Old Fly Lines
What are your favorite uses for your retired fly lines?

The other day, I reluctantly headed down to my basement for some long overdue purging and cleaning. Though, at times of the year, the shelves on which virtually all of my fly fishing gear is stored are an picture of organization and care, by this point in the season they're typically a horrifying mess. This year has proved no exception to this pattern. So, amongst tasks like bagging up old toys for Goodwill and gathering up the 50 empty bottles of Tide my wife has accumulated in the laundry area, I did a bit of surveying of my fly fishing gear to see what could go on eBay, what I could offer to friends and what could just get junked in order to clean up the disaster that has developed. In the process of doing so, I came upon the rat's nest seen below.

Of course none of the fly lines pictured above are labeled. Labeling my lines as I take them off the reel is a good habit I've only more recently developed, previously lingering under the delusion that I would remember by sight what each fly line was and be able to quickly identify it. The reality could not possibly be farther from that delusion, as not only can I not accurately identify any of these fly lines, I can't even hazard a guess as to what they might be.

I was close to tossing them when it occurred to me that there had to be a good use for all of that plastic. Well, maybe not all of it, but some of it. Throw in the fact that we've been looking for a good contest idea for our latest product giveway, and here we are. To enter this latest giveaway, share your favorite use of old fly line in the comments below. The use can be practical or creative, fishing related or non-fishing related.

High Horse Fly Dressings
All 3 varieties of High Horse Premium Fly Dressings.

The latest giveaway is courtesy of High Horse Premium Fly Dressings. If you're not familiar with High Horse, they are relatively new floatant company (they also make some nifty fly fishing accessories/tools) that offers products which, according to High Horse, "keep your fly afloat with fewer applications". Perhaps most notable about High Horse's floatants, however, is that they come in different "flavors", so to speak. In addition to their standard floatant (termed "naked"), they also offer a UV-infused floatant that allows you to create UVR and UVF hot spots on desired areas of a fly as well as a scent-infused (garlic and anise) floatant.

We're giving away three 3-packs of High Horse, containing one bottle of each "flavor" of High Horse floatant to the our three favorite uses for old fly lines that you all share below.

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Comments

I've used old sinking lines to create sink tips and poly leaders.

Fishing!! I take good care of it, & make it last forever!!

Many years ago we had a young owl get trapped in our chimney. I remember watching my father tie a lasso with his old fly line.Within a few minutes he had the owl out of the chimney and back in the trees that surrounded our house.

They're easily braidable for use in making lanyards. No need to buy a spendy one. Make your own with your junk fly lines.

Not to be too spot-on, but when electricians install conduit they will often put a small pull rope inside to "fish", aka pull future wiring through the conduit. Your could reuse you old fly lines (provided they're not brittle) to literally "fish" for wire on your remodel or outdoor conduit projects.

-Ive used mine to hand line for cats and in the salt.
-It makes great general purpose cordage- more specific to fly fishing ive also used it to tie on a rubber net to replace an old knotted one.
-would make good laces for wet wading/water shoes.
-a stiff squirmy wormy
I know most of us aren't in the practice of taking home a stringer full of fish. However because fly line is non-absorptive, it works great as a stringer. Tie a loop on one end and tie a big 'false" improved clinch as a tip on the other end.

I weave mine together to make bull whips...then I go on adventures for great fishing and hidden treasures and woop up on Natzis and such. Weight fwd lines give a serious crack on the azz!!! This big guy pulled out a huge sword when I was fishing in Moazambique and I used my 10wt whip to take out his left ear and when he was all delerious and shaken I whipped his sword out of his hand. It was Rio Clear intermediate striper. He never saw it coming. Sometimes I donate them to fishing clubs to use on practice rods too.

I like to use old flyline as a lashing or repair line for holding all manner of gear together, for eyeglass retainers, on my boat, in my backpack etc.

Bob, re eyeglass retainers: I was just trolling for Salmon last week, and my friend's cheap sunglasses started losing the tiny screws that held the lenses to the frames. He did a MacGyver and reattached them with Fireline (a braided fishing line) through the screw hole.
Now, with those tiny knots holding the lenses to the frame, they really look like fisherman's sunglasses!

I wove mine into a nifty bottle sling, now I'm never without a beverage.

This weekend I had my retractable bungee cord break that keeps my wading staff from floating down the river. I had an old fly line in my vest and was able to tie on a make-shift cord to keep my wading staff nearby. It worked great for the weekend! Its like para-cord for camping, always keep it around... you'll never know when you'll need it.

besides the crafty repurposing for lanyard-type uses--we only make sunglasses holders--the best use we've found is for fly-tying depending on the color:
- mayfly extended butt sections (yellow, green, grey, brown/orange); this works great with the floating lines, since the line is stiff enough to replace having to tie separate butt sections to be later tied onto the hook
- damsel flies (red, blue, green)
- detached/swivel extended sections for wiggle nymphs (i.e. the damsels) or craw patterns

Winners:

DDon - make a lanyard
Bob Triggs - eyeglass retainers
rynoyak - fly tying

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