Tippet
In fly fishing, the level section of line added to the thin end of a tapered leader, replaced as fly changes eat it away.
A fly leader is tapered, so every time you cut a fly off and tie a new one on you are removing a little more of the thinnest end and moving up into thicker material. Tippet is the fix: a spool of level line in a matching diameter that you tie onto the end and consume instead.
Tippet is sized by the X system, which runs backwards. 0X is thick, 7X is hair-fine. Common trout sizes are 4X and 5X, roughly 6 and 4.75 pound test. The old rule of thumb is that the X number plus the hook size should come to about 10, so a size 14 dry fly wants roughly 4X or 5X.
Fluorocarbon tippet sinks and hides better for nymphs and streamers. Nylon tippet floats and is the usual choice for dry flies.
Carry 4X and 5X and you can fish nearly all trout water. Add a foot or two of fresh tippet whenever the leader gets noticeably shorter.
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