Backing

[Acristickid]

When I began flyfishing I just went along with how some gear was presented to me by the flyshops/experts.

I realized a couple times I had way too much backing on my reel. It was actually effecting my retrives. Have since specified to the person who was putting my new line on that I did'nt not want a ton of backing on my reel.

(As a side note- I still have never been into my backing. Look forward to that still)

Too much makes it difficult to retrive and strip out line to me.

Too little and your getting little coils???

What's your take on backing. Any formulas on size of reels or line size as to how many feet you go with?

 

[MKern]

I use dacron 20 lb. and definately not he 100 yards my reels recomend - proabably 50 yards at most.

Once it's on the reel I will never see it again. To me it's more of a cushion for my fly line than a running line.

 

[afishinado]

Put on enough backing to leave 1/4" or so space between the fly line and the reel spool when it's all wound on the spool. Don't over fill the spool or you may wind the sppol up on a fish and have it jam on the spool.

The less backing you use the smaller / tighter the line coils (a bad thing) and less line is retrieved with every turn of the handle. Less backing nullifies the advantages of a large arbor reel.

 

[tomgamber]

afishinado wrote:


The less backing you use the smaller / tighter the line coils (a bad thing) and less line is retrieved with every turn of the handle. Less backing nullifies the advantages of a large arbor reel.

Which is why I don't think its a good idea to cut a DT line in half.

 

[afishinado]

I agree, that's why I would definitely add enough backing to make up for the space when cutting a line in half.

 

[JackM]

I agree and to make this easier to judge the amount of backing needed, I learned to wind the line on taper first, then attach backing and wind until you have the amount you want, then pull it out and reverse it.

 

[jayL]

I just eyeball it anymore, but I've used the method Jack mentioned with success.

I'll also often ask fly shops to do it for me, if they have the auto spooler thingy.

 

[gulfgreyhound]

Jacks way works .If you fill it to full and don''t watch what you are doing you can get the line to bunch up and stick or bind the reel.Then the fun begins.
Paul, Ontario tribs in Oct or Nov. Those nasty browns will get into your backing.I'm going back this fall come hell or high water. Missed this year and it won't happen again.

 

[AlwaysWading]

I had two reels strung by the same place, one has more backing then the other. They are different sizes but I doubt it was anything other then the preference of the guy sitting there filling the reel, rather then size.

Lots of backing can be helpful though. A few years ago we were fishing the Cat, right on the Indian reservation. My buddy and I were well downstream working a big pool. I looked back at our another guy in our group and he was running towards as fast as he could make his way along the scrub brush bank. Out ahead of him I could see fly line heading towards us and lots of bright white backing. That fish came all the way down to us (maybe three or four hundred feet, found a fallen tree and snapped the tippet. It was a good thing he had plenty of backing on the reel, otherwise he would have been holding an empty reel, because he could barely keep up with the running fish.

 

[osprey]

Try setting up your backing in reverse until there is sufficient amount you are comfortable with. what i mean is attach the fly line to the reel first then wind on enough backing till you are comfortable with it , cut the backing there and then just walk everything out and reverse it on the reel i hope you can get what i mean here. I had the same problem when i tried to put the amount on that the manufacturers recomended (reel manufacturers) if you have the space to walk everything out like a big lawn or field it doesn't take very long. Try this i think this will work for you.

 

[jaybo41]

I do it the easy way. Buy my line in a fly shop and let them spool it up.

 

[Maurice]

Yeah I do it like Jack and Osprey....and I have to compliment Osprey on his method of "walking it out in the yard" My method of taking it back off is to strip it off onto a spool and then to another to get the backing end free to place onthe arbor of the same reel.

Whatever you do....don't hang it in loose coils or spool it onto the floor expecting to spool it back onto the reel. Expecially when a cat is in the room...Its an ugly scene.

Remember you will need to go flyline to backing knot and then all the backing to 1/8" form the frame of the reel. THEN take the line off in a manner to keep the end of the backing free and available to put it on the arbor when you get to the arbor. This may sound like a simple principle but it must be thought out or you will waste a spools worth of backing.

Walking it off in the yard in a back and forth mannor is the ideal way...unless its winter or raining. then I would wind it onto a large cylinder (coffee can) and then onto another to get the backing end free.

Just a word of experience here. They don't call it the school of hard knocks for nothing.

 

[JasonS]

Maurice wrote:

Whatever you do....don't hang it in loose coils or spool it onto the floor expecting to spool it back onto the reel. Expecially when a cat is in the room...Its an ugly scene.

After the first day I went out fly fishing with my "mentor" he advised that I should clean my fly line after every use. He told me to use warm water with a little dish detergent. So I get home motivated to take proper care of my gear. I fill up the sink with warm water and put a little detergent in there. I then proceed to start stripping the line directly into the sink until I get to my backing. Next I start swishing the line around in the water to make sure it all gets clean. I empty the sink and run some more warm water over it to get the soap off it. I started to reel the line back on to the spool, well I got about 5 feet back on then had the mother of all knots. The whole fly line was balled up into one giant knot. I swear it took about 2 hours to unravel it. I almost gave up fly fishing that night.

As far as the original post goes, I just get the shops to put it on for me.

 

[Maurice]

I knew there was a reason I never clean my lines....

 

[osprey]

Not to be redundant but........clean your line the same way , attach the leader end to something and walk out as much as you want to clean if the leader end is fastened to something solid you can clean with a back and forth motion , Bon Ami cleanser in a small amount of warm water will do the trick.......thanks for the atta boy mo.

 

[Spyder20oz]

Just guess when spooling a reel... its easy

 

[osprey]

Spyder i just am amazed at how helpful and friendly you are ..........keep up the good work man.

 

[pete41]

"Just guess when spooling a reel... its easy"
"Spyder i just am amazed at how helpful and friendly you are ..........keep up the good work man."

I have to admit I have been wondering if this was a joke thread-
fill one and eyeball the rest seems easier-

 

[osprey]

Pete that's exacly what i mean, but not just guess, eyeball.