Respooling a spinning reel

[screwballl]

For a weekend fisherman like me, I tend to keep line on for 1-2 years at a time (or more if it is good line). Sometimes in the spring or if I find any weak spots, I may draw 20-30 feet out and clip it, but the bulk of the line stays on there for quite some time.

I (somewhat) understand the need for people in tournies to keep fresh line but at the same time if the line is good, I see no need to toss it or clip it. Considering most lines are 6-12 months old (or more) by the time we buy them from the store, a few months more on the spool should not make much difference, and I really see no need to completely respool every single tournament, even with backing. That is just causing extra waste in the landfills. If you find a few knicks, draw it out 10-20 feet and clip it. That is just how I see it. I believe this is a practice that dates back to the 1960s and 70s tournaments when the line quality was MUCH MUCH worse than even the cheapest lines today. Todays modern quality lines should be good enough to last most fisherman the entire summer at minimum.

With the new technology going into all these quality lines, many of them are still just as strong and usable 5+ years later. Granted using cheap line may degrade much faster but not many of us here would use the cheap line. Even with my conservative leanings on gear, I still find that 2 years later most of the line I use is just as good as new and catch just as many fish as I did with "fresh" line. Right now the 20 lb Power Pro braid on one rod is 2 years old and a bit faded from the sun, but it is just as strong, not a single weak point found in the first 50-60 feet that I would be using.