mono line shelf life

[MH Hawker]

i use a sort of special line for cats, berkley trilene XT its the in the solar color, several years ago it went out of production and i bought up 2 miles of it in the 20 lb test range, 12 years ago, until 2 years ago when it was put back into production in their big game lines i then got 1 mile of that, this year i re spooled all 8 of my rods with the older line and over the last 4 trips out its breaking right at the knots so i am thinking the line has developed weak spots,

i hate to toss it but but i hate losing fish even more

 

[Dizz]

Good questions,maybe no answers.
I keep all my mono in cool place,in sealed zip-lock bags.
I`ve found when it breaks down,a dust will come off it when running the line thru your fingers.
To check it,I also know with one simple granny knot,it will not break easily,when it is bad,simple break,no strength.
I did fins McCoy mean green will fail this simple test,but holds if checked with a proper know,wed when drawn down,on the scales.
I use Berckley big game 8,and 10# for my smallmouth crankbaits on spinning gear,P-line C21 for rubber.
I have no problems keeping it for 3 years,don`t know after that.
Good Luck
PS,make sure to do the simple knot test with proven new line,then your old stuff.

 

[MH Hawker]

its all ready failed that, over the last 4 trips out i have lose 12 plus fish due to the line breaking at the knot, i have about all ready decided to replace it, i was out yesterday and had 2 new rod set up and lost one on each right off the start, i have lost more fish in the 8 weeks this year than the last 4 years

add: the old line was stored in its original box in a shipping box in my closet

 

[MH Hawker]

I put a call into Berkley product info, and got a very nice response, i was told under ideal conditions the shelf life is 2 to 3 years, snickers so 12 years is a bit long, so i will replace mine

 

[ondarvr]

I replace line at least every year, on reels I use frequently it gets changed far more often. You don't know the age or conditions where the line was stored before you buy it, so buying bulk rolls when you aren't going through much of it doesn't make sense.

 

[dingbat]

I switched just about everything I own over to braid in the past 5 years. I fish 16 trolling rods, each holding 300-400 yards which equates to 3.6 miles of line. It's time consuming and expensive to change out that much line at least once a year. Going on year 5 with the same braided line.

The only application I'm still using mono is on my conventional surf casting reels and they'll get 2-3 line changes a years depending on the circumstance.

 

[ondarvr]

I was just commenting on mono, 90% of my reels are filled with braid. I have so many reels that just refilling each one with mono every year would cost a great deal.

 

[BWR1953]

I put a call into Berkley product info, and got a very nice response, i was told under ideal conditions the shelf life is 2 to 3 years, snickers so 12 years is a bit long, so i will replace mine

Thanks for getting that info. I have several spools of line which have been sitting around for at least 5 years. I'll dump them and buy some fresh.

Do lines have expiration dates on the boxes nowadays?

 

[MH Hawker]

not that i know of, the rep said that they have never done any testing on its longevity but had gotten a lot of customer complaints on line breakage after 3 years, so they say thats about the time limit

 

[Old Ironmaker]

When mono was about all you could get I would change my Trilene up to 3 times a year. If I could brake it in my hands off she went. I only run mono 20lb. Big Game now on 2 line counters with Dipsy Divers tied on with Flourocabon leaders. The mono killer is sunlight.

 

[82rude]

I had the same 17 lbs test stren on my salmon reel for 18 years and could still pull in big kings when I retired the reel in favor of a new rod and reel.But with all the losses you've had lately id change for sure .

 

[dingbat]

I used big game on my surf casting reels for a number of years. Not the most abrasion resist but it handled well.

I was then introduced to Sufix Tritanium and never looked back. Sufix is a copolymer which holds up to uv much better than nylon. The abrasion resistance and suppleness is second to none with one of the smallest line diameter per pound test on the market.

For leaders give Sufix Superior a try. Same suppleness in higher test line. #60 test is just as soft and easy to tie as the competitors #30 lines

 

[MH Hawker]

i may give that a try next year, i had line to use so i re spooled ever thing a week or so ago

 

[LongLine]

When I fill my reels, I run the line between my thumb & forefinger. If after a minute I see a while powdery dust on my thumb, that line comes off & the rest of the spool goes in the trash. It mean the plasticizer is coming out of it.

Tom B.
(Long:Line)

 

[ondarvr]

It's trash long before it ever gets to that stage

 

[MH Hawker]

all i know is i change mine out and two trip later no more broke lines and missed fish, in fact Monday night i had one of the best nights of the season, i drug in 8 nice cats and one a very fat 6 pounder

 

[MH Hawker]

all i know is i change mine out and two trip later no more broke lines and missed fish, in fact Monday night i had one of the best nights of the season, i drug in 8 nice cats and one a very fat 6 ponder