I heard on another fishing show instead of putting water on your guides and reels to put furniture polish on them. Will this make the line smell the next time i go fishing and scare the fish away?

This is a misunderstood topic that I get asked about all the time, usually after it is too late. First, DO NOT ever put furniture polish on monofilament, or anything that may contact it such as guides, reels, etc….. It will destroy your line. Also, do not put furniture polish on fly lines, for the same reason. This urban myth keeps comming up year after year. Where it got started is a misunderstanding of basic maintenance procedures for your gear. Once a year, savy anglers like myself completly disassemble EVERY piece of fishing gear we own, clean, oil replace and maintain ALL the parts, then reassemble and tune them. For rods, especially Fly Rods, this is important. You should change monofilament line every year. Your reels need to be disassemblerd, inspected and worn parts replaced, then oil the appropriate parts, and reassemble and test them. That’s why I am still fishing with reels that belonged to my Grand Dad. They are in as good-as-new shape. I have a Mitchell 300, and it’s sire, the Luxor 300, made in the 1930s that I still catch fish with every year. Luckily, replacement parts are still available from Mitchell. Rod guides, handles and reel seats need to be inspected and replaced as needed. To protect your rods finish, and cork handles, you finish by putting a thin wipe of funtiture polish on them. Notice, this is on the rod itself, and the handle. Not the guides! Your guides should be inspected for nicks, bends and other deformaties, and replaced if needed. Run a pencil or small dowel along the inside of your guides. If you feel any roughness, take a small piece of 000 steel wool (only on steel guides) and using the dowel, lightly buff the inside of the guides until they are once again smooth. For plastic guides, simply replace them. Guides should never be lubricated. Just keep them dry by wiping them off after every fishing trip. Be sure to rinse all your rods, reels and fishing line in fresh water after fishing in saltwater, and dry everything thoroughly. To protect your fly line, it is common to treat it with Armor-All, but this is cleaned off before use. If you really feel that your guides should be lubricated, simply take a solid piece of beeswax (the real stuff, not imitation), and rub it along the inside of your guides. You can dress your line safetly with beeswax as well. This is the only safe thing to put on monofilament. Happy Fishing!