Long Life Leaders

How long can you keep a fly tied onto a cast without using it? Is there a danger the knot on the cast could become brittle or weaken?
Tom Low

Peter Cockwill replies: The only possible drawback to having flies ready-tied to leaders is the gradual deterioration of the leader material. Nylon is well known to lose its strength over time, so either replace your ready-tied leaders every year or use fluorocarbon which doesn’t degrade.

I make up leaders for one of my shop customers and he then wraps them round an old whisky bottle container, but there are some pretty neat devices called ‘rig bins’, used mainly in carp fishing, which will make a better job.

Reprinted with permission of Trout Fisherman magazine.