How to Spool a Fly Reel

What you need

Before you start, have these in front of you: the reel, the backing, the fly line, scissors, and ideally a helper and a pencil. The helper holds the backing spool so it can spin freely, and the pencil goes through the center hole of that spool. Without a helper you can put the backing spool on the floor with a pencil through it, but the tension is harder to control.

Our fly reels page lists reels by line weight, arbor and drag if you do not have one yet. The fly reel size guide explains how reel size matches line weight. Orvis, for one, sizes reels with Roman numerals, each matched to a range of line weights, so a five-weight rod pairs with a size II or III reel.

Step 1: tie the backing to the arbor

The arbor is the center of the reel that the line and backing wind around. Remove the spool from the reel frame if your reel allows it, because tying and winding is easier with the spool in your hand.

Tie an arbor knot. Orvis describes the arbor knot as the knot for attaching the end of the backing to a fly reel, in three moves:

1. Tie an overhand knot in the backing, looping it around the arbor.
2. With the tag end, tie a second overhand knot around the standing part of the backing.
3. Pull the second knot tight against the arbor, then pull on the standing part so the knotted tag end snugs up against the first knot.

FlyFisherPro prefers the arbor knot, with a uni knot as an alternative, and suggests wrapping the backing around the spool twice before tying, because these knots hold on slick gel-spun backing. Trim the tag end close. Our guide to the fly line backing knot goes into more detail.

Step 2: wind the backing on under tension

This is the step people rush. FlyFisherPro's method:

• A helper holds the backing spool, with a pencil through the center hole so it spins freely.
• The helper applies pressure to the backing with a towel.
• You wind the reel handle and guide the line onto the spool with your thumb, keeping the wraps tight and even.

The reason, per FlyFisherPro, is that soft-wound backing can bite into itself and break when a fish runs. Tension is cheap. Re-spooling a reel after a fish eats the backing is not.

The article says nothing about the direction of winding, so check your reel's manual if the line is twisting. (Gary wound his backing on by hand with no tension, and learned under a running fish that loose backing digs into itself.)

Step 3: how much backing

There is no single number. FlyFisherPro says to fill the reel with backing and fly line together, so you get as much backing as the reel holds, and gives rough figures of 100 to 150 yards for trout and 250 to 300 yards for saltwater. The reel maker's capacity chart for your line weight is the real answer. Our guide to how much backing on a fly reel and the backing page go further.

A quick way to check: connect the fly line first (see next step) and wind a few turns, or hold the fly line against the spool, and look at the gap to the rim. If the backing is too full, you have to take some off. Better to add the line and see than to guess from the number on a spool.

Step 4: connect the backing to the fly line

How you join them depends on whether your fly line has a loop.

• Fly line with a factory loop. FlyFisherPro suggests a double bimini twist, or a single bimini, to make a large backing loop, big enough that you can change lines easily, then loop the two together. It lists an Albright knot as an alternative that can bite into the loop.
• Fly line without a loop. It recommends a nail knot, especially for smaller fish such as trout, because a perfection loop would be too large to pass through the rod guides.

The type of backing matters too. FlyFisherPro says Dacron is thicker and hollow, so fly line can be threaded into it for a solid connection, while gel-spun is more popular and affordable and fits more line on the reel.

Check which end of the fly line goes on the reel first. Many lines are labeled with a tag on the end meant for the reel, and some are marked for the rod. Read the line's packaging, because I did not find a source for a universal rule.

Step 5: wind on the fly line

Wind the fly line on the same way you wound the backing, with steady tension and even wraps. Then check the fill. You want the fly line to sit below the rim of the spool so the spool spins freely in the frame. If the line is above the rim or rubs, take off some backing.

FlyFisherPro does not cover the exact fly line fill or how to wind the fly line itself, so I am stopping at "tension, even wraps, check the gap". Use the line maker's instructions if they differ.

Step 6: set the retrieve hand

Orvis says many reel models can be switched between left-hand and right-hand retrieve, so you can set the reel for your dominant hand. If you are reeling with the hand that casts, you may want to switch. The process differs by reel and I did not find a general method, so follow the instructions for your model.

Common mistakes

• Winding backing without tension. It digs in and can fail under a fish.
• Overfilling. A spool that rubs the frame stops spinning when you need it to.
• Using the wrong knot. Arbor knot at the spool, loop or nail knot at the line.

Next steps

With the reel spooled, set up the rod and check the line against your rod's rating. The fly lines page compares lines by weight and taper if you need a different one. See fly reels for the reels themselves.