The warning about fishing line though, is that most of it is made to degrade over time in water. If your fringe is 20 yrs old, I bet its not the biodegradable kind of fishing line...
I found
this little article about PowerPro, a type of fishing line that is used for beading, and is not biodegradable. It turns out that Fireline, which is commenly sold for beading, is pretty much the same thing.
So, I think I'm gonna take on re-beading one of my belts. The fringe that's on it now is a long V, about 12" at the longest point. I've never taken on such a big project!
I've heard mention about using grossgrain ribbon as the base. Do y'all thread right through the ribbon? Sounds like a good way to space your strands, but I wondered if this would make the ribbon weaker. I also have heard of using snap tape as a base, so the fringe could be moved between costumes. I think I'm gonna try that!