Many fly fishers don’t know how to tie the backing to their fly reels. And why should they? Isn’t backing usually wound onto your fly reel at the time of purchase? We have come to expect this courtesy from fly shops after buying a reel. However, if you ever need to change your fly line and attach new backing to your reel and find yourself miles from the nearest fly shop, being able to do it yourself will not only save you a lengthy trip to town, but will also afford you more fishing time.
Gel-spun and Dacron backing have a tendency to slip once they are connected to the fly reel’s arbor. A good way to avoid this problem is to wrap a strip of blue medical or gaffer’s tape around the arbor before putting on the backing. The tape’s surface will create just enough friction to prevent the backing from slipping as you wind it onto the reel.
The Arbor Knot is a good knot for tying backing to your fly reel’s arbor. It is simple to tie and very low profile.