by Moe Zilla

Created on: March 16, 2010   Last Updated: March 23, 2010

What happens if you don't attach enough backing line to your reel? When you finally snag a big trophy fish, it'll put up a fight, tugging with all its might to get free. A struggling fish can stretch the line taut and then snap it. But a good fly fisherman often attaches at least 100 yards of backing line that they can play out to the fish, which allows them to gradually reel the line back in, while tiring out the fish!

But fishing is a simple sport, and loading the fly line and backing is as simple as tying a few basic knots. So how do you attach the backing line?  Reel out a few feet from the spool of your backing line, and wrap it twice around the spool that's on your fly rod. Then take the loose end of that line and loop it once around where the line goes into the spool, tying a half-knot (as though you were starting to tie your shoelaces). Pull that knot tight. And then tie a second half-knot - which forms a square knot, keeping this free end of the line attached to the part which goes into the spool. You can trim off the rest of the line (from the knot to the end of the line), so it won't get in the way. The knot will easily slide down the fishing line towards the spool, forming a tighter loop as it slides until it's firmly wrapped around the center of the spool! Here's a handy video which demonstrates the whole process.

How much backing line should you use? Usually there's a specific recommendation for your reel and the type of line that you're using. The rule of thumb is to add another 50 yards of backing every time you go down one line weight, but 50 to 100 yards is usually enough backing, unless the type of fish you're going after is a particular strong fighter (like salmon or tuna). There's other suggestions for slightly improved performance, but there's no reason to make your fishing holiday more complicated than it needs to be. In fact, it's possible to go fly fishing without ever needing your backing line, but a well-equipped fisherman has it ready just in case.

The other end of the backing line is attached to the fly line, and it's generally recommended that you use an Albright knot for tying the two ends together. (Make a loop with the heavier line, pass the thin line through that loop's hole, and then wrap the thin line around the loop several times - before poking it through the loop in the other direction.)

Remember that if you ever need to unwind your line, there's a handy device called the Smart Spooler which makes this process much simpler. It's a large plastic wheel that allows you to quickly wind off all your line and backing line. This is especially useful if you want to rinse salt water off of your line. And here's my favorite trick. The wheel even fits onto the head of a drill, if you want to spin the line off almost instantly!

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