Mono backing opinions?

[pauldconyers]

Assuming we are not just talking about a BC reel you are going to fill up with mono anyways what are your thoughts about first applying mono backing? Is it just a way to save some money? Do you view it as something a "serious" fisherman would never do? Are there certain presentations or main lines you'd NEVER put mono backing on first? ANY chance of reducing the performance by using backing? Just curious as to people's thoughts on the matter. I've always been a put 100% main line on the reel guy and the other day I had a guy throw line on a new reel at the store for me and without saying anything he put mono backing on. I was kind of upset I wasn't asked first but then I figured I perhaps should try it out and see what I thought.

[ResoKP]

I only use mono backing when spooling with braid as it is necessary to keep the braid from slipping on the spool. Using tape is the other option but I prefer not to get tape residue on my spools. If I'm going mono or fluoro mainline, I just fill up the entire spool with it. No backing. Some people will add mono backing when going with fluoro mainline for the cost benefits.

 

For everything else, I don't understand why you mention "performance" because the whole idea of backing is that it should never be exposed during casting. Backing line should never leave the spool so whether you have mono backing or not, there should not be any difference when actually fishing...

[Glaucus]

I get $1 Zebco mono at Walmart and use it as backing for everything: mono I'll be fishing, Yo-Zuri, and braid, it all gets backing. No reason not to. It saves money and you get more spools.

[WRB]

The big difference in monofilament line and small diameter super braid besides price is weight. Mono weighs a lot more then braid and line weight increases reel spool weight.

Anglers tunning reels pay a lot of money to save a few grams of spool weight that can be achieved by not using mono backing.

Braid doesn't cold flow under pressure like mono does so it can be turned around end for end every year doubling it's useful performance life. I see no reason to use mono for backing, just tie direct using the spool holes.

Tom

[ResoKP]

55 minutes ago, WRB said:

Anglers tunning reels pay a lot of money to save a few grams of spool weight that can be achieved by not using mono backing.

Is there any practicality to this? Anglers who are actually conscious of spool weight won't be using a deep spool and the high dollar light-weight spools (ZPI, etc..) would be quite shallow that in either circumstances, even if you decide to put backing, it won't be much and I doubt that little bit of backing makes much of a difference.

 

Anyone here actually care about added weight due to mono backing? Genuinely curious.

 

Anything beyond that, you're basically getting into BFS which is an entirely different topic...

[WRB]

4 minutes ago, ResoKP said:

Is there any practicality to this? Anglers who are actually conscious of spool weight won't be using a deep spool and the high dollar light-weight spools (ZPI, etc..) would be quite shallow that in either circumstances, even if you decide to put backing, it won't be much and I doubt that little bit of backing makes much of a difference.

 

Anyone here actually care about added weight due to mono backing? Genuinely curious.

 

Anything beyond that, you're basically getting into BFS which is an entirely different topic...

Aaron Martens thinks it's worth while and made a vedio. We are all not BFS anglers.

Tom

[Glaucus]

11 minutes ago, ResoKP said:

Is there any practicality to this? Anglers who are actually conscious of spool weight won't be using a deep spool and the high dollar light-weight spools (ZPI, etc..) would be quite shallow that in either circumstances, even if you decide to put backing, it won't be much and I doubt that little bit of backing makes much of a difference.

 

Anyone here actually care about added weight due to mono backing? Genuinely curious.

 

Anything beyond that, you're basically getting into BFS which is an entirely different topic...

I've never paid any attention to the weight of a rod or a reel, let alone the weight line adds. Cheap feels a little heavier and nice feels a little lighter; that's as far as my thoughts have ever gone on the matter. I'm sure that will all change if God wills for me to become an old man and the age starts to kick in.

[LonnieP]

I use Big Game for backing on my reels that have fluoro and braid. I do it because the lines I use aren’t cheap and by using backing a spool of line goes farther.

[NHBull]

I was given a lot of cheap braid and back all my reels with it.

The last 75 yards are reserved for the line of choice.

It just works for me.

[ResoKP]

16 minutes ago, WRB said:

Aaron Martens thinks it's worth while and made a vedio. We are all not BFS anglers.

Tom

You are talking about this video where he's putting braid backing on fluoro main line? 

 

 

Aaron Martens is not tuning reels and putting custom light-weight spools in his reels. "Anglers tunning reels pay a lot of money to save a few grams of spool weight" which reels are you even referring to? Anyone paying money for custom  spools are shallow to begin with please explain to me how putting like 6 ft of mono backing is going to make any difference in the real world?

