Tippet shelf life

I try to fish enough that I run out of tippet before a year goes by.

• This reply was modified 5 years ago by Kenny Klimes.

Here is an answer from Orvis:

“This is a difficult question to answer, as there are so many variables aside from time to consider—UV exposure, temperature, humidity, chemicals (DEET, sunscreen), etc. The one factor that many people fail to consider is heat, especially the kind that is generated in a car trunk or on the deck of a boat in July. These extreme temperatures can, over time, break down the material quickly, even though it is not exposed to UV.

You should store excess leaders and tippet in the house—not your vest—preferably in a cool place; some people even keep them in the freezer. Your vest/chest pack is actually the worstplace to store leader and tippet. Take what you need to fish that day or on that trip, and leave everything else at home.

In general, fluorocarbon is going to last longer than nylon, because fluorocarbon is impervious to UV; it can, however, get milky with prolonged exposure, which makes it more visible to the fish. As a rule of thumb, I would replace material every two years unless it shows signs of degradation—then I would chuck it immediately.”
So now you know. . .and you have a good response ready when your significant other asks why your fishing gear is stored next to the tater tots.

Tim, hit it on the head.  Heat probably is the biggest destroyer of tippet (actually any mono line – i.e. includes leaders too).  If tippet is kept out of the sun or heat it can last a long time.  The “fresh” tippet idea isn’t as true as some fly fishers believe. But if you don’t fish a lot then get the smaller spools of tippet not the guide size.  If your tippet seems to break too often then check your knots, that’s probably the culprit more than the tippet being old.  Remember always, always wet or spit on your knots before tightening them.  They should slide tight.

Almost forgot – 7x tippet??? be very careful on hook set.  😉

• This reply was modified 5 years ago by Kenny Klimes.