Line memory
Also called memory
What is line memory in fishing line?
The coils line keeps after sitting wound on a spool. Memory costs casting distance, causes tangles and makes light lures swim badly.
Line memory at a glance
- Most memory
- Monofilament
- Especially cheap or thick line
- Least memory
- Braid
- Worst on
- Spinning and spincast reels
- Quick fix
- Stretch it, or soak mono in warm water
What causes line memory?
Line takes a set from the shape it is stored in. The smaller the spool and the longer it sits, the tighter the coils. Sun, heat and cold make it worse, and so does a half-empty spool, where the line is wound around a smaller diameter.
Which fishing line has the most memory?
Nylon monofilament, especially cheap bulk spools and heavy, thick line. Fluorocarbon is stiff and holds coils too. Braid has almost none, which is part of why it casts so cleanly off a spinning reel.
How do you get memory out of fishing line?
Take Me Fishing suggests tying 50 to 75 feet of line to something solid and stretching it firmly with a gloved hand, or soaking monofilament in warm water for about an hour. Both help for a trip. The lasting fix is fresher line and a full spool.
Respool mono at the start of each season and keep the spool filled to about an eighth of an inch below the lip. Old line on a half-empty spool is where most memory trouble starts.
Common questions
Does braided line have memory?
Very little. Braid is woven rather than extruded, so it lies limp off the spool and rarely coils the way monofilament does.
Why does my fishing line come off the reel in coils?
That is memory, usually from line that has sat on the reel for a long time or a spool that is underfilled. Stretching the line helps for a day; respooling fixes it.
Where this is defined
- How to Avoid or Remove Memory From Fishing Line, Take Me Fishing (Recreational Boating & Fishing Foundation)
Where this comes up
The guides that use line memory and show it on real gear.
Last reviewed . Line memory is one of 222 terms in the fishing glossary.