NorCal Kayak Anglers
Kayak Fishing Zone => Kayak Fly Fishing => Topic started by: Scurvy on February 06, 2016, 03:19:21 PM
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Alright fly fishing masters, here's my question: "Thoughts on Spectra or other backing for an Albright 9/10 large arbor setup?" Also, w/ either Spectra or gel-spun lines like KastKing, have peeps had experience w/ the color leaching off onto the fly line?
TIA,
Bradley
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Uh oh. Aren't there any kayak fly fisherpersons here who have an opinion on backing??? I'm actually asking for opinions. :smt012
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Change the title of your post to "Fly fishing question????????????"
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You might want to browse the Washington Fly Fishing forum.
From what I understand of the conversation, the argument against Spectra backing is that it digs into itself. I, personally, don't understand why it would dig in more with a fly reel than any other reel, but that's the theory. Gel-spun fly line backings are the alternative, and I'm using one rated at 50# on a Galvan T-8 without any issues.
Why do you want to put a non-Dacron backing on your reel? You should have a reason before investing in a more expensive backing, because gel-spun and Spectra are pretty spendy.
For me, I changed-out the Dacron because I (bank) fish for salmon in fast-moving rivers, can get into the backing very quickly, and wanted the extra length of backing you can spool with either Spectra or gel-spun.
Some - maybe many - people use 50# and 60# Spectra for backing with no issues.
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I fly fish quite a bit, but I have no experience with rods over a 5 weight. I think I have only had a fish get me on to the backing once.
However, having no experience has never stopped me from sharing an opinion, so here goes:
1) Regarding color leaching: Why does this matter? The part of your line you really need to see is the business end. If leaching is a possibility, I might be concerned about other chemicals leaching to the fly line an compromising its other qualities. That said, the tail of the fly line just needs to be strong. Now, if you are asking for fashion reasons, because you chose chartreuse line to match a new pfd, that's a different question/
2) If you are choosing to switch the backing to get more length, like Tinker, another way to achieve the same end is to NOT use a large arbor reel, right. Using a reel that can hold more backing gives you more length to fight the fish.
As I said, this opinion is likely uninformed, but at least it isn't unsolicited!
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I have the same reel and I use Cortland micro-backing (250 yards). Been into the backing a couple of times but that was with my 8wt. I know a couple of people who use the same reel for albacore and they run 250-300 yards of micro-backing and they use every bit of it on the first screaming run. Mostly it there for to take up space so the fly line comes off smoother when casting or a fish makes a run. Even on my spey set up using the same reel with the spare spool I'm running 150 yards of micro-backing and never been into the backing.
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What are you fishing for out of a kayak with a 9/10 that you're concerned backing will be an issue?
Is it because a fish is gonna rip off 200 yards or maybe you want it to sink super deep with little drag?
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I use spectra on my larger reels where I want more backing length in case a large saltwater fish takes off on me. It has happened where the fish made an unstoppable run where I had to go chasing after a lot of backing out. I haven't had any issues with color bleeding but if you are concerned about it you could soak and test the line first.
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Thank you one and all! Sorry for not getting back to this for such a long time, but work got very hot and heavy.
The outcome is that I spooled up 300yds of KastKing, white color. Why? Because of the big fish, deep water fishing I hope to do. BTW, the KastKing came in at $12/300 yds, vs $9/100 yds.