Backing for Hardy Featherweight

[dennis7490]

I have an old Hardy Featherweight and am going to put a 4WF on it, with 12lb. backing. How many yards of backing? It's really just to fill the reel. I'm using it on an old bamboo rod.
Thanks,

Dennis

 

[WNCtroutstalker]

I don't have the papers, but my notes say WF5+45. Not sure if that was for 12 or 20 lb. But presumably at least 50 yards. Obviously the most exact way would be to put the line on first and then the backing until filled to the desired place, and then reverse the process. But you could just eyeball it, erring on the side of too much, and then remove the excess as needed. Good luck!

 

[osseous]

You can load it "upside down" by putting the fly line on, and then enough backing to properly fill it- then strip it all off, turn it over into a neat pile with loose coils, and wind it back on..... Or, just eyeball it- tie a simple double surgeons loop in the backing to attach the fly line. Once the line is wound on, if you find theres too much backing, just strip some off. 12lb dacron is not worth getting too worked up over if you waste a bit of it. When you're happy, tie a proper knot in the backing and you're done

Sent from my SM-N960U using Tapatalk

 

[dennis7490]

Thank you gentlemen. I think I'll eyeball it, and then take some off if need be. It's for a 4wt 7' bamboo rod, so I'm not going after steelhead with it.

 

[Ard]

Forget measuring, fill the reel until the backing is past the first ring of perforations on the spool. Stop about halfway to the second circle of perforations and you will be good for lines 3 - 5 on a Hardy Featherweight.

I know this because I've been fishing with the reel since 1978 and used both 5 and 3 weight lines.

 

[dennis7490]

Grazie! Will do.

Dennis

 

[Ard]

I don't have a picture of my Featherweight handy but the one below is a Princess ...

You can see how the backing covers the first ring of perforations, it goes almost to the second ring. That reel has a six weight line on it but the Featherweight should look the same when you have enough back line.

All it does is to fill the reel allowing for a faster retrieve when you are reeling in a fish. If you ever see the backing pulled out the tip top by a truly big fish you will have piece of mind because that's a lot of backing on the reel. I think you will find that your Hardy Lightweight series reels will look strange if they are not full like the one in the picture.

Ard

 

[silver creek]

I have an old Hardy Featherweight and am going to put a 4WF on it, with 12lb. backing. How many yards of backing? It's really just to fill the reel. I'm using it on an old bamboo rod.
Thanks,

Dennis

Read the 4th post down on this thread.

https://www.theflyfishingforum.com/...w-reel-backing-help.html?posted=1#post1534118

 

[dennis7490]

Ard,

Thanks.

i screwed up. I bought 75 yards of 12 lb backing and it only covers the first row of holes. So, I will get 100 yards of 20lb. backing and start over so it looks like yours. Might as well get it right before i put the line on.

thank,

Dennis

 

[Ard]

I happen to be at the computer uploading photos and had the Featherweight handy.

If your backing filled it like that you will be OK, that is a 3 weight double taper line on it now. I have used it with my Far & Fine rod for years with a 5 weight and the backing is for a full spool with the #5 line. I don't mind the look with the 3 weight, I did at first but got over it.

What I would do would be to load the line and see how much empty spool you have. If it is way low then I'd just blood knot some more backing onto the existing batch and add what I need to fill the spool.

I have blood knots in the backing of some of my salmon reels. The trick is to not allow a fish to run away with your leader and 100 foot of fly line. If they do and you see backing out the rod tip you better get busy getting that fly line back through the tip top and back on the reel

 

[dennis7490]

Grazie! Will do. I was just so proud to get the backing knot onto the spool! this is my first time putting backing on. AND it will be my first time tying a flyline to the backing, when I get the flyline and the nail knot tool in the mail. It's not that I'm young and new to this. it's that I'm old and always had friends who did it all better, or when I bought things at the store they did it for me. But, I have decided in my old age to do these things myself, so i can appreciate the effort more.

 

[Ard]

The nail knot tool is like magic Dennis, believe me! For backing to lines I use 5 wraps around the stem and they hold like a weld.

IS this what you ordered?

I forget the name but that is what I have and they are the slickest nail knot maker I ever saw!

 

[trev]

That is a great tool. I always tied pretty nice Albright knots but using that makes a neater job yet.

 

[Ard]

That is a great tool. I always tied pretty nice Albright knots but using that makes a neater job yet.

I hear that Trevis,

It's been about ten years, back when World Wide Angler was still in Anchorage when I got one. I was in the store yakking it up and one of the shop owners said, "Do you use a Tie Fast tool"? and I said, "A what"? He got one off the rack, demoed it and then gave it to me!

Those were the days. That store survived when Sportsman's Wearhouse built a huge Mega store in West Anchorage. They survived albeit barely when Cabelas' built an even bigger store and did what they could to hurt Sportsman's Wearhouse, the small fly shops were just collateral damage in the greater cooperate outdoor products war being fought. They hung in until Bass Pro decided they were going to join the Axis of Evil and that was the end of fly shops where the owner would give a fella like me a Tie Fast tool for free.............

Seems everything has a story and that's my Tie Fast story.

 

[trev]

Tim charged me for mine, discouraged me from buying it, said "a tube always works for a nail knot", but I had seen an ad some where of using it to join leaders or something and I needed another gizmo anyway. The middle aged kid laughed at me when he saw it and I told what it was for, I still think it's ingenious. And my nail knots are quite a bit faster, so much so that if it isn't so I'll cut it off for a "do over".

 

[Ard]

I'll bet I can do a nail knot in under 20 seconds.

Back to the story... I never did set foot in the Bass Pro store in Anchorage. Sorry but it just seems like an invasive species just the name of it. Further more even though Anchorage has a population of around 370,000 exactly how many do they think fish? I mean fish and spend serious money on fishing? And those of us who do spend serious money on gear liked it back when we could deal with people who knew the products because they used them themselves. Sportsman's or Cabelas are almost always manned by someone who could be my grandson ..............

 

[falcon53]

I know some guys that like the "Tie Fast Tool" so much it doubles as their key chain. I keep one in my tackle bag.

 

[dennis7490]

Ard,

Yes, that is the tool I ordered. Should come any day, along with the line.

Thanks for the advice!

Ciao,

Dennis

 

[dennis7490]

Ard,

Well, i got impatient and cancelled the tool order, because it hasn't even shipped yet, and ordered another one, which I am supposed to get in a week.
BUT, decided to plow ahead. I tied backing on with an albright knot, which looks pretty good! then put on the line. it looks like it fills up the reel just about the same as your photo above, i.e. halfway up the final row of holes, and for me, for now, this will be fine. My fly line is 80 ft. long, and if i ever hook a fish on this rod, a 7' 4wt. bamboo Sharpe's and the fish runs for eighty feet, he deserves his freedom!
Ciao,

Dennis

 

[dennis7490]

Ard,

Well, I decided to start over. I bought 100 yards of 20lb backing in a nice bright yellow/green. Took everything off the reel, and put the new backing on up to the middle of the second row of holes. Then did a nail knot and put on the flyline. It fits perfectly! Your advice and methods are very sound. thank you!

Dennis