Fishing Line

[RayChamp]

I found a couple packages of monofilment fishing line which I probably had for 2 or 3 years. How long is this line good for?

Ray

[Stezostedion vitreum man]

RayChamp,

Throw it away RayChamp. Monofilament line will deteriorate even in an unopened package, after a time. Have you ever bought "new" line from a store, open the package and all the line has deteriorated to the point where it breaks when you pull on it?

Once all that ultraviolet radiation hits this "new" line on the lake, watch out! Do you really want to take a chance on catching the fish of a life time on two or three year old line? It's better to be safe than sorry.

Remember to keep your eyes open and your feet dry.

S.v.m

[Phil T.]

If you found it in your basement, it should be okay. Lots of people buy their line in 1000 yard or larger spools, and darned sure don't use it all in a single season. If it was found somewhere it was likely to get hot, throw it out.
You can always subject it to a "jerk test" to see if it breaks easily. Wear leather gloves.

[cisco]

If it's been kept in a dark, reasonably cool, and dry place, it should be fine. Water and sun are the two primary culprits for monofilament. You should be able to test it pretty well yourself by tying on and trying knot strength. If it holds, use it.

[Jig'N John]

The first question that should be answered is: what pound test of monofilament line is it? If it's of a smaller diameter 4lb, 6lb or even 8lb, it is probably no longer any good or in a weakend conditon. If it's of a larger diameter line, 10lb, 15lb, 20lb, it may still be fishable. It is a fallacy that keeping monofilament line in a dark, dry, cool, place will preserve it. These conditions may slow the deterioraton of the line, but will not stop it. There is a definite shelf life on monofilament line. The harshest conditons, of course, is the exposure of this line to ultraviolet radiation and heat.

Jig'N John

[Mac]

Test it. Probably should do this with any line whether on the reel or just out of the package.
The way to test it is to find a nail or better yet put a screw hook in the ceiling, get a pail,and take some weights somewhere where you can find out exactly what they weigh and mark them with that weight. Then, you take two big snap swivels and tie a piece of line between them with your best knots (Palomar) and hook them to the pail and ceiling. Keep adding weights to the pail until something breaks. If you have good knots it will be the line. If it is 10 Lbs with 10 lb line that's great. If it is 6 lbs with 10 lb line that's bad.
This is also a great way to test out your favorite knots.

[RayChamp]

Everyone, thank you for your replies and I do appreciate it very much.

Ray