fly line backing etc?

[sixpack]

hi folks,
i`ve just bought a new fly rod and line and everything else required for fly fishing,but it`s been 25 years since i last fly fished and things have changed slightly.

can someone please help me with a couple a embarrassing questions please:

backing line?..what do i do with it

i also got 3 loop type things approx 8 inches long,what the heck are they for?

i should of asked when i got them given by the shop owner,but i didnt what to sound dense

any feed back appreciated

[Norfolkboy]

Hi and Welcome to the forum

Plenty of fly fishermen on the forum who will be along to help soon, especially the Smooth one

[sixpack]

many thanks m8,
my reasons for returning to fishing was mainly because my 11 year old son wanted to start up,i thought i knew most of the basics,but sadly not

[Norfolkboy]

There's a wealth of knowledge on here.

They must all be down the pub drowning their sorrows after the England game

[sixpack]

yeh m8,dont blame them really,total disappointment tonight.

[Devon Born & Dorset Bred]

The idea of backing is to go underneath your main fly line. This goes on before your fly line to give you more line if a large fish decides to run. Modern reels are designed with a larger spool to make casting easier and take more line! Thus the need for backing!
The three loops are called "leader loops", these are designed to attach your leader to your fly line ( ie: Removing the need for a needle knot etc.) There should be some small clear plastic tubing with them, put one of these onto one of the loops. Then feed the end of the fly line up inside the braided loop, about an inch! Pull the plastic tube down over the fly line, so half over the braided loop and half overthe fly line. This should be tight and quite fiddely!!! Once done you can tie a tapered leader onto the leader loop!
Hope you get the jist!!!
good luck!!

[Old Smoothound]

What can I say...I rest my Forum fly fishing Guru status....

[Pross]

Think you have to glue the the loops in place once they are done as well. Possibly better to ignore them and learn to tie a nail knot. With the backing line you need to make sure you don't put too much on so that there is sufficient room for the fly line and make sure the line is all laid level as you load it (as our resident fly fishing guru Smoothy pointed out to me!!).

[Old Smoothound]

The importance of super glueing the braided loop cannot be emphasised enough.

Although the braided loops constrict around the fly line when pressure is applied. It can and does come away if not correctly attached.

I would advise 2 inches of braid around your fly line with three dabs of super glue to hold it in place with the silicone tubing over the top. One dab where the fly line enters the braid, one where the fly line butts up to the loop at the end of the braid and one in the middle of the braid.

A tip is to use a darning needle to open the braid a bit before you slide the fly line into it and to cut the fly line at a 45 degree angle so it is "pointed". This makes it a lot easier to slide it into and then up inside the braid.

I personally prefer the nail knot for saltwater fly fishing as the super glue tends to be weakened over time by the salinity of the water.

Have fun…..

[aks19]

There is another method me and some friends discovered, after noticing a 'flat spot' in teh cast where turn over is greatly reduced being the braided loop, we decided to experiment with heating a needle until red hot, insert this into the middle of the fly line, this will hopefully hollow out the fly line, and with some persuasion some 25lb sea line was then threaded into this hole and secured with a drop of superglue (good quality), this can then be used to tie your leader to. We tested the strenth of this by running with the line pulling on it like a fish and basically behaving like a mad salmon! Out of 20 tests it only came off once, a bit fiddly but useful for presintation ;)