It's Time To Change Your Line!!!!

[IneedAnewScreenName-983750]

I hear many people ask me when to change their line. Some fisherman tell me they keep the same line on their reel for the whole season. Here's some of the issues with people who fish floro:
-depending on water clarity, your line is getting stained.
-each trip adds to the color change of your line.
-you could get unforeseen Knicks in your line
-storing a tight spool on line on your pole in your hot garage can warp the line.
-ext.

Ever restring you pole and see a major knick you didn't know about. I bet you freaked. Ever have days you get skunked and wonder why? We spend to much money to get skunked.

So here's what you do after each trip.... Primarily for floro.
-unspool 10-15 feet of line and cut it off with clippers.
-cut more if necessary.

If you spool 150-200 yards of line on a pole. That's 20+ trips with a single spool. That's performing at the top of you game with fresh line and you'll loose less fish.

Last tip: always wet your line when you make a knot. Line burns.
 

[Catch and Grease]

You say its 20+ trips on a spool but your spool is gonna get low very quick cutting off 15 yards every trip... Then you have to put on more backing and that's tedious.

I use braid and it last forever and then some haha I just check the line for Knicks every so many cast

[IneedAnewScreenName-983750]

I said 15-20 feet of line. Yards would be three times that. That would be way to much lol. Though braid is a heel of a lot stronger. I would at least cut 6 feet. Let you lure drop to your reel and cut from 2+ feet. Because your front rod tip puts stress on the line and can't fray it ever slightly. I may be wrong. But I spend too much money to go out and not catch fish because they see my filthy floro. So I cut it each trip.

[Catch and Grease]

I said 15-20 feet of line. Yards would be three times that. That would be way to much lol. Though braid is a heel of a lot stronger. I would at least cut 6 feet. Let you lure drop to your reel and cut from 2+ feet. Because your front rod tip puts stress on the line and can't fray it ever slightly. I may be wrong. But I spend too much money to go out and not catch fish because they see my filthy floro. So I cut it each trip.

Oh my mistake I misread your post! Once the end of my line get frayed a good bit I'll chop off a couple feet too

[buzzed bait]

that's overkill.  just like catch and grease says, you check it every few casts and re-tie as needed.

[IneedAnewScreenName-983750]

My post primarily is focused on floro, not braid. I primarily fish murky water and I find my floro gets a brown or green tint after a good long day. Not to mention I often cast by docks and brush. The tip of those docks and cover is often hot metal and can fringe my ling. It all depends on where YOU individually fish. I say better safe than sorry. I don't want to be the guy to loose my 10-15lb lunker because of my line. Or better yet have the lunker not even bite because he sees my dirty floro.

[CKFishin]

Putting 150-200 yards of FC on a reel is more wasteful... Use Backing and you will save more than anything and your line will cycle out enough...

[IneedAnewScreenName-983750]

I feel stupid. What's backing?

[Catch and Grease]

I feel stupid. What's backing?

Backing is when you go to the store and buy something like a bulk spool of really cheap mono that's junk and fill your spool halfway or more then tie that to your good line and fill the rest of your spool up. Thus saving you money by using less of the good line!

[lectricbassman]

Any recommendations on backing a spinning reel? I have recently done this but find that after time the knot that i tied the lines together with moves up in the spool of line. When i go to cast the line gets hung on the knot and stops my cast dead midflight. I thought of putting a piece of tape over the spool where the knot is and where the good line starts. any tips?

[rippin-lips]

If you are hitting your connecting knot then you either have too much backing or your low on your good line. My guess is #1 because you shouldn't be seeing your knot on a cast.

[SirSnookalot]

Putting 150-200 yards of FC on a reel is more wasteful... Use Backing and you will save more than anything and your line will cycle out enough...

I don't see much of a reason to use anything but a f/c leader, why I would need 200 yds of it is a mystery to me.

 

Any recommendations on backing a spinning reel? I have recently done this but find that after time the knot that i tied the lines together with moves up in the spool of line. When i go to cast the line gets hung on the knot and stops my cast dead midflight. I thought of putting a piece of tape over the spool where the knot is and where the good line starts. any tips?

I don't use backing but I do add to my existing braid.  I get a lot of wind knots in freshwater, sometimes I have to cut them out.  When I get a bit low on line, like you sometimes when casting the line does get hung up on the connecting knot.  I pretty much just accept it.  I do believe my wind knots are caused when using lighter lures or a loop may form, heavier lures the knots don't seem to happen.

[WIGuide]

 I spend too much money to go out and not catch fish because they see my filthy floro. So I cut it each trip.

I'm getting the feeling that your "filthy fluoro" has nothing to do with why you're getting skunked. Especially since you say you're fishing dirty or stained water which limits the fish's visibility anyway. If anything your dirty line would be more of a camo. I use fluoro on most of my setups and I've never had an issue with it. I only cut off line if needed. If you want to save money then use backing. 

[Fisher-O-men]

I feel stupid. What's backing?

Backing is what line manufacturers hate!

[mjseverson24]

why use floro in dirty water anyway... if you need abrasion resistance use a good mono or co-poly... Floro excels in clear water situations and or in very high pressured systems with moderate clarity...

 

Mitch 

[*Hootie]

why use floro in dirty water anyway... if you need abrasion resistance use a good mono or co-poly...

Mitch

Hmmm...this seems like a valid question. Valid answer....anyone?

Hootie

[buzzed bait]

Hmmm...this seems like a valid question. Valid answer....anyone?

Hootie

 

i'd say simply for the sinking factor of the flouro....  while i personally think that is a microscopic difference, it's the valid one that comes to mind.

[J Francho]

Hmmm...this seems like a valid question. Valid answer....anyone?

Hootie

Because it's already on my reel.

[mjseverson24]

Because it's already on my reel.

That is the only reason I use it in stained-dirty water...

 

Mitch

[ColdSVT]

Line advice from someone who doesnt know what backing is?

Lol

[Fishes in trees]

I've looked at this post a few times and now I can't shut up.  To the original poster - please - you've posted a half a dozen times and now you're going to lecture the masses about  how & when to change your line.

Really??

 

The bottom line is you change your line when you (a) - got to  . . . .   (  - need to   . . . .   © -  feel like it.

If you're fishing dingy water with fluorocarbon and after a while you feel like you've got to change your line - that's on you.

 

I change my line whenever - based on the conditions that I fish in - and  that's my decision based on current conditions and current budgets.. If you feel you've got to lecture someone on when & where to change line - well, maybe someone else will listen.   JMO