"Randy" wrote in message
...
All,

I'm just about to pick up a new fly line and was checking out the
prices
on Ebay for fun. Lines are VERY cheap on Ebay. Its makes me wonder
if
somebody buys these lines as closeouts because they are being
rotated
off shelves? I know that lines deteriorate after a few seasons of
use
but do they go bad just sitting on the shelf for a couple of years?
I've
heard that you dont want to use old leader or tippet material, I
wonder
if the same is true for lines?

In the fullness of geologic time, even planets will go bad......if
they aren't properly stored. That's really the key to the issue.
Keep the line in its original container or, preferably, in an airtight
bag, keep it away from solvents, excessive heat, light.....especially
sunlight....and continental subduction zones. It should keep for many
years.

The matter of tippet material is somewhat more controversial. With
its thin diameter and relatively high surface area to mass ration, it
doesn't take nearly as long for oxidation or evaporation to do
significant damage. That said, I've successfully used stuff that's
been around for a few years as long as it was stored with the above
criteria in mind.

Wolfgang