Filler Line, Reel Backing?

[MstStudent10]

With all the talk about line, I came across something I just never thought of. When you guys talk about reel backing and filler line, do you mean you fill up your reel spool like half way with a cheaper line, and then tie on your good line for the last half??? THAT IS A GREAT IDEA!! To this day I've always just filled up my spool with whatever line i'm gonna be using, which has me struggling to decide what type and lb test will best suit me for the upcoming months on my 4 baitcasters. It also gets expensive as the fishing changes and I have to re spool with new line to suit the conditions.

So how do you guys do this? I pretty much throw fluoro on everything except topwater, ranging from 8-17. What type of "filler line" works the best? And at what lb? Do you have to use roughly the same lb as what you will be throwing? And how much of the spool do you fill up? Will 1/2 work? Also, what is the best way to tie two separate lines together? The best knot for the job?

Thanks guys!

[nwaoutdoorsman]

With all the talk about line, I came across something I just never thought of. When you guys talk about reel backing and filler line, do you mean you fill up your reel spool like half way with a cheaper line, and then tie on your good line for the last half??? THAT IS A GREAT IDEA!! To this day I've always just filled up my spool with whatever line i'm gonna be using, which has me struggling to decide what type and lb test will best suit me for the upcoming months on my 4 baitcasters. It also gets expensive as the fishing changes and I have to re spool with new line to suit the conditions.

So how do you guys do this? I pretty much throw fluoro on everything except topwater, ranging from 8-17. What type of "filler line" works the best? And at what lb? Do you have to use roughly the same lb as what you will be throwing? And how much of the spool do you fill up? Will 1/2 work? Also, what is the best way to tie two separate lines together? The best knot for the job?

Thanks guys!

Its been so long since I put backing on that I dont even remember what I used. Any cheap or old line will work. As for size of backing I don't think that matters or that it has to match the line going over top of it. To tie the two together I just take the two ends, wrap around my finger and loop it thru, cinch it down, cut off the tag ends and spool on my new line. I fill my spool about a 1/4 to a 1/3 of backing. Saves alot of money if your doing several reels. The smaller the diameter the more backing you can use. It takes more 6lb test to fill a reel than 17lb test. Hope that helps!

[Flippin]

I usually put about 1/2 of the spool with backing (cheap line). Since most of the time I use a 6 - 10 lbs diameter braid/flouracarbon line I will usually put a 8lb test backing on so the uni-knot will tie well. So I have a backing, a braid and then a leader on one reel. This set up allow me to quickly and cheaply set my leader to different weights and lengths. I seldom have to change out the braid or the backing. So a spool of flouracarbon will last me a long time. With the price of flouracarbon I cant afford to blow through it. I tie each line together with a uni-knot.

[Wayne SW/MO]

That is one of the advantages of braid, simply change the leader to fit new conditions. You can go from a 6# co-polymer to a 20# fluorocarbon and back. You don't leave much line if you break off either. If things are really tough, leave the leader off.

[Gavin]

I use a surgeons knot for braid to mono or flouro.....its alot quicker than a uni to uni...and no problems so far.

http://killroys.com/knots/surgeon.htm

[CaptainJoe]

I use the cheapest 12# mono I can find. I tie it with a uni-to-uni knot. This knot is for lines of different diameter and that is why I use it. I don't have to worry about what lines I can tie together. I fill up the reel about 25%.

[Gone Fishing]

I bought a line counter at BP. After putting on my filler I will put on around 200ft of my good line. This way I can get 3 reels of the expensive fluoro out of a spool.

[cofobasser]

Hey man, me and my dad have been doing this with our spinning reels for a while and it saves money. We fill up the spool just a little bit then take tape and wrap it around the line, then just spool on the rest with what we are going to use.

[Sam]

I came across something I just never thought of. When you guys talk about reel backing and filler line, do you mean you fill up your reel spool like half way with a cheaper line, and then tie on your good line for the last half??? THAT IS A GREAT IDEA!!

I think if you fish long enough, old ideas become new again.

I remember my dad and I spooling up our reels with the NEW monofilament line and using our old thick black braid that came before it as a backing. That's because monofilament was too expensive to fill a whole reel with, about 1958 or so.

[Fishin' Freak]

I like to use the cheap red cajun line as a backer in 8 and 10 pound test depending on how big of line I am adding to my reel. I like the red because it allows me to see when my spool is starting to run low. Just something I prefer.