After an hours drive I entered the water for what I thought would be a great day of fishing. I wasn’t in the water for 5 min. when I hooked onto a beautiful rainbow. I released and kept fishing with luck changing I decided to change flys. After a few more cast. My line started to tighten up on my reel. Some how without noticing I dragged in discarded tippit, so tight into my reel I had to leave. I drove to to the fly shop (Lower forty outfitters.) the owner, Jim Binder offered to help cut out the line from my reel. This cost me the price of new line leader, tippit, and a lost day of fishing.
Pick up discarded line, even if it is not yours
thanks TonyC.
Great point…and to add to that…discarded leaders and tippets kill birds and animals. I managed to save a few birds from leader entanglements but sadly that was only a very small dent in the dead animals and birds I have found tangled in the stuff. Leaving that stuff laying around is a sure fire method to loose our fishing rights. Animal rights groups love that stuff. So pick it up when you find it. I’m sure everyone on here takes care to discard theirs the right way…but there are a large population of lazy moron loogans out there that don’t give a rats fanny.
I designate a pocket for just exactly that. Left rear if memory serves me, when I’m weary hip waders. Inside pocket of my chest waders if I’m wearing them.
I carry a FFF endorsed tool with me to manage my used leaders and tippet, the monoMaster by Grasshopper Products. I have it hooked to my lanyard and simply roll the leader up into it. Everyone should have one with them when fishing.
http://www.grasshopperproducts.com/
Larry 
—sagefisher—
that MonoMaster is really a great tool! my excess tippet kept coming back out of my pocket on my wet hands, but this little gizmo twirls it up in a jiffy. it cleans out really easily too.
might seem expensive until you try to put a value the life of a songbird…priceless, right?
I second the use of the Monomaster. Its a low cost yet highly usefull tool. No more fighting lumps of used tippet into vest pockets. The anglers that fish the water after you will be greatfull.
I have to agree with everyone. That used mono, whether it be tippet or leader, is a bane to flyfishing, etc. I carry a Zip-lock sandwich bag when I’m on the water, they hold a bunch of mono, and as a benefit, you just throw away the whole thing when you get to a trash can.
Mike
Yup just emptied my Mono-Master for the 15th time jammed full of leader/tippet, and just plain mono… I have retired a lot of lost terminal tackle… and we have had no barb laws here for a while and a large # have barbs… Tinkles me off!!!
I bought one about a month ago and it has served me and the streams very well. Seems like I’m picking up others tippet material all the time. Stick the end in and give it a twirl and it’s done. No more stuck zippers etc.
Bernie