Forgetting to list lines

[Ernie]

I hope I am not the only one, but I haven’t written down which lines are on what reels or spools until the last 3 years out of the 45+ years of fly fishing for trout. For example, I have 3 intermediate lines and I can’t remember which 2 are 5 wts and which one is a 4 wt. I have a spool that is a sink tip for lakes and I think it’s a 5wt, not certain. I have a type 3 sinking line and I don’t recall if it’s a 4wt or 5 wt. I keep most fly line boxes, but don’t note which reel it goes to. I can usually guess. Years ago fly lines used to come with a small sticker to put on either your reel or spool, not anymore. My 3 wt and 6 wt lines are easy to remember though.
Anyone else have this small problem?

 

[SteelHeadDave]

Oh yeah, I have quite a few mystery lines tucked away.

 

[Zak]

I started marking the end of my lines with a Sharpie. 4 rings/lines for a 4wt.

 

[Scudley Do Right]

If you have access to a reloading scale you could weight the heads. I like that some of the newer lines are labeled on the end.

 

[PhilR]

If you have access to a reloading scale you could weight the heads. I like that some of the newer lines are labeled on the end.

I’ve done that too, but ultimately I have to see which lines work best on which rods in the nearby park.

 

[_WW_]

Painter's tape either on the spool or bottom of the reel foot. Foolproof.

 

[kmudgn]

If the line is on a reel I use Brother PTouch label on the inside. The labels seem to last longer than the sticker from the reel box. If the line is just wound up on its own, then I write the info on a piece of paper and wrap it like a pita sandwich around the line & use masking tape to hold.

 

[Old Man]

I solved that dilemma. I know what reel goes on what rod. I only have enough reels for my rods. I'm simple because my memory is old and not very reliable. And because it does this

 

[Mtnwkr]

I too use the sharpie method. Fat line is 5, small line is 1. So a fat and three small would designate an 8wt line, etc.

 

[Northern]

I'm a bit of a line collector, so I actually keep a spreadsheet of all my lines/reels/spools, indicating which line is currently on what spool.
It also has info on grain weights and which rod(s) I like that line on. No way I can keep these all straight in my head anymore!
The spreadsheet resides on my phone, so I can look for the one I want pretty easily.

 

[clarkman]

A box full of unmarked lines. I sometimes use them to hold up tomato plants, so they work really well with tomato stakes. If I had to guess, many of these are Rio. They work very well for this application.. All of the lines I use, I already know even if I've cut off the loop or cut them back further than the labeling on them (all about fine tuning)

 

[clarkman]

I'm a bit of a line collector, so I actually keep a spreadsheet of all my lines/reels/spools, indicating which line is currently on what spool.
It also has info on grain weights and which rod(s) I like that line on. No way I can keep these all straight in my head anymore!
The spreadsheet resides on my phone, so I can look for the one I want pretty easily.

I don't want any evidence of actual numbers.

 

[Northern]

I don't want any evidence of actual numbers.

Understandable, I guess

Obscuring evidence from yourself or your SO?

 

[clarkman]

Understandable, I guess

Obscuring evidence from yourself or your SO?

um, SO. A little like, oh, this old bamboo rod is just a piece of wood....didn't cost all that much.

 

[_WW_]

 

[Ernie]

I'm a bit of a line collector, so I actually keep a spreadsheet of all my lines/reels/spools, indicating which line is currently on what spool.
It also has info on grain weights and which rod(s) I like that line on. No way I can keep these all straight in my head anymore!
The spreadsheet resides on my phone, so I can look for the one I want pretty easily.

I anticipated that someone with a lot of lines would have a spread sheet.

 

[Northern]

I anticipated that someone with a lot of lines would have a spread sheet.

Part of it is that line "weights" are almost as meaningless as hook "size", so I want to keep track of which rods like that particular line. And by extension, what grain weights might work for a particular rod, if I'm looking to put a different type on it.

 

[Dave Westburg]

I keep the old line boxes so I know colors and what style of line. Then I keep a simple list on my computer of what line I have on what reel. Know way I can keep track of it all in my head.

I also tend to buy multiple reels of the same kind and put the same weight lines on the same reels. 7 weight lines on JW Young Beaudex 3.5" wide reels. 6 weight lines on Orvis Battenkill 7/8 or Sharpes Gordon 3 1/2" or JW Young 3 1/2" reels. 5 weight lines on JW Young or Hardy 3 1/8" or 3 1/4" reels. 3 weight lines on 3" reels.

 

[SurfnFish]

I started marking the end of my lines with a Sharpie. 4 rings/lines for a 4wt.

x2..