Spring Cleaning and Running Lines

Well it is that time of year again to go through the gear and see what's still in working order, what needs maintenance and what needs replacement. Lines, reels, flies, bags, boat equipment, etc. Its just time for Spring cleaning. One thing I have wanted to do this Spring was change out the majority of the running lines that I have. The issue I have is price, it can get stupid, and if you have way to many reels like I do, well the math tends to lean toward outrageous. Though I love using the Airflo Ridge Running Line in the staple orange 30 lb, over the years I have converted many of my reels, especially my Hardy 3 7/8 St John and Salmon Marquis 1 to mono running lines. With the diameter of mono, line capacity just is not as big of an issue compared to polyurethane or PVC running lines at about .020 vs .040 diameter.

Years ago Brian Chou turned me onto mono running lines and since then I have had a love hate relationship with this stuff. The cost however is a fraction of that of most running lines out there. The issue I had to overcome however is how smooth the line was and how difficult it was for me to shoot line without losing my grip on it, especially so if I did not bother to straighten it well before fishing. Mono shoots well, in fact too well and with that I had difficulty holding onto the line while I set up my cast and release. This is especially so in the winter when my hands are cold and why I go back to the Airflo Ridge Runner. Over the years however I have worked to gain better control and feel of mono and with that experimented with 20-25-30 lb mono running lines in order to figure out which best suited me.

Today I find myself using Sunset Amnesia 30 lb running line the majority of the time. This stuff has been used since the 1960's and many casting champions over the years have used it to gain distance in their casting. You can find a 328 foot or approximately 100 yard spool anywhere from 4-8 dollars and that is just dirt cheap. The fact that mono just shoots lasers just adds to the easy answer of why I use it.

So recently, after doing very little research I was able to find five 100 yard spools of clear Amnesia for a total of $20.00.  Perfect for splicing behind that Long belly that I picked up at the Welches Shop last month and wined behind those Skagit and Scandi heads I use seasonally. Don't get me wrong there are other brands out there that are almost as cheap, there is even flat mono, and of course some may be better for those who want to spend the money, but for now this is a steal. I love this stuff and saving anywhere from $5.00-50.00 on running lines makes my choice easy.