Cleaning/washing braid?

[adamski]

Every time I see someone fishing, whether it be next to me on a wharf somewhere or on TV, they always seem to have immaculate-looking braid on their reels. I fish in some pretty murky areas and I always clean my rod and reel afterwards with wet wipes or the occasional hose-down in the shower, but generally I don't wash the braid and it stays pretty grubby-looking. I haven't noticed any impact from the dirt on the strength of the line or the number of fish I catch, so it never really occurred to me. As a general maintenance rule, should I be giving it a more thorough clean? If so, what's the best method?

Cheers,

Adam

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[fragmeister]

Hi Adam,

I have been told that the dried salt forms crystals that has an abrasive effect on the line.

I have also read that some very keen anglers take their line off the spools and wash it to remove contaminants.

Personally , I just rinse it well under fresh water.

[Witha]

Hi mate, I'm pretty anal with my braid as you know, when I'm washing down I wind the drag up full lock then run a steady stream of slightly more than warm water onto the braid (holding the reel horizontal) then turn the spool and go from the other side as to not just push salt further into the line lay.

Keeps it pretty smooth

Cheers

[adamski]

Thanks for the feedback gents, so no scrubbing or anything, just a rinse under running water.

[Twinfisher 4.9]

I would never put my reel under the hose or running water. A wipe down with a slightly soapy cloth and then wipe dry. If you are using good quality braid, it does not need washing. Yes there will be salt crystals on the braid, but next time you use the reel, they will disappear, Line is relatively inexpensive, your reel isn't.

[Witha]

Referring to the actual spooled line mate. Not the whole reel. A thin trickle of water onto the braid only does wonders with zero water penetration into the reel. All braid will get salty it's the nature of a woven line, removing it is never a bad thing if done properly.

[eriku]

What everyone is saying warm water will help break down the salt crystals better than cold.

[pjbink]

I'd be more worried about the effect of wet braid on your reel spool. It can cause corrosion, epecially it seems if you use braid backing and a mono top shot. It's a good idea to take the line of the reel and wash and dry it once in a while. You can also coat your reel spool with an anti corrosion spray such as lanolin.

[fishhed]

i use warm water and it turns out looking as good as new.

[adamski]

Gotta admit, my braid still looks pretty grubby even after running the line under a trickle of water for a few minutes. I wonder if it's just the yellow colour that makes the dirt more visible? On longer casts I can see the cleaner line below.

The braid has yet to snap on me, it's held pretty well again a few decent trevs recently, but I'm dreading the day I hook a jew or bigger king and it decides to give out!

[Witha]

Gotta admit, my braid still looks pretty grubby even after running the line under a trickle of water for a few minutes. I wonder if it's just the yellow colour that makes the dirt more visible? On longer casts I can see the cleaner line below.

The braid has yet to snap on me, it's held pretty well again a few decent trevs recently, but I'm dreading the day I hook a jew or bigger king and it decides to give out!

Haha mate the nature of the Cooks! I remember when I first put 10lb white Powerpro on and started flicking the cooks I very shortly had a new brown variant of Powerpro

[adamski]

Haha mate the nature of the Cooks! I remember when I first put 10lb white Powerpro on and started flicking the cooks I very shortly had a new brown variant of Powerpro

You sure you don't mean a luminous radioactive green?

[Guest Guest123456789]

Storage of your rod and reel is important. I've noticed since I built rod holders on my garage wall my gear holds up a lot better. Each rod and reel is hung horizontally in the wall. I use a blower to keep dust out. It means that after I've rinsed my rod and reels they air dry completely. If often see rods stood upright and wonder if that encourages salt/debree to accumulate around the braid and bearings.

[GreyNurse]

I'm the same as flatheadluke. I store my rods and reels in my basement workshop. I lay my rods on the underfloor beams where there's a space between the beams and the floorboards overhead. The temp rarely varies throughout the year. I just have to be careful not to knock the runners when I laying them down and taking them out again.

The reels are also stored in the workshop, so the lines only see sunlight on an outing, which is why, I'm sure, that my mono from the late '80's is still as good as the day I bought it. Having said that, I've never had a fish big enough to bust me off, but I have had a few bite-off's.

Interestingly, though, my yellow braid is going pale since I've been fishing Port Hacking, not getting darker, which has happened to me on other waterways.