De-iceing

[724TroutHunter]

What is the best for keeping the ice off the guides, I like to fish after this storm passes. Any good home remedies?

[s2ary]

If the storm finishes as rain, iceing won't be an issue.

[BROOK TROUT BULLY]

Spray PAM (non-stick cooking spray) on the guides. An olive oil spray works the best. It repels water pretty well. It wont perform miracles but it helps a lot and wont damage your equipment.

[724TroutHunter]

Is there an commercial type de-icer?

[dcdube]

Loon Products makes something called Stanley's Ice Off Paste.

In the end, nothing will keep it off your line and guides, only prolong it a little bit.

[llama-dude]

I use WD-40. It comes in a small spray can that fits in my vest. I can go about 20 minutes usually in between manual cleanings when the temps are in the teens. Not the best, but it gets me on the water when it is cold outside. The only sure fire way not to get ice on your guides is to fish when it is warm.

[overmywaders]

Simple solution:

Replace the thread wraps over each of the guide feet with wraps of 30 gauge tungsten wire (leaving a slight space between winds) and leave the tag ends long. Wire all the guides in parallel. Carry the necessary 12v rechargeable battery in the back pocket of your fishing vest. Then enjoy the luxury of a day without icing.

There's always a solution. :D

[StrBender]

Reed

You do that too? I thought I was the only one. Cool :shock:

I do the Dip / Shake / Cast, then repeat as needed :(

[overmywaders]

Steve,

Yup, my method works fine so long as you don't get the line wet.

A wet line can carry the current (12v but mucho amp) down to the fly, shocking any fish in the immediate vicinity. This is considered unsporting in some circles. Go figure.

[lowwall]

I have tried all the pastes, and spray's. And like others had said they prolong the inevitable. If you apply spray throughout the day it may help some. I have definitely seen a difference when applying the paste the night before, but eventually you are picking ice from the guides.


Thinking about overmywaders idea I think a paste of pure Radium would generate enough heat to keep the guides clear with the glow leading the way for pre dawn foray's. No more pesky head Lamp needed. The use of the stuff would require some protection, Tin Foil Hats and Lead Vests. I usually wear the Tin Foil hat anyway, but that is another story altogether

[s2ary]

Simple solution:

Replace the thread wraps over each of the guide feet with wraps of 30 gauge tungsten wire (leaving a slight space between winds) and leave the tag ends long. Wire all the guides in parallel. Carry the necessary 12v rechargeable battery in the back pocket of your fishing vest. Then enjoy the luxury of a day without icing.

There's always a solution. :D

That my friends is borderline brillience. I bet you could actually figure it out and set it up for AA's in the rod handle to power it. Think of how many rods you sell to steel headers marketed under a winter rod. I'd get one.

Of course there is a fine line between genius and insanity. :lol:

[Banks10]

I actually thought of this idea about a month back, as s2ary said, being able to put a AA into the handle of the rod and running a coil up and around each guide. Similarly to how the strip on a rear window de-froster on a car. But after googling it, I found out that someone holds the patent on the idea.

[overmywaders]

lowwall,

Another approach you might try is painting the guides with a thick coating of mastic varnish with embedded sodium shavings. It worked pretty well for me at first - any water landing on the guide caused a small chemical explosion, blasting said water from the guide. The problem was the frequency and magnitude of the explosions increased exponentially. Soon I was shaking more than a cheap massage bed in a sleazy motel, hanging on to the rod as the sound of fireworks went off all around me, until a friend came to my rescue. Alas, he was smoking a cigar, which ignited the cloud of hydrogen produced by the sodium reaction.

Most fortunately, I had borrowed the rod (a 7' 3wt Leonard) from a friend, so I sustained no loss on that account, though my friend seemed a bit upset when he received the envelope of splinters that remained. With global warming, the conditions under which he will next lend me a rod seem unlikely to occur.

P.S. - this hat is much more reliable than the tinfoil - they leak thoughts, I'm told.

http://www.overmywaders.com/armadillohat.jpg

[Casey A. Wood]

Overmywaders wrote; "don't get the line wet." Would a dry line work better with that set up?

[nhmacusr]

Better yet, instead of batteries use an old crank mechanism from an old telephone. That way you would be more 'green'.