[ffffg]

how much backing do you use on a large river for large trout, like on the missouri? how much do you use, not how much do you have on your reel.. im looking at 40-60 yards on my large arbor becouse of spool capacity and id like your opinions if that is enough.. ive fished for steel head on the stilliquamish and a 9 pounder wouldnt need a whole lot of backing, in fact if you let them get too far out youd loose them.. ive always had more than what i needed on my old spool but the orvis large arbor leaves me what seems like no extra.. the other large arbors dont have much backing room either.. thanks dave..

[fshfanatic]

All of my trout reels are Galvan OB Greens. I fill the spool with 100 yrds of #20 Dacron and then the spool of line.

[Fish Bones]

How much backing you might need depends upon a few factors.

Certainly the water and the fish have a lot to do with it. I know little about the Missouri. On some rivers backing is of little importance while on others its an absolute must. The San Juan River, for example, is full of 20" trout that are full of fight. I've had them take me deep into my 200' of backing. That's the only river where I've ever seen my backing.

Fowl hooking comes into to play on any river. If your fly catches the fish somewhere on the backside... he'll usually run as far and as long as he can.I suppose you really someone who's more familiar with the Missouri, or the particular river your fishing, to give you an adequate answer. However, if I was at all concerned about my amount of backing... I would go with at least 150' of 20# backing.

You have a good point in that reel capacity has a lot to do with how much you actually instal.

The above scenario has absolutly nothing to do with saltwater... that's a whole other animal.

[dougm]

On reels with limited backing capacity, I've turned to Cortland's Micronite for a solution ... the 30# test is actually smaller in diameter than the standard 20# test most of us typically use. In sum, more yardage and greater strength.

However, it is critical Micronite be very tightly spooled to prevent a backlash at exactly the wrong moment. Micronite is also made in 20# test, but because of its ultra-thin diameter I fear the chances for a tangle increase during a long run.

You can also conserve backing if you fight the fish with the rod tip down and pointed directly at Friend Fish. Feared by the Ancient Fish Gods as a viciously effective technique, they know it uses the rod's strongest section to turn the fish -- the butt. The results of the battle are usually summarized as Fisher: 1, Fish: 0.

Turning the fish typically signals the beginning of the end of the battle. The more rapidly the fish is brought to the net, the greater its chances to survive catch & release.

Doug

[JBinUTAH]

Most of my rods have the Orvis Large Arbor and your right, backing amount is very limited. I use Cortlands Micron. Micron's small diameter allows more yardage on your reel. I have used it on the Madison, Henry's Fork, and the Provo. Handled 20"+ browns and bows no problem. And for looks, the orange backing against the green line looks sweeeet.