Fly Fishing Forum banner

Alternatives to dacron backing?

8K views 6 replies 5 participants last post by  Smolt 
#1 ·
I would like to hear from folks regarding their experiences with some of the alternatives to dacron backing. Micron, gelspun, P-Line, Power Line spectra have all gotten some press as ways to put more backing in less space on your reel. Before I go making any wholesale changes, I would love to hear from some of you who have actually used some of these alternatives to see whether the additional expense and trouble is worth it. More strength in less room certainly sounds like a desireable end to meet. Whaddaya think?

Nick
 
#2 ·
Nick,

"Micron" is made of dacron. You may be thinking of "Micronite" which, according to its manufacturer (who is not a sponsor, so shall remain nameless) is a "super braid backing " that enables you to add more backing without increasing reel size". I don't know how much more backing you can squeeze onto the spool, and I don't know what it is made from.

I use Micron and have no complaints.

My $0.02.
 
#3 ·
I have tried a bunch but will only use regular dacron and saltwater gel spun.

I don't need 300 yds of backing on my reels. More importantly have found that
if you have a large fish/cranked drag, the fine diameter stuff will dig into itself on
the spool and basically tangle or effect the drag to the point that you will lose the fish.

.02
 
#4 ·
BigDave,

I have found that will happen as well if the shop that installs the backing using a machine tries to lay the backing up in nice even rows, perpendicular to the spool. IMHO, backing should be applied using a broad, sweeping motion that avoids the neat, side-by-side rows. You get less backing on the spool, but you don't have to worry about "bite" breaking off fish.
 
#5 ·
I'm in agreement with BigDave here, I've had many cases like this happen with spinning tackle. I also find that what Smolt is saying is true but the backing still digs into the spool to a certain extent. I'd much rather sacrafice a few yards of backing for a more consistant drag.
 
#6 ·
Backing on the cheap

This is veering off the original course, but one factor in choosing backing can be economy. If you have a lot of reels, the total cost of filling them all with premium dacron or gell-spun backing gets painful. I've bought and equipped a number of second-, third-, and forth-string reels and lines in the last few years, mainly with the money-saving help of eBay. In a lot of cases, a used reel has come with the bonus of free backing, and sometimes with fly line and all. Free is a great price.
(I've found strange things on some reels: a fly line over cotton twine backing - over another sinking fly line ...but that's another story.)
Part of the lore of tackle rigging is that monofilament should never be used as backing, because it stretches; and if wound on under a fish's tension, could warp and crush a spool hub. Maybe, but I've never heard of that happening; have you? (One of my purchases had mono of approx. 60 lb. test; I doubt if that could have been stretched dangerously.) For some of my light line trout reels, where the chance of fighting a big, strong fish are remote, I used 25 lb. test nylon kite string. I bought a 200-yard spool at a grocery store for about $1.98.
 
#7 ·
"Part of the lore of tackle rigging is that monofilament should never be used as backing, because it stretches; and if wound on under a fish's tension, could warp and crush a spool hub. Maybe, but I've never heard of that happening; have you? "


I had a Michell 408 spinning reel loaded with 4lb test (yes "4") Stren that I was lucky enough to catch a whole lot of smallmouth on one summer. When I took the reel out the next Spring, the spool was crushed virtually in half.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top