Shelf life of monofilament line ?

[magicone]

Taken my box out of garage for the first time in 2yrs.
Would my 6, 8 and 10lb line be ok on my spools to use as not seen any daylight for 2yrs or more ?

 

[ian g]

I would say yes , you can always do a few pull tests to see if it has deteriorated

 

[spoonminnow]

deleted

 

[Peter Jacobs]

It will probably be fine but in any case its worth doing a few strength tests to be on the safe side.

Tie the line onto a spring balance and pull to see where it breaks . . . also check to see it has not developed into springy coils when casting . . . If it has then best to bin it.

 

[john step]

Now is confession time. I have just come to the end of a jumbo and I mean jumbo spool of 2lb bs Blue Marlin brand mono that has been kept in the dark and cool for a long time. I used it for hooklinks. It was mail order from Veals of Bristol and had something like a mile or two on the spool. It was fantastic line and stayed true to the end. Veals may or may not still be in business.
The confession? It has lasted to my best recollection 40 years or so.
Thats not a typo.

 

[nottskev]

I can't beat that, but I bought the last half dozen spools of Sundridge Green Force 1.5 lb from North West Angling, and used them over more than 10 years. I remember seeing ads for Blue Marlin when I was in my teens.

 

[rob48]

I'm still using Green Force in 1.5lb and 12oz hooklengths on running line set-ups. Not much left now and the 1.0lb ran out a couple of years back. I wouldn't like to guess how old it is but shows no sign of deterioration and is the best stick/wag hooklength line I've ever had.

 

[nottskev]

I've just said I've kept lines for 10 years, but in general, especially with reel lines, exposed to sun, water and wear, if I have the slightest doubt about them I change them. Changing 100 m of line costs little more than a pint of bait. The bait will be gone in a couple of hours so fresh line is hardly a big expense.

 

[Peter Jacobs]

The oldest I have in "stock" is 4 spools of Milo Tectan that I've used for pole rig hook lengths for well over 20 years, I test it regularly and it has never let me down . . . so far.

 

[spoonminnow]

deleted

 

[mikench]

For lure fishing( jigging?) etc I can see the advantages but for float fishing with light tackle or feeder fishing it’s mono all the way for me. If I fished large fast flowing rivers requiring large/ heavy leads then braid may be preferable. I personally dislike braid and much prefer mono.

 

[Peter Jacobs]

Personally I don't ever use braid . . . . with the advent of advanced lines like Shimano Technium I reduce the elasticity while retaining the mono benefits.

 

[rob48]

There's been quite a lot of improvements to monofilament as well as braid. At one time the only noted difference was density, and thus rate of sink. Now, with the various managed degrees of stretch in mono, it can almost match braid for distance legering, which is what I only ever used it for really. The Browning Cenex low stretch is a decent line for this application. It looks like it would make a good stick float line as well but unfortunately the thinnest is 0.14mm.

 

[john step]

Re the question of to braid or not to braid. Apologises to the Bard.

I have braid on pike reels which can tow a house or straighten snagged hooks which is its use.
I have experimented with braid for light lure fishing which is invariably recommended. I find it a pigs ear for wind knots and tangles. I have reverted to mono. OK so I may not catch so much but its all about enjoying fishing. I dont enjoy the taffles as they say in these parts.

 

[sam vimes]

I still find it strange that considering the great improvements to braid line that many still prefer mono.

I would guess that your fishing methods will be rather different to the majority of those (in the UK) that have contributed to the thread. Braid has its uses, even in UK coarse angling styles. However, for some types of fishing, mono is still far superior to braid. I have tried it for styles of angling that will be largely unfamiliar to the average North American angler. In most cases, I've gone back to mono.