Line Age

Sunlight breaks them down. I always tie to something and test it by pulling on it. Alot of people use high dollar lines but I fish around so many rocks I usaully just replace mine every season.

 

I swap out in the spring, 'bout right now.

Since I have been doing this, break offs have dropped to close to nil. (once last year)

 

Line is cheap. I re-spool more times then i care to count each year. Line breaking off on fish for the last 4 years on the missouri river. 0

 

If you are talking about mono, then deffinately go ahead and replace it. Sunlight and ozone (comes from electrical devices, buners, etc) are both bad for the line. Plus, as line gets older it gets stiffer, so new line casts a lot better, too.

Even if old line looks OK, it is still more likely to break at a knot. To me it's not worth the risk.

By the way, it's also important to store your spools of new line out of the sun and away from ozone sources. I keep all of mine wrapped in plastic bags and tucked in the bottom of a dark closet.

 

I would say you probably okay. But if you have to wonder about it, its better if you go and change it.....

 

What I believe.

I know it sounds hard to believe but I have old Bass Pro mono filament bulk spools of line up to 25 years old.It has flat places in it due to being wound tight on bulk spools and stored in a HOT South East Georgia garage.Surprisingly,it has held up well when tested against a scale.I still have some I believe to be 40 years old that I have been and still would use around shell for saltwater leaders.I also used it on my 20 ft. poles fishing down in between the huge rocks in the jetties at the mouth of the Savannah River for Sheapshead because it is still strong,hard and stiff.

Even the best line can have flaws.I have some older Trieline Bulk XT supposed to be 20 lb. that mikes out as the 20 lb. but broke on the scale consistently at 12-14 lbs.new.It is still good utility line for the price I bought it for and a very good 12 lb. line for saltwater fishing where you have abrasion and shell to nick your line.

Mono filament dries out and gets more brittle.It absorbs up to .05% moisture.Soaking it in water makes it limper.This goes for weed eater mono.too.You can check the Berkly web site.Also if you are going to soak it or keep it soaked.DO NOT use city water with chlorine.Buy you a jug of distilled water at the grocery store.You can wrap a clean cotton rag around your reels,wet the rag and Zip lock the reel for a few days and keep the rag damp.The Penn Reel folk said there was nothing in a Penn reel this would hurt as long as the reel was not laid on its side for the water to run inside as they were made to handle the wet line that was reeled in on the spool.It is best to store spools of mono of all types in distilled or natural well water.I first learned this years ago from my weed eater dealer.

By all means if ever in doubt for any reason at any time,re-spool any "trophy fishing gear".You know your gear and what it has been subjected to better than anyone.The pro's do it after every big saltwater fish and after every fresh water tournament.They say modern braid last until you damage it.Older mono and braid is still great to fish with for bait and for eating fish.

You can also reverse the line and have the old used line next to the spool.It is nice to have two rigs the same and marked 1 & 2.to do this.You strip #2 every year.You reel the line off of #1 on to #2.You put new line on # 1.With the price of braid,you can pay for that second rig in a few years doing it this way.This is a old 50's trick to save money with the Dacron braid we had back then.Even the oldest line is still good for many years on bait,eating and trash fishing rigs where you are going to lose it or won't hurt to lose it.

Many plastic bottles tightly packed with sand make great SOLID spools to wind old line on.With the little mandrel you can buy to use a thin cut off disk in a drill you can drill a hole in the center of the lid and put it on a drill.A plastic or cardboard disk in the cap seals the sand when you are finished.

Folks without a level wind are constantly feeling their line as they reel it in.All should frequently feel their line when reeling in.The best time is after the longest cast.

I love you Brothers and Sisters.peewee

 

Max,
I assume you used the same line your last trip out and then stored it. Go ahead and change it. Be ready for the start of a new year, not sorry you lost your first fish.

Jeff

 

Max i think i slightly misread your post. If its the same line you where using last year i would probably change it. For some reason i thought it said you had a spool of line stored in your garage....Sorry....:embarassed:

 

I personally replace my line on all reels about 3 times a year. But I average fishing at least 4 days out of 7 so my line wears out a good deal quicker than most. Braided line tend to loose its initial rated strength and mono becomes brittle. I would change at least once a year.

 

I would just replace the line at the beginning of each season and during the season if you need to replace line. Mono does becomes susceptible to UV rays and stretching that results in the line becoming weaker.

 

I change mine every spring and if it goes to acting weird.

 

Pretty much everybody's saying the same thing, mono is cheap and the older it is the more memory it has, especially after sitting wound tight on your reel. At least re-spooling in the winter gives you something to do fishing related if you can't get out on the water:wink:

 

It's always a good idea to change out the line for the new fishing season. When talking mono, I change my line maybe 2-3 times through-out the season. Leaving line on the reel during the off months will add memory to the line. Those nasty curls in the line are a pain and casting with old line is a nusance. Go ahead and change the line and remember to fill the reel in the same direction the line is coming off the line spool.:wink:

MARK..

 

I just remove about half the the old line on the reel and tie new line on to the old. The old line has probbly never seem sunlight so it's OK.I just tie the lines together with a blood knot and have never had one break.About every 3 years I remove all the line and do a very good cleaning on the reels and strip off all the line and start over. This saves a lot of cash if you have 30 or more reels to respool. I do this with all my cat reels,bass reels,crappie reels and carp reels,etc. Works for me but each to their own. It's a confidence thing all fishermen/women believe,including me. Just do what you feel ok with doing.If you want to respool after each trip,then you should do it.I have went 3 years without respooling 3 of my rods because the line,stren gold,just never lost it's knot strength.I was still catching large strippers and hybirds on 10 lb test line when I changed it out. Hope this helps. Allen

 

I believe the single most dependable thing for checking line is a good scale to check your line against.Just because it is new does not mean it is GOOD line.I have bought several spools of line by reputable brands that were just not near as good as they normally were.Some were garbage.You never know for sure how old your new bought line is and what storage conditions it has been subjected too.Always suspect line on sale in late winter and early spring as being older line on clearance.

I love you Brothers and Sisters.peewee

 

There's something way better then a scale. If you question it change it!

 

55+ years of experience has taught me that Brand new line from any manufacture is "questionable".Others on here in the past have found the same.It ain't always been what the package said it was.Now if you have a better way than a scale to check all new line as I do,please let us know.I only use a scale because I don't know a better way.Thanks.

I love you Brothers and Sisters.peewee