Reduce Line Freeze Up

By reducing the amount of water that adheres to the fly line I get good fishing in the winter
By reducing the amount of water that adheres to the fly line I get good fishing in the winter

Several weeks ago I discussed the steps I take with my fly rod to reduce the amount of freeze ups I get in the winter. Today I’ll cover the way I take care of my fly line to reduce the freeze ups in the rod guides in the winter. Remember its the water on the line that freezes and not the lure. Thus if I can reduce the amount of water that adheres to the line I’ve improved the situation.

There is a 5 step technique I use to achieve this:

1. First I wash the line thoroughly with Ivory soap on a paper towel.
2. Next I rinse the line completely to remove the soap.
3. I then dry it completely to remove the soap.
4. Next I apply glide line dressing to a paper towel and dress the line.
5. Finally I use a clean paper towel to rub the line down to be sure I have removed the dressing.

That dressing which remains in the pours of the line will repel the water, keep the line clean and reduce the freeze ups in the guides.

I do this about every 3rd of 4th trip.