Ice build up on eyelets?

[OTF]

Winter fishing is new for me. Last Sunday after a unsuccessful morning hunting ducks I decided to hit the river. 20 degrees when I got there. After 3 casts my guides on the rod froze. Kept having to yank the fly line in to break through the ice dams. Anyone have any good ideas about limiting this or a easy way to remove the ice?

Thank You

[michaeledward]

Time is one way of curing what ails you.

Just wait four to five months, and everything should be A-O-K.

;)

[lowwall]

1) Stanley's Ice off paste applied the night before or atleast in a warm enviroment will help.
2) Pam on there guides through out the day works and does not damage the line . I have tried that and Remoil teflon lubricant as well.

3)Fish with a dry line. Meaning, keep your drifts shorter and controlled, do not strip line in. When Guides are icing you are Nymping or not catching anything anyway so it is no big deal. A longer rod aids in doing this. With this being said you will get icy guides fishing in the winter no way of getting around it.

Looks like we have a warm spell ahead so you have a reprive for now

[Chuckmeister]

I fished the andro in gorham/shelburne this past weekend. My reel kept locking up on me and the drag wasn't working right before I even got down to the water haha. The wind was blowing hard making it hard to cast, snow was falling, guides were icing up. I kept pinching the ice out of them. But it was good to get out and try! I got some local intel about some "deep holes" up there, but didn't catch anything. Maybe next time! I'm going to have to try some different de-icing techniques. What about some type of heated rod? I was thinking about taking apart a set of grip heaters and run them up the rod? Then put some batteries in your coat?
http://www.casporttouring.com/store/graphics/00000002/symtecl.jpg

[OTF]

I like it!

[Chuckmeister]

Did a little looking around, apparently you can buy heating elements normally used from a rear defroster on a car in diy kits. I wonder if a couple lines ran up the length of the rod would work? Not sure if it would hurt the rod though?

[OTF]

Might be just the project to keep me busy with all this high water.

[OTF]

I found these DIY ideas online:

place 3 parts vinegar and one part water in a spray bottle, spray the rod to prevent build-up. You can also use rubbing alcohol if you don't have any vinegar (http://www.diylife.com/search/?q=vinegar). use two parts rubbing alcohol (http://www.diylife.com/search/?q=rubbing%20alcohol) to one part water, and you should have no more ice. or mix rubbing alcohol and a few drops of dish liquid.

The chemical alternative seems to be Teflon

You could easily soak your reel the night before in one of these solutions (not teflon).

Maybe i'll try it this weekend.