Do Not Freeze Up Blog- Murray’s Fly Shop- Edinburg, Virginia
I am guilty of fishing later in the season and earlier in the season than I should. I used to have trouble with my fly line freezing in the rod guides. Swishing it back and forth in the stream helped for only a short time.
About ten years ago I started using this technique which helps greatly. Realizing that the water which adhered to the rod and guides was the main problem. This occurred most often where there was dirt on the rod. The most common place for this is around the thread wraps which secure the guides. It is also common where the guides meet the rod. In order to reduce this dirt, and thus ice build up, I use this four step procedure often in cold weather.
First I scrub the whole rod down good with a toothbrush and Ivory soap. I pay special attention to the guide feet and wraps. Next I rinse the whole rod thoroughly with water and dry it with a soft cloth. I set this aside for three days to be sure it drys completely. Next I put several drops of Scientific Anglers Fly Line Dressing on a paper towel and rub the whole rod thoroughly, especially around the guide feet. Finally I use a dry paper towel to rub the whole rod thoroughly. I sometimes use pipe cleaners to be sure to remove all of the line dressing in and around the guides.
This whole process takes me about 10 minutes and it adds hours to my fishing in cold weather.