PHOTO BY JOSH GASSMANN
4. Less Line, More Efficient
Simply using less line at a time is one easy way to save
money, and the way to do it is with more backing. Major
League Fishing pro Cliff Crochet says this trick not only
saves money, but makes him more efficient when it’s time for
new line.
“On a flipping reel, you don’t ever need more than 30
yards or so at a time,” he says. “I use a cheap mono backing
and then add my flipping line, which is either braid or fluorocarbon.
Heavy cover is always hard on your line, and you
need to replace it more often. It’s easy to pull 30 yards off
and put new line on quickly, even while on the water.”
PHOTO BY ROB MATSUURA
5. Braid for Backing
For casting applications, California pro Brent Ehrler also
uses backing, but he prefers it to be braided line.
“Good fluorocarbon isn’t cheap, and using backing can
make each spool of line last longer,” he says. “You can get a
few more reels from each spool of line if you use plenty of
backing because no matter what lure you’re using, you’re
never going to cast all of the line off of the spool.”
The side benefit to braid is better casting distance,
according to Ehrler.
“I like to use braid for my backing because it’s lighter and
will help you get longer casts because your spool performs
much better with a lighter material as your backing.”
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