Post by ceilidh on Jan 4, 2006 23:47:33 GMT
Backing has two purposes:
i) to bulk out your reel (if this is not a large arbour one) so that the line itself is wound around a larger diameter and,
ii) to give you the scope to allow you to play a large fish at a much greater distance than the length of your normal casting line.
This topic is covered in greater detail in some of the other threads in this forum, ( search 'backing') however, to summarise very briefly, other than to maximise the effective diameter of the reel, for trout reels, 50-75 yds is normally more than adequate, for both rivers and stillwaters. For salmon, just in case you need to follow that 'fish of a lifetime' from one pool to the next, fill your reel with as much backing as it will carry whilst still leaving a comfortable space for your actual line, plus a bit extra since recovering line whilst playing a fish may take up more space than under controlled conditions. Having said that, only a few lucky anglers catch salmon that take more than a few yards of backing!
i) to bulk out your reel (if this is not a large arbour one) so that the line itself is wound around a larger diameter and,
ii) to give you the scope to allow you to play a large fish at a much greater distance than the length of your normal casting line.
This topic is covered in greater detail in some of the other threads in this forum, ( search 'backing') however, to summarise very briefly, other than to maximise the effective diameter of the reel, for trout reels, 50-75 yds is normally more than adequate, for both rivers and stillwaters. For salmon, just in case you need to follow that 'fish of a lifetime' from one pool to the next, fill your reel with as much backing as it will carry whilst still leaving a comfortable space for your actual line, plus a bit extra since recovering line whilst playing a fish may take up more space than under controlled conditions. Having said that, only a few lucky anglers catch salmon that take more than a few yards of backing!