Life expentancy of braided line...

[DYJ]

How many seasons do you guys use your line? The summer before last was the first time I spooled braid onto one of my mine reels. This is one of my main set ups I use and it's 15 pound invisa braid spider line.

Yesterday I had a great first day of winter steel head hook ups but couldn't seem to follow through. It's one thing to have a fish spit the hook but I lost two due to gear failure, one decent (10lbs+) fish snapped my 15 pound braid tied right to a spoon.... now I gotta loose sleep wondering if maybe I had to much drag on it or is it time to respool new line.

 

[waco]

Well you have to think that #15 can be broken by a fish! You got think and analyze if your line needs to be replaced!
I have mine for 3 years a 30# and it's breaking sometimes before my leader, that's when I know I need to respool it!

 

[tomriker]

line could be frayed? whenever i retie somthing i always take off a couple feet of line, since i started doing that i haven't broke anything off, but im fishing in trees/rocks a lot and so my line gets pretty frayed.. just a suggestion

 

[eugene1]

I think it should last several years, at least it does for me. I think tom is right, probably frayed due to rocks. I always use a mono leader and change it often.

 

[plumb2fish]

I do what Tom says, every time I go out, I remove about 6' as it seems that the last 6' gets the most wear. I set the hook the other day on a salmon set up that I didn't retire, and the 80lb braid broke somewhere in the last 6'....do not forget, it will cost you fish and gear....

 

[DYJ]

I don't do that, but I'm gonna start. It seems like common sense. I'm surprised I haven't thought about it before. I never refish a leader and even replace em if I feel a nick in em while drift fishing, but I guess I've neglected my main line.

This was also my first fish on a spoon, or any hardware for that matter. It was an old spoon I found in a tree last year on the same river. The morning was slow for us as we threw every color yarnie and jigs and even pink worms at em. So around eleven, I was desperate and found that old spoon. I read everything fishing related and have read articles on spoon fishing, but never tried it or even bought a spoon. Second cast and that fish hit it so hard I almost didn't know what was happening, literally a moment of panic before I set the hook. I understand why guys get addicted to hardware fishin, it's definitely not the subtle bites we can get drift fishing

 

[radiation]

I was told by someone once that you should get 3 years out of braid. They also suggested respooling it from the other end to make it last longer but I haven't figured out how to do that without making a mess. Just my $.02.

 

[plumb2fish]

To respool it from the other end, I go outside and loop the line around something solid, I hold onto the end that comes from the rod and freespool off the reel as I walk. Then I cut the end attached to the reel and retire the other end and reel the line back in....I get some funny looks from the neighbors but it seems to work. I have used the same method after letting someone use a spinning rod and having them reel against the drag a lot.

 

[hawgcaller]

I have gotten those weird looks before, lol. Walk two blocks down the street for me man so I can get this braid tight on my reel. lol. Gotta have a good fishing buddy!

 

[Eskimo]

It's one thing to have a fish spit the hook but I lost two due to gear failure, one decent (10lbs+) fish snapped my 15 pound braid tied right to a spoon.... now I gotta loose sleep wondering if maybe I had to much drag on it or is it time to respool new line.

One thing I have learned this year about steelhead fishin is that the devil is in the details. I have lost many a little cleo to broken knots tied directly to the spoon. What was happening is that the line would fray around the sharp edges on the spoon. Once I started using a swivel or snaps directly to the spoon I haven't casted one off or break off prematurely. I also use a 2-3ft flurocarbon (but mono works just as fine) bumper between the braid and the spoon.

I have braided line on my spinning real thats 2 years old now, used to be yellow now its all white. Beat up and abused, still haven't lost a fish because of weak braid.

 

[rob rockcrawler]

I get about 2 seasons out of braid. I cut about 10' off every trip out just in case. I also run a leader of mono or fluoro about 3 feetish. It helps with shock absorption and is much better for knots in my opinion.

When i reverse the line i will spool it onto an empty spool, then onto another spool then back onto the reel. I have done it a bunch of times but it took my about 10 minutes to get it right in my head.