Monofiliment line questionb..

[IMHB]

The post about the date on Triline Fishing line made me wonder..
QUESTION...is there anything you can apply to monofiliment to make it freshen up a bit.

I saw some stuff at Phil's tackle shop that was from KVD... $10 bucks for 4 ounces.
it said to spray it on the reel spool, full of line, and it would increase casting distance.

Also..... how often do you change your line...that might be the easiest thing to do.

Happy catches to all..

HARRY

[EnonEye]

Jimmy Houston always recommended Reel Magic. It's works great for me too, makes the mono lay limp off the reel. Good thing I showed Jimmee

[CrappiePappy]

The post about the date on Triline Fishing line made me wonder..
QUESTION...is there anything you can apply to monofiliment to make it freshen up a bit.

I saw some stuff at Phil's tackle shop that was from KVD... $10 bucks for 4 ounces.
it said to spray it on the reel spool, full of line, and it would increase casting distance.

Also..... how often do you change your line...that might be the easiest thing to do.

Happy catches to all..

HARRY

KVD's Line Conditioner & Blakemore's Reel Magic are products that make your lines 'slick' ... which may help gain you a few feet/yards on your casts. They are supposed to also "relax" mono line, cutting down on the memory coils ... which would also add to your casting distance, as a limp & straight line will pass thru the guides easier/faster than coiled line.

How often I change out line on a reel, depends on its current condition &/or how much is left on the reel spool (due to breakoffs). Even then, with the exception of the smallest UL's I have, I don't remove ALL of the old line & replace it with new. I will gauge how many times I've fished with that reel, how much line I've lost off of it, how long a stretch of line I'm most likely to ever have out ... and basically double that length in my mind, and guesstimate how much (what %) of the old line to remove, then tie the new line to the remaining old line & fill the spool back to the appropriate fullness (about 1/8" from the spool's lip).
Since I've only been able to go a few times a year (<10), for the last several years, the line change out has been pretty much a once a year to once every other year deal. If/when my trips come more often, and my time on the water increases, then line changes may become more frequent ... up to once a season (4x/yr) if necessary. The Sun's UV rays take a toll on mono, so keeping your line out of the Sun (as much as possible) helps deter that damage. Reel Magic states that it has UV inhibitors, but I don't know about KVD's.

I used to change out line fairly often, during my Bass fishing days, but since I've gone to Crappie fishing 99% of the time ... those spools of line have remained in my "fishing equipment" closet. Some spools are over 20 years old, but still retain close to their advertised break strength ... and I know that because I've used some of them, on occasion, and they've performed as well as they did when new. If they'd been in a tackle box that went along on fishing trips, in the trunk of the car or covered bed of a truck, in a compartment in the boat, or any other non-climate controlled location ... they likely would have deteriorated to the point of uselessness, long before now.

And just to be clear ... these lines would have already been used up, were it not for the fact that they're not hi-vis, and/or they're greater than 10 pound test lines ... not what I use for the Crappie fishing methods & equipment I currently employ. All of my currently being used outfits have 4lb test mono on them ... from my 5' UL's to my 9 & 10ft rods. I'm currently using the USA made version of Mr Crappie Super Hi-vis mono & Vicious hi-vis ... and some have BPS Excel clear/blu or Stren Gold mono. I've used Reel Magic in the past, but have not used it with any continuity.

... cp

[Crestliner08]

KVD Line Conditioner works pretty well, for me anyway. I like to spray the spool a few hours before using it. That way the mono has a chance to absorb the substance (whatever it is!). Seems to reduce line coiling and gives me longer casts, especially with 2# test XL.

[skiptomylu]

Like cp I have many spools of line that I still have from my bass fishing days and some is pretty old, some at least 17 years that was really great line that they don't even make any more due to price and didn't sell as well as they would have liked and its still great. Like cp it's been in one of my cabinets in the dark with out the sun seeing it! Now if some store has had some line a line time and I don't know how long it's been out and what it's been exposed to I may be a bit picky about that.
I too use an like Reel Magic a lot! However it's made in two ways and I only like one which is in the spray can. Bass Pro carries some Blakemore makes in a pump bottle because they didn't want the spray can and its crap as far as I am concerned! Bought some, tried it, sent it back to Bass Pro after talking to Blakemore. It is not the same product at all!

[joejv4]

I use 4 or 6 lb (cheapest I can find) mono for crappie fishing and I change mine out every 2-3 years. I've yet to have a crappie break me off (not like we're talking saomon fishing here).

I also catch a mess of 3-4lb bass every year while crappie fishing - and haven't had breakoff's there either.

I don't use any kind of line conditioner.

Now, I do have lots of line coil every spring until I've fished a bit
I do keep my gear away from sunlight when not in use
I don't fish a ton of heavy cover which generally abraids the line
I live in a northern climate where we have a much shorter open water fishing season than do folks in the south, AND I only get out maybe a dozen or so times each year.

As Crappiepappy said, line will keep for a long time if stored properly - for me, that is true both on the spool or on the reel.

Bottom line on monofilament line life is.... it depends on a lot of different parameters. For me, it's 2-3 years, fo others, it may only be a month or two.