How Much Backing To Use?

[aavery2]

How much backing to use when using braided or other expensive line is a question that is asked often.  Many people have come up with clever ways to get the job done, but they sometimes don't answer the question.

 

Several years ago I was taught a method that uses a cheap line counter, basic math skills, information from the reel and line to come up with a very accurate answer.

 

It may seem a little complicated at first but after you do it once or twice it is very easy.  When I worked for Gander Mountain and would spool braided line onto new reels for customers this is the method that I would use.

 

The first thing you need to know is what is the Total Capacity Factor (TCF)  of the spool you are filling. This information is right on the box of the reel, sometimes it is even printed right on the reel itself.  In this example lets use the new Curado I, as it is a very popular reel right now.  The spool of the Curado I holds 155 yards of 10lb test mono. line.   We need one more piece of information to determine our TCF, the diameter of 10lb test mono.    Mono line are fairly consistent in diameter and you can use a common line to get this information.  For this example I chose Suffix Elite Mono, and it has a diameter of .012.

 

To figure the TCF we simply multiply the capacity of the reel by the diameter of the line.  155 yards X .012 diameter = 1.86

 

So our TCF for this reel is 1.86    

 

In this example we are going to determine how much mono backing we will require if we want to spool our reel with  55 yards of 50lb test Power Pro braid.

 

The next thing we need to figure is  our Braided Line Capacity (BLC)  it is very easy to figure this, all that is required to know is how much braided line you want to put on the spool and its diameter.  For our example we are using 55 yards of 50 lb test Power Pro  braided line and it has a diameter of .014, the diameter comes right off the box.

 

To figure BLC we just multiply the yards of braided line we want to use by the diameter of that line.   55 yards X .014 diameter  = 0.77

 

So we now know what our Total Capacity Factor (TCF) is and our Braided Line Capacity (BLC) the only thing we have left to figure is how much backing to put on the reel so our 55 yards of braided line fill it perfectly.

 

The way we do this is to Subtract the BLC from the TCF or  1.86 - 0.77 = 1.09, this is the Remaining Capacity Factor (RCF). To finish the job we just need to know the diameter of the backing line that we are going to use, in this case we are going to use 20lb test Suffix Elite Mono with a diameter of .018.

 

We then divide the RCF by the line diameter of the mono. backing line.   1.09 / .018 = 60.5.   We need 60.5 yards of 20lb Suffix Elite mono and 55 yards of 50lb test Power Pro braid to properly fill the spool.

 

As I originally said, it seems a little complicated at first, but if you work through it even a couple of times you will see how simple it really is.

One of you smart guys could probably whip out a spread sheet that could make this very easy.

 

Good Luck.

 

 

 

 

 

[Catch and Grease]

Pretty neat but I just geusstimate...

[aavery2]

Pretty neat but I just geusstimate...

If that works for you then I would not change.  It does suck though when you don't put enough backing on a reel and then spool the braid on and come up quite a bit short of filling the spool.

[hzzhangc]

What I did is use two reels. First spool the line I want after I feel the line is good enough I fill the spool with the backing line. Then just spool it back to another reel. The only problem is you need two reels with close line capacity.

[FlipSide]

This is why im glad I only use braid on one rig lol

[aavery2]

What I did is use two reels. First spool the line I want after I feel the line is good enough I fill the spool with the backing line. Then just spool it back to another reel. The only problem is you need two reels with close line capacity.

That would work well.

[aavery2]

This is why im glad I only use braid on one rig lol

Remember when your 7th grade math teacher said, "pay attention"  now you know why.

[aavery2]

Another thing that you can do by using this technique is determine how much line a spool will hold of any line.

 

Say you want to run 65lb braid on a reel and want to know what the capacity of the spool would be.

 

You just figure your TCF with the information that your given on the spool.  In the case of the Curado I  that we used in our example above  we know that the reel holds 155 yards of 10lb test mono line and 10lb test mono line has a diameter of .012.

 

155 X .012 = 1.86

 

You then take the diameter of the line you want to use, in this case 65lb Power Pro with a diameter of  .016.

 

You just divide your TCF by the diameter of the new line and it will tell you how many yards it will hold

 

1.86 / .016 = 116.25

 

The Curado I will hold 116.25 yards of 65lb Power Pro braid.

 

It would be great if the reel manufacturers would adopt using TCF as a standard for rating their spools, then with simple math we would easily know how much line of any type a spool would hold.

[aavery2]

I am running into inconsistencies in what the reel mfgs are reporting for line capacity and what this formula says the reel should hold.  I am trying to get better information from the mfgs to see if it because of conversions from mm to inch and rounded numbers. 

 

For instance, using the numbers they report for capacity at 10lb test  my math suggests that the spool would hold 116.25 yards of 65lb test PP line.  On their website they report that the spool will hold only 80 yards of 65lb test PP line.   Considerable difference.

 

I will try to see where the math is off.

[Pinoy_Basser]

This what i do.

 

First decide how much Braid or FC I will spool up (usually i use 50 yrds).

Spool in the Braid/FC first then the backing.  Fill it up till you reach your target fill level then cut.

 

Remove all the line then reverse (Backing first then Braid/FC). 

