Need Saltwater Fly Fishers opions on Backing

My question involves your thoughts on gel spun backing vs. dacron? I have read a few articles as to how gel spun allows the use of more backing to be placed on the reel. I have also read that it has poor knot tying characteristics and how it's tension could cause friction and heat build-up.
My reel is capable of 300 yds of dacron so i dont see a need,although I hear gel spun is easier to lift off the water due to its thin diameter.
I want to hear from some people who Saltwater
fly fish as to the pros or cons or if you are for or against it based on experiences. Thanks....Ed

I guess it depends what you're going after. I fish in the salt a bit and I haven't been spooled yet with regular backing. Gel spun can cut you and dig into itself and is said to wear through the guides on your rod.

If you can fit 300 yds regular then either:

a) your reel is too big (unless it is a tuna/billfish setup)
b) you need not sweat the gel-spun

I'm using a system 2 (8-9)capasity for 330 yds of 20# backing . spool diameter is 3.75
Pesently I am using a 9wt line on it.
I am going up to 30 lb( so i'll lose a little but not much) and plan on using it on a 10wt rod. I may go to a 10wt line down the pike depending on which way the wind blows. But for now the 9wt line casts beautiflly.

from all the stuff i've read, i vote for micron or dacron or whatever that stuff is. the guides, cutting, and spool damage are reasons. about lifting it off the water: is that to cast? that'd mean you're lifting at least 100 feet of line off the water in front of the backing. whew.

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take him fishing

Gel Spun/Spectra lines do not harm guides. I have had no guide wear problems and neither has anyone else I know, including those whose backing has gone through the guides a lot more than mine on tuna and billfish. Reps for rod companies, both fly and conventional have also said no problem sith spectra lines. The kevlar lines that did come out about a decade or so did chew up guides and this fact about kevlar has been mis-associated with spectra by some.

Spectra is slick stuff, which is why most knots don't hold well with it. Even a 70-100 turn bimini gives less than 90% - though such a knot used in a connection to the fly line will still give you a connection stronger than your tippet.

Because of the thinner diameter compared to dacron, and its slickness, spectra generates less line drag when being pulled through the water - an important factor when dealing with speedsters like tuna, billfish, wahoo and so forth. With spectra you are much less likely to get breakoffs due to line drag than with dacron. Rather than put 600 yards of spectra on a reel that holds 300 yards of dacron, some anglers migh mix, say 100 yards of dacron and 400 of spectra to save some money, knowing they will probably never see that dacron in the water.

Of course, with the thinner diameter you can get more backing on a reel. As compared to 30lb dacron, you can get 1.6. to 2 times as much 50lb spectra on a reel, depending on the specific make of dacron and spectra used. The extra backing capacity is nice on a big reel used for big fast fish, or a smaller reel you may want to use for fish that might require more backing. For instance I recently went on a trip where I needed some reels with about 200 yards of backing and in wanted 30lb or better. I had two large arbor reels that would hold a 9wt wf line and about 100 yards of 30lb dacron. With a 10wt intermediate line I was able to get about 220 yards of 50 Power Pro spectra on them. Didn't need to buy new reels. I retained dacron on two larger reels that I took for the 12 and 13 wt rods since they already had 400 yards on them.

If you load your reel correctly, you won't have problems with the backing digging into itself. It should be wound on under tension and back and forth over itself. If it crosses over itself it won't dig in. I won't let anyone else load spectra on my reels because I wan't be sure its done right - or its my fault if it isn't.

Spectra can cut you, but if you don't try to grab it while a fish is running you won't get cut. I wear a lycra stripping guard on the finger I use to guide the line back on to the reel to prevent any burns or cuts if a fish surges and I'm slow on the finger. I have never been cut. I know some anglers have got some good cuts though, usually through admitted in attention.

So the primary advantages to spectra or gel spun backing is reduced line drag and greater backing capacity. The first is only important to me for heavyweight speedsters. The second I have used to effect to increase the versatility of some reels with limited backing capacity.

In my experience there are no disadvantages other than cost. But I have read that it is a bit less abrasion resistant than dacron which may be an issue when fishing around structure.

I have some reels with spectra and some with dacron (Cortland like JC noted or S.A.).

Most of the bluewater anglers that I know have gone exclusively to spectra. I have not but probably will over time.

Cabela's 30# Prestige Plus. Small diameter. You can probably put more 30# Prestige Plus backing on your reel as you can regular 20#.

Gil

tailing loop,
thanks for cutting through all the hyperbole written about sing spectra for backing. mostly from people who know nothing about it. i use it on some reels and not on others. never wore throuh my guides or cut my hand (unless I grabbed ahold of it while I was snagged on something). good job.

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Capt Gordon

http://www.flyfish-nc.com

Thanks for educating me on the gel backing.
I am one of those people Capt., that knew nothing about it, hence the rason I asked.
Some pretty informative information contained above, and a special thanks to Tailingloop. That's the one thing nice about this site......you can always learn new things.....Ed

TailingLoop did a great job filling you in on Spectra. Those who tell you it damages rods and performs poorly are likely the companies competing against spectra products. Some of the super lines in the past have been damaging to guides. The older Spiderwire is one of them that absolutely did damage gear. Not sure if it's any better now.

I use PowerPro as backing on all of my reels that call for higher capacity due to what I'm chasing.
You say your reel will hold 300 yards of Dacron. Depending on what you are fishing for, that may very well be more than adequate. I spend my fair share of time chasing speedsters like Tuna, Billfish and Wahoo. These fish will break Dacron and fly line with high speed runs and the water drag on the line. They may also spool you straight down with 300 yards of backing.

So, my pelagic reels are spooled with 50 or 65lb PowerPro. I have never had a single knot issue at any time. I have caught a lot of Yellowfin as well as other very strong fish and really put a lot of heat on them. I have never had my PowerPro dig into the spool and create an issue. I?m talking serious pressure for extended periods of time and no problems at all. If you spool your reel properly you'll never have a problem. Will the Specrta cut you . . . absolutely it will. That being said, try grabbing 30lb Dacron or wrap it around your finger when a Tuna plows your fly. Guess what will happen. Yup, that Dacron will cut you just as badly.

Yellowfin Tuna near the century mark, countless sharks over 200 pounds, numerous Jacks between 40 and 70lbs as well as many other mean fish have found out the hard way that spectra backing can be very effective.

So it's simple, spectra is a GREAT backing option IF you really need it. If you do not need it then save your money and buy dacron.


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Jeff - AKA Dr. Fish
If it has fins and swims than I must chase it!