![]() ![]() Once your reel is a third or half full of backing, tie a double surgeon’s loop in the end of the Dacron backing. Then you can step on the towel to create the tension you need to wind the backing tightly.Īs you crank the reel to wind the backing, move the backing back and forth across the width of the spool so it winds evenly and does not pile up on one side of the spool or the other. I recommend running the backing through a folded towel. As you wind it onto the reel, the backing should pass between the pages of a phone book or under your stocking foot to create tension. To ensure that you wind the backing under tension, have someone run a pencil through the backing spool and hold the ends of the pencil so the spool turns freely. This is when you use an uni knot to attach the backing directly to your spool. Take the end of the backing from the product spool, thread it through the rod’s stripping guide, through the reel line guard, around the spool arbor, and back out through the line guard. If you cast with your right hand, you’ll probably want to crank counterclockwise with your left hand, so lock your reel onto the reel seat with the reel handle facing to the left. It’s easiest to wind the backing if the reel is attached to the rod butt, so attach your empty reel to the rod in the position you intend to crank. If you can’t have a fly shop put backing on your reel, you can do it yourself but you should exercise great care in doing it right. Wind your backing onto the reel properly to avoid problems later. If you wind loose coils of backing near the base of the arbor, then wind tighter layers on top (such as when you land a large fish, or merely when you complete the job of winding the backing onto the reel) then the tight coils bury themselves under the loose coils, creating a snarl that jams your reel. Winding backing onto a reel is time-consuming (150 yards at one inch per crank), and the backing must be wound tightly and evenly, back and forth across the width of the reel arbor. They’ll charge you for the backing, but most don’t charge you for the service. It’s a good idea to buy your backing and fly line at a specialty fly shop, not only because the employees there can advise you on the best line for your local conditions, but because they have a line winder that spools line onto your reel effectively and quickly. (Usually 100 to 150 yards of 20- or 30-pound-test Dacron for most trout reels, and more than 250 yards of backing on saltwater reels used for tarpon, billfish, or other large fish.) If not, fill it to about a third or half full. Some reels have a mark on the inside of the spool frame to indicate how far to fill your reel with backing. In trout fishing, this is a rare event, but it can happen if you are in a big, fast river, and/or you are using small flies or light tippet. The backing literally “backs you up” if you hook a large fish that takes out your entire fly line (about 100 feet). Let’s start with your backing because if you are at home right now, starting with an empty reel, that’s the item you need to deal with first. As the old adage goes, “there are many ways to skin a cat,” and there are also many ways to connect all the pieces of your fly line system-here are some trusted and time-tested methods, and the reasons behind them. You’ll find that some knots are easier for you to tie than others, or you’ll find new methods of tying old knots. It doesn’t make you less of a fly fisher if you need to look up a lesser-used knot like a uni knot from time to time when you get a new reel and want to add backing. Most other knots can be tied using a reference such as this magazine. The knots you use to add a tippet, or tie on a fly, you’ll have to know by rote, because you’ll do it dozens of times each day. ![]()
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