For those of you who have asked (line topic)

[new2BC4bass]

"Is my line still good? I spooled XYZ on it last year. Fished maybe a half dozen times."

Well...I went out fishing last night with a rod that has been sitting for 23 years. The line on it was already on the reel when I moved here 25 years ago. It has 10 lb. test line on it. Most likely Trilene although Maxima is a faint possibility.

Got snagged on the river bottom. Wrapped a stick around the line a couple times and straightened out a heavy gauge #4 hook.

So yeah, I think you are safe using that one year (or 2-3-4 year) old line. ;D

It does have some line memory to contend with, but some of that got removed last night.

[Sam]

You are taking a chance of having the line snap due to nicks and cuts you cannot see.

Run your thumbnail along the line from the bait up about six feet to see if there are any nicks or cuts.

If you feel any, remove the line from that point down to the hook.

You are taking a chance on old line.

If your drag is too tight; if the fish runs against any structure; or if the line has a cut or nick in it you will lose the fish.

But keep on using it until it runs out.  ;D   ;D   ;D

[BassinTx]

I have decided that it depends on what kind of fisherman you are. If you are just an occasional weekend fisherman that just fishes to have fun then that same ol' line that you have had on for a few years is probably fine. But if you are a tournament fisherman you have to figure out which means more to you saving money and keeping the same ol' line on and taking that chance of losing that 1st place bass or winning your money back after you land that 1st place bass?

[Grey Wolf]

There are exceptions to every rule.

[new2BC4bass]

You are taking a chance of having the line snap due to nicks and cuts you cannot see.

Run your thumbnail along the line from the bait up about six feet to see if there are any nicks or cuts.

If you feel any, remove the line from that point down to the hook.

;D ;D ;D

True. I would do this if I had put the line on that morning. ;D I thought everyone checked for nicks and abrasions on their line.

[new2BC4bass]

I have decided that it depends on what kind of fisherman you are. If you are just an occasional weekend fisherman that just fishes to have fun then that same ol' line that you have had on for a few years is probably fine. But if you are a tournament fisherman you have to figure out which means more to you saving money and keeping the same ol' line on and taking that chance of losing that 1st place bass or winning your money back after you land that 1st place bass?

Unfortunately I fall into the occasional weekend fisherman group. I assume a person asking such a question would also fall into that category. For what it's worth, this line will be replaced as I feel 10 lb. is too heavy on this rod. Also it will be regulated to live bait only from now on.

I switched to 10 lb. on this rod many many years ago after snapping off a few lures with 4 lb. line.  Now I have baitcasting rods/reels for all my artificial lures.

[new2BC4bass]

There are exceptions to every rule.

Also true. I've read many posts extolling the virtues of Yo-Zuri line. I've also read several posts from guys who spooled up with this brand and then had several break-offs the first time out.

Was just reading a review of a FC line where it broke easily if there was any objects around that caused any abrasion to the line. Brand new line. :

However, even when I was a teenager and fishing much more than I do now, I never had to change line because it was 'too old'. My biggest fish was a 35 pound carp caught on 8 lb. test line that was several years old. Seem to recall taking about 25 minutes to land it.

[Senkoman12]

i am a tournament angler and i change my mono every year but ill use braid for 2-3 years before changing

[Raul]

How good is your line after a while, specially nylon line, depends on many factors, most have to do with the storage conditions either on line spools or line already spooled in a reel. Nylon line stored in a cool, dry, dark place lasts many years, I know it because normally I purchase bulk spools ( 1000+ yards ). Extreme dry conditions, exposure to UV light, exposure to heat weakens a lot nylon line, such thing is true either for spools as it is for lines already spooled in a reel.

Let me put you an example, I purchased by mistake 6 or 7 years ago a 6,000 yd bulk spool of 10 lbs Trilene Big Game, even though I change line with relative frequency 6,000 yards is a huge bunch of line, since I 've got so much I not only spool my reels but my compadre 's reels and several of my friends ' reels. One day I spooled a couple of Pedro 's spinning reels, two months later he complained that the line broke easily, about the same time I spooled some of my reels with that same line, I didn 't complained about the line, on the contrary, so why the difference in performance ? to make the story short, as soon as I get home I clean my gear and store it in a cool, dry, dark place, the same place where I store bulk spools, my friend Pedro doesn 't do such thing, so in a matter of 60 days the line in his reels degraded while mine didn 't.

I must say, besides storgae conditions there are other things like the ones already mentioned, line is cheap, so if you are not shure how it was stored or how much it has suffered then change the line.

[David P]

Line is the single most important factor when fishing. Nice rods and reels help, but line is a necessity. If your rod or reel breaks while fighting a fish, you still have a chance to hand reel the fish in. If the line breaks, you're done. Don't see why it's worth even taking a chance to save $10-$20 and potentially losing the fish of a life time.

There's a reason there's so many "The one that got away" stories.