Dave, I still use stren 4lb line, I don't have any problems with it. I would love to find a date on a spool of line, so I would have a way of telling how long that particular spool had been coiled up. I would think the shorter time, the better. I second the recommendation about closing the bail manually on a spinning reel. I believe that does help. I also don't use the smaller, "pony" spools. I think their smaller diameter lends itself to line twists. When I spool up a reel, I first determine the direction of reel rotation as I turn the handle. Then I lay the fresh spool on the floor so the line comes off in the same direction of rotation as my reel. You don't want to try and put line that comes off in a clockwise direction on a reel turning counter-clockwise, or vice-versa. It works for me.