I put a masking tape on the knot between the two lines then continue to spool.

I always designate the line type,lbs rating, Diameter, brand of line on each reel so to eliminate the need to respool new backing.

 

50 yrds of 20lbs Sufix PB on the 1001XT

50 yrds of 30lbs Sufix PB on the CU201I

[DelcoSol]

 My head hurts. Like said above I just guestimate. If it required that much thought I would probably never use braid lol. Thats good calculating by you though. 

[Goose52]

Three or four years ago, Raul posted in this forum the math formula that you are calling "TCF". For me it was one of those "duh" moments; a simple formula, but so useful and I have frequently used it over the years. Thanks for posting it again - lots of folks should get some use out of it...

Remember when your 7th grade math teacher said, "pay attention"  now you know why.

Sorry - don't remember that............7th grade was 50 years ago.............

[Tywithay]

I fill it up with cheap line, tie on a half ounce sinker, and cast as far as it will fly. Pull off about three-four full arm lengths, cut it, then put on the good stuff. Few lures have as little resistance as a sinker and the arm lengths add a cushion. It'd be hard to cast to the backing. I keep a cheap reel around to reel up the cheap mono I cut off, so it can be used again.

[tcbass]

That seems like lot of work. lol. From advice on here I just put on electrical tape over the spool and then the braid. It's worked great so far.

I have Power Pro on my first Baitcaster that is 6 years old and still going strong.

[Tywithay]

That seems like lot of work. lol. From advice on here I just put on electrical tape over the spool and then the braid. It's worked great so far.

I have Power Pro on my first Baitcaster that is 6 years old and still going strong.

I use backing to save money, not to keep the line from spinning on the spool. When you have to fill 30-40 reels each season, I'll save as much as I can.

[tcbass]

I use backing to save money, not to keep the line from spinning on the spool. When you have to fill 30-40 reels each season, I'll save as much as I can.

I believe it. I save money by using the same braid for over 6 years.

I doubt you can do the same with mono or fluro though.

[aavery2]

That seems like lot of work. lol. From advice on here I just put on electrical tape over the spool and then the braid. It's worked great so far.

I have Power Pro on my first Baitcaster that is 6 years old and still going strong.

As Tywhithay mentioned, the objective is to be able to use the same amount of line you used to fill a single spool to fill two or three.

[IAY]

I believe it. I save money by using the same braid for over 6 years.

I doubt you can do the same with mono or fluro though.

 

6 years is a bit of a stretch with any line IMO, but you can get decent mileage by keeping high quality mono/fluoro well maintained of about an year or so.

[J Francho]

I use a line counter, and another reel.  It's a pain the first time, but once the backer is on, you don't have to do it again.  You can use your original reel to get the line, but you'll need two empty reels to get it back on correctly.

[aavery2]

While  using the mathematical  method described will get you close but  it is less than perfect,  I have a calculator built on a spreadsheet that does a much more accurate job and only requires that you input your line diameters and a few other easy pieces of information and it will give you a very accurate answer.  If anyone is interested I would be happy to email you a copy, just shoot me a PM with your email address.  

 

Work smarter not harder.

[tcbass]

6 years is a bit of a stretch with any line IMO, but you can get decent mileage by keeping high quality mono/fluoro well maintained of about an year or so.

I honestly believe that a lot of the suggested replacement dates are more for sales and less because of actual necessity.

Like oil changes every 3,000 miles when it's now understood that you go about 6,000 miles per oil change. And how they recommend you need to change a bullet resistant vest every 5 years because of sun snd sweat damage which will breakdown the vest. Really? Do we change seatbeltd every 5 years for the same reason? They are arguably in the sun far more.

[aavery2]

I honestly believe that a lot of the suggested replacement dates are more for sales and less because of actual necessity.

Like oil changes every 3,000 miles when it's now understood that you go aboit 6,000 miles per oil change. And how they recommend you need to change a bullet resistant vest every 5 years because of sun snd sweat damage which will breakdown the vest. Really? Do we change seatbeltd every 5 years for the same reason? They are arguably in the sub far more.

I probably would if I had to depend on my seatbelts for stopping a bullet.

[tcbass]

I probably would if I had to depend on my seatbelts for stopping a bullet.

lol. You have a much higher likelihood of being or killed in a car accident then shot.

[IAY]

I honestly believe that a lot of the suggested replacement dates are more for sales and less because of actual necessity.

Like oil changes every 3,000 miles when it's now understood that you go aboit 6,000 miles per oil change. And how they recommend you need to change a bullet resistant vest every 5 years because of sun snd sweat damage which will breakdown the vest. Really? Do we change seatbeltd every 5 years for the same reason? They are arguably in the sub far more.

 

Well, it is going to depend on how you are using the braid. If you are using it in such manner that the line comes in contact with a lot of abrasion, you won't trust pitching with it as much right?

[tcbass]

Well, it is going to depend on how you are using the braid. If you are using it in such manner that the line comes in contact with a lot of abrasion, you won't trust pitching with it as much right?

I figure most people on here using braid if planning on coming in contact with a lot of abrasion causing surfaces would have a fluro leader, no?