Fly Line backing - ever seen yours?

beeber2

beeber2

Member
Joined
Sep 13, 2006
Messages
720
Just wondering how many people have seen their backing while fishing in PA...
 
Never in PA.

I've hooked some bass that should've taken me there. The pond was too small though, I could've cast across it.

I hooked carp that would've, but I broke them off rather than run after them.

I hooked a pig trout one day that wanted to, but was heading for another angler's feet the next run down. I tried to put the brakes on and he broke me off. All of my other large trout have been in smaller streams.

Now, salmon fishing... That's another story. I think I saw my backing more than my fly line.
 
I've seen my backing two times, once on a upper Delaware rainbow and the other on a two-foot brownie that ran downstream three pools.
 
Never!

The times I was expecting too during hook-ups I always got broke off.

I might try the Harvey knot this year.
 
Never!
I get trout in rather quickly and don't give the opportunity to take a lot of line. Even the carp I have caught haven't taen much line.
Plus, I don't catch very many large(20"+) fish.
 
trout - a few times

bass - several times

pike/muskies/carp/stripers - nearly every time I hook up
 
only once on a bet..a buddy bet me I couldn't cast my whole line out. Somehow I managed to do it...was to the backing and wound it in. I was a cheap 80 foot line though....Needless to say I had to buy the beer on the way home but it was his money so...the same buddy a month later hooked "something" below Hells Canyon Dam that took him a good 50 feet into his backing before I yelled "grab it" and he broke it off. He was shaking...
 
I voted for twice. Once on big carp (he got me into to backing three times in a big back and forth battle that had me running after him quite a distance) and another time on a really long cast (just to see if I could do it).
 
I see it when I clean my line!

Only once on a big trout
 
Interesting Poll - Almost every time I fish the upper Delaware I see the backing at least once per day. Big fish, big river.

On a recent discussion on reels, most were of the opinion that a reel is just a spool. I interjected, big river, big fish, you need a really good reel (afer two 23" browns in one day I sold my battenkill and bought a ross evolution). Most disagreed with me.

What do I mean by really good reel. Great drag, low inertia to start reel. Whenever I have been into the backing it was a 20" plus fish, typically 7x tippet, sometimes 6x, never bigger. While I was nervous the first time, I am now confident when I get into the backing (but happy when I get the line back on the reel).

This is on a sage 5wt, and a winston 4 wt, mostly the 5 wt on the Delaware. Interestingly last year I caught and released three 18" rainbows inside of approximately 15 minutes on DePuys spring creek in Montana. Ankle deep riffles. One of those fish on the Delaware would have taken 15 minutes.

Quoting Jason Borger, from the "Nature of Fly Casting"

"keep in mind, however that a fish like a 20 inch rainbow may never pull out more than 10 yards of line in small waters, but that same fish may run 50 yards in a big river or lake"
 
I've never seen my backing while fishing. There is always hope!
 
Definite times I can remember are... a 17" brook trout that just decided he want to run I guess.

My biggest trout ever, a 25" Rainbow in the "run". Fortunately no one was fishing the upper end of the creek because it went from the outflow of the lake to the pavillion before i cornered it and landed it.

Then two smallmouth in the susky in the 16-18" range and one time with a carp in the Susky that I never got in.

I want to say that it's happened more, but I can't think too well right now. Oh, outside of PA I can think of 2 times.
 
Twice with steelies and once with a smallie but admittedly, my smallie line is only 65ft long. :lol:
 
Once - on a big rainbow on the Delaware. I remember thinking: "What do I do now?" and "I hope my nail knot is good enough!" I didn't land it - it made a big jump and I lost it, but it sure was fun!
 
I had to answer high because the question wasn't too specific. On the Yough, I often fish dries downstream and across and pay out line to extend the drift. While I won't have the backing on the water, I often see it on the reel under a few strands of the rear end of my fly line.
 
Never, came very close three times, twice fishing a local stream, caught two stocked trout about 25 inches.

the other time fishing the Delaware and landed one of those big Rainbows in some fast moving water. One of the few fish I caught on the trip!
 
I've seen my backing 3 times that I can remember. Once on by a whopper rainbow on the Bighorn river in Montana. Once by a monster 26" brown on one of the limestoners in Centre county and just a few weeks ago a fresh chromer in Erie managed to show me my backing. He unlike the other two did a little tail walking, gave me the middle fin and said "SEE YA!"

So 2 outta 3 in PA. NOT BAD!
 
twice to big stripers 40lb.+ in the lower river.
once to a carp..a few to muskies and shad..oh and a cat in the river..

at the shore lost a full spool of 200yd.backing and line to a huge cow nosed ray...
in delaware saw it with a sand bar shark..
and a few large stripers and blues......
a time or 2 in the keys with bones too..
 
Never on trout or Bass but almost every bone fishi I caught took me to the backing if it didn't break me off 'cause I was palming the reel along with the drag ... big mistake.
Buffalo
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Latest posts

Montana Angler Fly Fishing
Montana Angler Fly Fishing
Harman's North Fork Cottages


Real Time Data From
the USGS Site

Share this page

Back
Top