Fluorocarbon Leader Shelf Life

[Salvatore]

Hey Raiders,

 

I was devastated to learn today that my favourite FC leader is being discontinued. Before it is no longer available, I want to stock up on it. Any idea what the shelf life of FC Leader would be if stored in the dark in a relatively constant temperature?

 

Cheers,

Sal

[noelm]

It should last for decades if stored correctly, it's just a type of nylon when it's all said and done. Is there any reason you like that particular brand? I have found next to no difference in quality lines.

Edited June 11, 2023 by noelm

[Green Hornet]

Keep it in a dark cupboard or drawer away from damaging uv light and it will last for years.

[Rebel]

I have some that is over seven years old. Nothing wrong with it.

Stored in a cupboard.

[noelm]

Since reading this yesterday, I dug out a spool of 15KG mono that has been in the back of my "fishing" cupboard for more than 25 years, I got about 50 metres of it, gave it a long hard stretch, all OK, tested it, and it broke reliably at around 13-16kg, so.......my guess is I would use that line with full confidence. The spool was stored inside a cupboard (so mostly dark) in my garage, (kind of limited heat from weather) and appears to be as good as new.

[slowjigger]

Fluorocarbon lasts a fair bit longer than mono. Unless it's braid (will last for decades) it has a limited shelf life though even if stored in a cupboard. It's not the sort of stuff you want to stockpile but rather buy as you need it. If it is for leaders you might have a bit more leeway if they are heavier than your main line. 

[Tinkicka]

Hi,

I’ve been making my own leaders for fly fishing for over a decade. I have been using mono and have stored the spools in foil ziplock bags (the same as you buy coffee beans in) for all that time. The mono is just like the day it was manufactured. I can’t see why this wouldn’t work with FC. You need to measure the size of the spool and then buy the appropriate bags from eBay….

Hope this helps.

Tinkicka

[noelm]

I am not convinced mono has to be stored "in the dark" as long as it's not in direct sunlight (in my opinion) is sufficient, I fooled around with a small spool of rubbish line, that we use for around the house (not fishing) that has been in direct sunlight, out in the weather (it's left on the fence) most of its life (maybe 2-3 years) and it appeared to be still OK when taking into account it was one of those cheap spools from a department store (Big W) I probably wouldn't use it for fishing, even when it was new, but..........

 

[Rebel]

I only use Mono. Top brands. Stored in a container in a cupboard.

Some of them are years old. I always put a date on them when I buy them.

Never had a problem when I have had to use them

Edited June 13, 2023 by Rebel

[Salvatore]

Thanks for all the replies!

I just really like using Sunline FC Rock as I've never had any problem with tying knots with it, and never had it break unexpectedly without an obvious reason. I guess I've tried and tested it and love it. I have tried some other leaders with less success.

Sounds like it might be a safe bet to stock up about 8-10 years worth whilst it is still available.

Thanks so much!

[Green Hornet]

11 hours ago, Salvatore said:

Thanks for all the replies!

I just really like using Sunline FC Rock as I've never had any problem with tying knots with it, and never had it break unexpectedly without an obvious reason. I guess I've tried and tested it and love it. I have tried some other leaders with less success.

Sounds like it might be a safe bet to stock up about 8-10 years worth whilst it is still available.

Thanks so much!

I’m an FC Rock fan myself. As you say, it ties a good knot and I particularly like the spools holding more line than most competitors.

There are plenty of other good options out there though, so if it disappears from the shelves, it isn’t the end of the world.

[JonD]

While we are all aware plastics do take many years, often hundreds to break down they do also change from exposure to sunlight uv rays in a detrimental way. You only have to look at any plastics you have around your garden to see this for yourselves, just look at the nylon washing line and plastic pegs for instance. Something many people might not be aware of is that lighter colours are effected faster than dark, with black being slower to break down from the harmful uv rays. 

So if you are using light coloured mono lines and exposing them to sunlight day after day, they will be degrading faster than you may think, which may not be obvious until that time you hook the so called fish of a lifetime.

In regards to fluoro, personally I don't waste my money on it. I took a variety of fluoro lines taped to a card to a depth of 34m on scuba, where all were easy to see. We personally did test after test alongside clear mono and found the mono (mamoi diamond clear) outfished the fluoro lines time after time with same rigs and bait. Knot strength and abrasion was also lower with the fluoro for us. The amount of plastic waste from the small spool sizes was also a concern for me. I have yet to find any line manufacturer stating which species of fish they used in their testing in regards to the line being invisible to fish. Fish have different eye structures, not all are the same, so what fish are they talking about and where is the proven data. I buy 1000m spools of mono which are kept in a cool dark place which I fill onto smaller old braid spools as my trace line. Each to their own though.

[noelm]

Fully agree on the Fluro in the water thing, I have done the exact same thing with lots of line, to our eyes (no idea about a fish eye) flurocarbon is not invisible, I think it was a marketing ploy that has worked for years. That said, fishing is a confidence thing, if you "think/feel" better using something, then do it.

[Burger]

I reckon you can just about guarantee that there is no actual testing with fish re FC line visibility, all the marketing is about FC having the same refractive index as salt water.