SteveHTN Posted February 18, 2020 Report Share Posted February 18, 2020 How long y’all trust a spool of line to still be good? Obviously braid should, in theory, last virtually freaking forever on the spool, but what about mono and fluoro? I need to change out some line on my crank rods before the first tourney, and also change out all of my brothers line on his setups. Wondering if y’all think 4-5 year old spools of mono and fluoro would still be good, or if they deteriorate enough, even in climate controlled storage, to justify buying new spools? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whopper Posted February 19, 2020 Report Share Posted February 19, 2020 Steve I run a bunch of of different set ups on my rods and reels. Two of my spinning rods i use 8lb braided Fire Line with a 6 foot Pline Fluoro leader that I use for jigs and worming. The braid will last for 5 years, the leaders I'll have to change out at least a couple times a season. All my rods and reels that have mono in different sizes get changed at least once a season. My pike and muskie set ups I strictly run 50 to 80lb braid, again I get at least 5 years out of them. I've never had any braid of any size ever fail me. Fluoro or mono only ever fail at knots, I get a little lazy sometimes in retiring is what I attribute too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveHTN Posted February 19, 2020 Author Report Share Posted February 19, 2020 Most of my rods are braid. My crank rods are mono (I hate fluoro. LOL), so I need to change the line out on them. Been a couple years, since I ain’t fished much lately. My brothers rods have line from like the first Bassmaster Classic. LOL. My question is- I have a bunch of jumbo spools of mono, in different tests. Plus spools of fluoro that I use for leader lines. I’ve always kept those indoors. I’m just wondering if new line ages on the spool it comes on. Like if you bought a big spool from tackle warehouse, would it still be good 4-5 years later? Or does it get brittle/memory/etc. sitting in storage from age alone? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
31Airborne Posted February 19, 2020 Report Share Posted February 19, 2020 Steve - if it's more than a year old I'd change it out. Fluoro and mono are susceptible to UV degradation (fluoro more so). There's also the kink problem that comes w/ high memory lines. And the knicks and dings that come with fishing in heavy cover. You'll wanna eliminate the potential for a line break during a cast or while trying to land a fish. Fluoro can get brittle with age. I buy the 1000 yd spools for my line bag. Have had no issues w/ it staying 'fresh'. I don't keep the line bag in the truck where it gets too or cold. I've ruined a couple spools that way. As a general rule, I'll respool fluoro and mono every other event; braid once a year. I use a solid backing so I'm not wasting/trashing good line. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buckeye83 Posted February 19, 2020 Report Share Posted February 19, 2020 4 hours ago, 31Airborne said: As a general rule, I'll respool fluoro and mono every other event; braid once a year. I use a solid backing so I'm not wasting/trashing good line. Airborne- what do you mean by solid backing? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
31Airborne Posted February 19, 2020 Report Share Posted February 19, 2020 I use a cheaper line to fill the initial 1/3 to 1/2 of the spool as a base, then finish with the line I use for fishing. Cuts down the waste (and the cost). The down side to this is I have to respool a bit more frequently (because of reties, line breaks, knicks, etc). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveHTN Posted February 19, 2020 Author Report Share Posted February 19, 2020 That was my main question, Brian, was whether the spools themselves remain good. I buy all of the mono in bulk 1,000 yard spools, and I’ve had several spools of fluoro laying around for leaders. It’s probably been at least 5 years since I bought em. Thanks for the info Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
31Airborne Posted February 19, 2020 Report Share Posted February 19, 2020 Think you'll be OK, Steve. I have several spools on hand that are several years old. No memory, performance issues w/ them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buckeye83 Posted February 19, 2020 Report Share Posted February 19, 2020 3 hours ago, 31Airborne said: I use a cheaper line to fill the initial 1/3 to 1/2 of the spool as a base, then finish with the line I use for fishing. Cuts down the waste (and the cost). The down side to this is I have to respool a bit more frequently (because of reties, line breaks, knicks, etc). Very nice. I watched a fishing show the other day and KVD was talking about that. Good idea but I’m not sure what knot to use. I’ve never used/tied a leader. What’s a good knot to use? Sorry Steve, not trying to change your subject but this thread opened itself for some questions I’ve had but have never asked or googled. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rusty50576 Posted February 19, 2020 Report Share Posted February 19, 2020 Kept inside the spools should be fine. UV seems to be what gets them Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whopper Posted February 19, 2020 Report Share Posted February 19, 2020 1 hour ago, Buckeye83 said: Very nice. I watched a fishing show the other day and KVD was talking about that. Good idea but I’m not sure what knot to use. I’ve never used/tied a leader. What’s a good knot to use? Sorry Steve, not trying to change your subject but this thread opened itself for some questions I’ve had but have never asked or googled. Matt, I use a uni to uni knot to join lines together. A little tricky the first couple of times but after you get used to doing them there pretty easy to do. Steve sorry I missed the point of your first post in this thread. Like Rusty said stored mono as long as it was stored out of direct sun light should be good to go. When in doubt test a two foot length of it. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveHTN Posted February 19, 2020 Author Report Share Posted February 19, 2020 3 hours ago, 31Airborne said: Think you'll be OK, Steve. I have several spools on hand that are several years old. No memory, performance issues w/ them. Awesome. Thanks for the info 2 hours ago, Buckeye83 said: Very nice. I watched a fishing show the other day and KVD was talking about that. Good idea but I’m not sure what knot to use. I’ve never used/tied a leader. What’s a good knot to use? Sorry Steve, not trying to change your subject but this thread opened itself for some questions I’ve had but have never asked or googled. LOL. I don’t care. Perfect place to ask the question. I rarely use leaders, and never backfill, but either an Alberto, or double uni, work well for joining 2 lines. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
31Airborne Posted February 20, 2020 Report Share Posted February 20, 2020 Uni-uni 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buckeye83 Posted February 20, 2020 Report Share Posted February 20, 2020 @Whopper @31Airborne @SteveHTN thank you for the info. I’ll give the Uni-uni a YouTube look!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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