag system. Clean all moving parts to help it function smoothly. Use tools like Q-tips, photo cloths, and air canisters (like the one you use to blow off your keyboard) to wipe and remove grit from the spool, inside of the reel, drag gears and system, etc. Be sure to follow manufacturer specifications when disassembling and treating drag systems.
Preparing fly lines and reels before you hit the water for opening day is easy and quick. Clean, slick casting lines and smooth-running drags might make the difference between pinning and landing that big fish. . .or not.
Tim Linehan is the owner of Linehan Outfitting Co. on the Kootenai River in Troy, Montana.