 

There's 2 different camps:

1. Mono backing + filler (40yds or whatever it may be) to save money. These people are not gonna care about spool weight nor will they suddenly stop using filler line and spool entirely with braid just to chase those extra distances.

2. Mono backing just to prevent braid slippage (if your spool doesn't have holes). You're adding like 6ft of mono. Is there actually any performance downside to this? I doubt it.

 

You're either:

A. Telling people who wants to save money using mono as backing + filler, to stop using mono backing and spend the extra money to fill the entire spool with braid instead or

B. Saying 6 ft of mono backing is actually going to detract casting performance

[WRB]

1 hour ago, Glaucus said:

I've never paid any attention to the weight of a rod or a reel, let alone the weight line adds. Cheap feels a little heavier and nice feels a little lighter; that's as far as my thoughts have ever gone on the matter. I'm sure that will all change if God wills for me to become an old man and the age starts to kick in.

The reels spool weight affects how well the reel cast. It's about inertia, the forces to start the spool spinning and then slowing down, light spool weight start easier and stops faster, increasing casting distance and reducing backlashes. This has nothing to do with overall reel weight. 

6'? No we are talking about 100' or 30 yards of mono backing, 6' makes no difference or saves any braid line.

Tom

[WRB]

28 minutes ago, ResoKP said:

You are talking about this video where he's putting braid backing on fluoro main line? 

 

 

Aaron Martens is not tuning reels and putting custom light-weight spools in his reels. "Anglers tunning reels pay a lot of money to save a few grams of spool weight" which reels are you even referring to? Anyone paying money for custom  spools are shallow to begin with please explain to me how putting like 6 ft of mono backing is going to make any difference in the real world?

 

There's 2 different camps:

1. Mono backing + filler (40yds or whatever it may be) to save money. These people are not gonna care about spool weight nor will they suddenly stop using filler line and spool entirely with braid just to chase those extra distances.

2. Mono backing just to prevent braid slippage (if your spool doesn't have holes). You're adding like 6ft of mono. Is there actually any performance downside to this? I doubt it.

 

You're either:

A. Telling people who wants to save money using mono as backing + filler, to stop using mono backing and spend the extra money to fill the entire spool with braid instead or

B. Saying 6 ft of mono backing is actually going to detract casting performance

The OP is using a least 100' or more of backing. Using mono for none slip is also questionable, either tie through the spool holes or put a 1" piece of electrical tape over the knot if the spool doesn't have holes. A few wraps of mono line for a non slip surface would also work.

The question was is there any advantage other then cost of saving line.

Tom

PS, I use straight braid, no backing or straight mono/FC or Copoly line with no backing.

[new2BC4bass]

26 minutes ago, WRB said:

The reels spool weight affects how well the reel cast. It's about inertia, the forces to start the spool spinning and then slowing down, light spool weight start easier and stops faster, increasing casting distance and reducing backlashes. This has nothing to do with overall reel weight. 

6'? No we are talking about 100' or 30 yards of mono backing, 6' makes no difference or saves any braid line.

Tom

OP.  If spooling 12# or larger mono/co-polymer I don't use backing.  If spooling braid of any size I use some cheap mono backing to save money.  If spooling fluoro, I add backing to save money.  If spooling 8# or smaller mono/co-polymer I add backing.  I see no benefit to spooling 300 yards of line for bass fishing. 

 

Tom, I am going to have to try spooling with some cheap braid (over a piece of tape or using a spool hole) on a couple reels to see if I can notice a difference in casting distance.  Much harder to determine if it would reduce backlashing.  I have several that need line.  Quite possibly my mediocre casting ability won't allow me to take advantage of a lighter spool.

 

Don't know what I would do with 10# mono/co-polymer. 

[Delaware Valley Tackle]

Seems to me a heavier spool has more inertia and will spin longer (cast further) once it gets started. 

[Rdeca]

14 hours ago, Glaucus said:

I get $1 Zebco mono at Walmart and use it as backing for everything: mono I'll be fishing, Yo-Zuri, and braid, it all gets backing. No reason not to. It saves money and you get more spools.

Zebco Omniflex is actually great Mono! I use it as backing on rods with braid and I use it as mainline on rods with mono.  Yep i still use mono all the time. Can't stand Florocarbon. I have wasted money on the "best" florocarbons just to end up hating it

[Black Hawk Basser]

I use Sufix 832 on the majority of my reels, and I religiously use mono backing.  I don't see any reason to put $20 worth of line on a reel when you're only utilizing $6 worth.

