Your fly lines can get untidy in different ways. Just keep it in the case on the reel in a warm car can be sufficient to get it cleaned. We all accidentally bring in dirt, step on it, or get it dirty in any other way.
Things such as bug repellent and sunscreen are also general pollutants. For these steps and you will get your line ready to use it. I have utilized these techniques for some time with an assortment of fly line brands with no negative effects. That being said, the reader is eventually responsible for any results that may result from utilizing this procedure. I have no way of knowing that. For instance, if your fly line comes in contact with any chemical, this is where fly dressing is implemented and would cause the line to depreciate. However, there are a few steps you can take to ensure good care of the fly reels:
1. Fill a neat bucket with warm water and a mild dish detergent
This step is apparent and there is nothing that needs to be explained.
2. Remove the line from the fly reels and backing
Strip your fly line from the fly reels into the bucket of warm soap water all the way back to the backing. This may be a good time to go ahead and strip your reel and backing to ensure there are zero tangles. You would never want to learn in the difficult way when you catch a big fish. Leave the fly in the loose coils in the bucket and allow it to soak for half an hour.
3. Clean line
Gradually strip the fly lines out of the bucket through a wet clean rag, grasping rag tightly to make line squeak as it is pulled through. Check rag at regular intervals, and when it gets very untidy, switch it for a neat one. Pulling out an arm’s length every time will assist to eradicate line memory.
4. Implement Dressing
Utilize a fresh clean rag and soak it in the fly line dressing. You will repeat the procedure utilized when you stripped the line out of the bucket with the dressing on the rag. Make sure to keep the rag with enough fly line dressing on it. Moreover, keep on stripping arm lengths of line and again be sure to strip it on a neat surface. If you have a line winder, utilize this so you don’t get your line untidy again and it remains neat the way it was in a fly fishing kit.
You may utilize a fly line dressing that is marked for this purpose. Or most of us have explored other products designed to utilize on plastics, as it works equally well at a much lesser cost.
A thumb rule is cleaning the fly line after every 5 trips. More or less may be required in your specific circumstances.
