Backing to the reel

[menchhofer 0]

Can a heavy mono filament be used as a substitute for backing to attaching the fly line to the reel?

[morfrost 0]

Possibly, but it's risky.

 

The reason for this is that mono will stretch under tension. If you hava a large fish on and it takes you into the backing, when you wind the line and backing back in to land the fish, the stretched mono will want to release the pressure because it went on stretched, and this could warp the sideplates of your spool and jam the reel up. This could wreck the reel.

 

That's why Dacron is typically used for backing; very little to no stretch.

[Hairstacker 0]

The general consensus for many years has been, no, you cannot for the reason Morfrost stated. Some of the folks who gave the warning often added the comment "Trust me on this . . . ." or something similar. That was always good enough for me.

 

-- Mike

[flytire 0]

you can also use gel spun backing

 

http://www.jsflyfishing.com/cgi-bin/item/L...=LL-224020-0000

[jbenwa 0]

Can a heavy mono filament be used as a substitute for backing to attaching the fly line to the reel?

 

 

what are you fishing for? some fish will never get you into your backing others will. In all my 3 years the only fish to take me into my backing is a carp and it scared the hell outta me. So i would say it depends on what your fishing

[utyer 0]

A couple of other things about Mono for backing: One it can be DAMN hard on the fingers if you ever get into the backing. It does stretch, and when wound back onto the real while it is streteched, will put a lot of pressure on the sides of the spool. Many lightweight reels won't handle the pressure too well. Mono can also absorb water. This will cause the mono to swell. When wound back on the spool, it may not all fit.