[Fishes in trees]

I don't use backing very often because I don't like the idea of an extra knot and I don't like the little bump that it makes when you're spooling on top of it.   I don't have any rational or scientific reason for this other than the fact that I just don't like it.   Most of the bait casters that I use expensive fluorocarbon on are small 50 size Shimano - Curado or Chronarch, they don't hold that much line, so price isn't that much of an issue to me.    I have the smallest Calcutta filled with 20 lb Abrazx on my Bubba Drop Shot rig and as long as I remember to douse it with KVD line treatment from time to time, it works fine.   I'm not distance casting here, just pitching, maybe 40 feet max.  My 200 size reels - Curado, Chronarch, Calais, Calcutta, I just go ahead and fill them up with mono, these are more for reaction baits and generally I'm looking for distance here.

[OnthePotomac]

I have had 10lb mono (something cheap) as taped on backing on all of my reels and it has been there since day one for each reel and I can't say I have noticed it has affected my casting in any way, but I am not throwing a mile to my target destination on the Potomac.  One of those subjects too many think about.

[JustJames]

7 hours ago, Pickle_Power said:

I use Sufix 832 on the majority of my reels, and I religiously use mono backing.  I don't see any reason to put $20 worth of line on a reel when you're only utilizing $6 worth.

I’m kind of not totally agree, with braid as @WRB mentioned about cold flow under pressure or something like that, meaning braid doesn’t coil up with spool doesn’t matter how long it sit in there. Let say you buy 150yds spool and you only spool 75 yds to fit one reel, thinking 75 yds should cover longest distance plus a few yds more. You use that braid a few years now it only 40-50yds and every time you cast you get into connection knot, would you still using it? That more than 50% throw away. On the other hand if you spool all 150yds into one reel, do you think how long that braid would last you? giving that you only gonna use braid with that reel.

[JustJames]

3 hours ago, OnthePotomac said:

I have had 10lb mono (something cheap) as taped on backing on all of my reels and it has been there since day one for each reel and I can't say I have noticed it has affected my casting in any way, but I am not throwing a mile to my target destination on the Potomac.  One of those subjects too many think about.

 I don’t care about the reel that I use for heavier lure 3/8oz and up. It can get as heavy as rock but the weight of lure will help spool spin as long as you can control buffing coming off spool. 

[Black Hawk Basser]

20 minutes ago, JustJames said:

I’m kind of not totally agree, with braid as @WRB mentioned about cold flow under pressure or something like that, meaning braid doesn’t coil up with spool doesn’t matter how long it sit in there. Let say you buy 150yds spool and you only spool 75 yds to fit one reel, thinking 75 yds should cover longest distance plus a few yds more. You use that braid a few years now it only 40-50yds and every time you cast you get into connection knot, would you still using it? That more than 50% throw away. On the other hand if you spool all 150yds into one reel, do you think how long that braid would last you? giving that you only gonna use braid with that reel.

You have a good point.  The thing is, if I am down to the last 75 yds of line on a spinning reel, the casting distance is terrible.  At that point, I'd want to change it anyway.  Perhaps I should fill a reel or two with all braid, then when they get down to the final 60-70 yards, spool that remaining line to another spinning reel with some mono backing to fill up that spool.  As Tom mentioned, one can fill a reel with another reel's line, which would put the "used" part of the braid at the very beginning of the spooled braid, rather than at the business end.  That's probably the most efficient way of doing it.

[JustJames]

Yes with spinning you have to have 1/2 to 3/4 full to get some momentum goin if you are down less that 1/2 then the distance would suffer and with spinning you don’t have to worry about weight of spool or those nonsense. To use old line on another reel? Ask me about it, I’m cheap and do it all the time lol. 

 

On the other hand if I buy 150yds spool and I know I would use only 100yds to fill one reel, if I fill only one reel all the way then I would throw away the other 50yds, in this case I’ll try to split in half 75yds to be able to spool two times. A cheap line counter would help and yes I have it lol.

[WRB]

The topic was bait casting reels. Spinning reels are totally different casting technology as the spool doesn't spin, the line falls off the spool until the spool lip friction stops it.

Spinning spools come in 4 types; shallow depth wide width, shallow depth narrow,  deep depth narrow width and deep depth wide width. The isn't a need for a bass fishing spinning reel spool to hold more 100 yards of line, most hold more line then needed.

A few decades back spinning reels came with a shallow and deep spool or a deep spool with a split arbor to reduce the depth in lieu of using backing line filler.

I keep my spinning reels full within 1/8" of the lip, any lower the line gets changed because line depth affects the casting performance dramatically. 

Tom