Does backing color matter? If so, why?
I can’t see why it would matter at all in TX. Other locations have toothy fish that may bite some backing to fly line connections. Other guys may just want something that looks cool on the reel. What’s the difference? Thanks!
No, at least in my opinion it doesn’t.
Most of the time the backing stays on the reel, it’s just a spacer for the fly line.
But for folks like loogie, he uses his backing. Mine is just decoration.
Oh boy, if it makes a difference to the fish I’m buggered as I use Rio’s multi-colored gel spun stuff…it’s like 20 different colors but at least I can see it.
That’s a good reason, too!
My 0.02…biggest thing to me is how it looks on my reel and the aesthetics it brings to each fly combo.
Heard some like bright colors in order to see direction of line when chasing down bigger fish once it gets to backing tho
I’ve got black on one reel, white on another, and neon on my other.. Not once has any of em gotten wet..
Backing is important w big Tarpon, I like bright colors like chartreuse or orange on it, when you have a Tarpon on the backing and the fish is pulling laterally you can see the direction he is pulling, and how much slack or curve he is generating. You can also predict where he will pop up, and make rod adjustments for pulling and changing his direction. It’s not super important but it certainly helps. So my 9/10/11 wt tarpon rods have bright backing.
Smaller game, backing is a way to increase your reel radius, pick a cool color to match etc.
Wait a minute, so you’re telling me backing sometimes comes off the reel during a fight?? 
Hi-vis line really helps untangle a trolling spread. Can see where it would help with chasing a tarpon, etc.
Depends on where and how it is used.
White - easy to see, but will discolor over time if fishing stained or dirty environments (muddy areas, lakes and rivers).
Blue - blends in too much with the water, especially offshore. I like lighter colors here.
Yellow - good all around, high viz in deeper water.
Higher viz is nice if fishing spots with deeper drop offs and where fish sound. I’ve had my line caught around coral heads, trees and stumps and it was way easier seeing the high viz lines than white.
What’s more important to me though is the quality - I’ll take hollow core over gel spun all day. Gel spun cuts into itself and fingers on fast running fish.
Someone said a while back they reverse their backing from reel to reel instead of replacing it. Meaning the end of the backing that was attached to the fly line goes onto the new spool first, exposing the backing that has never been used at all. Smart, but you need a spooler and some extra time to do it.
I used to get backing that looked good on my reels. A couple years ago I bought a big spool of 20lb and 30lb Cortland backing in white. I changed all my reels to white backing. It has its own aesthetic and actually looks kinda cool on the rod rack with them all next to each other.
I don’t see my backing often when fishing but I do like an aesthetic. I’ve also started using the 50/60 pound hollow core and really like a shot of orange as an “indicator” at the bottom of the spool. I think I figured up like 25 yards worth of turns then direct splice to white or blue depending on the reel.
Pretty sure white backing catches the most fish.
I knew it! That’s what keeps me from catching fish!
I like bright backing - for most of the reasons listed above and since my anglers aren’t in blue water… I’m still using the old Cortland Micron (dacron) for backing… instead of super braid. Twenty pound backing for smaller reels / lines (8wt and under), 30lb for bigger gear - all the way up to one reel that’s set up to tangle with big sharks, up shallow. Since we’re in the backcountry, fishing rivers, creeks, bays, and shorelines (as well as the occasional wreck or marker) - knowing where that backing is at all times - very important. We have one small river spot that’s cost me three fly lines and a bit of backing here or there- and hooking big fish around submerged trees is a frustrating proposition (your angler is hooked up hard - the line is screaming out - but the spot where it goes into the water doesn’t change…. Bad news that day.
Since I have more than a few reels, I do my best to buy big 2400 yard spools of backing - and that works out well. Since your backing is synthetic - no need to worry about age or color (yes, white will stain - but that doesn’t change it’s strength over time). Frays in your backing are a problem though -and I do keep an extra spare 100 yards of 30lb backing aboard - for the day when you not only lose a line but also lots of backing in the same disaster…
One other point about backing that I see all too often on my angler’s reels. No matter how much you’re tempted, try not to load that reel with every bit of backing you can. Leave a bit of space between fly line and the point where it will begin to rub inside your reel if your level winding goes out the window with a really big fish on. Jamming up your reel with too much backing - counter-productive…
PS… I know that fly shops are eager to load “fresh backing” on every customer’s reel - but unless you know your backing has been to the wars… it should last for years and years and hardly ever need changing out if you know what’s there. Buying a used reel? Then, loading new backing is a very good idea…
Orange backing is for distance. Blue is for accuracy.
I generally like bright colors for backing as it helps me track the direction the fish is going once it’s on the backing. On my smaller feels I don’t really care too much as the fish that can get into the backing on those reels aren’t likely to go very far anyway. On the other extreme I’ve had several hundred yards pulled off one of my big game reels, and the line was pointed straight behind the stern of the boat, then the fish jumped, 90 degrees to the right. Water pressure kept a huge bow in the backing as the fish ran off to boat’s port side. But for the in-betweens I find bright colored backing useful to track the fish.
I’m probably going to jinx myself here, but after hundreds of fish that can get deep into the backing on blistering run, I’ve never had a finger cut on gel spun. I have had people on the boat who’ve cut their fingers pretty good on monofilament, but never on gel spun. Probably using minimum 50# braid helps in that regard. I think it’s just common sense to not touch the line during a run. On a similar note, I have had my knuckles rapped on a fly reel when a big fish took off on a good run…it was one of my first big fish ever on a fly reel. It was the first and last time I got my knuckles rapped. Even though I grab the reel (I don’t really palm a reel, I grab the reel handle when I’m pumping a fish to make sure the reel cannot move) I learned to let go as soon as I feel the fish lunge.
Yep, I hear ya - I’ve had tarpon and permit make some erratic runs - early on I only used Gelspun. And it only took me a two times of being cut to not have it happen again.
But another point - gel is so thin it cuts into itself on the reel. It doesn’t go back on as tight as when it is spooled, and if a big fish makes those erratic runs, the tension of the line can cut into the looser line on the spool. This was a primary reason I did away with it.
I fish white backing but for no particular reason other than I think it looks nice and I can see it. I fish hollowcore backing and have since 2017. My favorite is seaguar threadlock. I use either 50lb or 60lb.