How To Tie the Fly Fishing Line to the Backing

Have you already attached the backing to your reel spool? Then, you should prepare for your next task. You should tie your fly fishing line to the backing. You can effectively do that by creating an Albright knot. Here are some instructions to help you out:

Hold the end of your fly fishing line

Use it to form a loop. The loop should be open-ended. Proceed by pinching your fly fishing line with your forefinger and your thumb. Do it where the loop crosses.

Grab your backing

This time, use your other hand. Push it into the open-ended loop that you have formed so you can make a single turn around your fly fishing line.

Look for the tag end of your backing

Scour for the line’s end. It is the loose end that you have used when you formed a knot. Wind it around your fly fishing line. Do it between 10 and 12 times. Fashion it to look like as if it’s a coil. Hold it in place. Use the hand that held the loop in your fly fishing line.

Inspect the coil of your backing

Tighten it if it is loose. Simply push the winds altogether until you reach the end part of your loop. Leave a room between the end of your loop and the coil of your backing, preferably about 1/8”. The room is going to be your allowance to tighten your knot some more. When you tighten it, the coil is not going to slide off. It is just going to stick to the line.

Tighten your knot

Pull your backing’s tag end while you are firmly holding both of your fly fishing line’s strands. While you are doing that, use your other hand. Start pulling on your backing’s standing end. It is the remaining part of your backing – the part that you didn’t use when you tied a knot. Finish tightening your knot by pulling the standing ends of your backing and your fly fishing line.

Start trimming the tag ends closer to the knot that you have made

That should be both for your backing and your fly fishing line. See to it that there is an ample space for movement or adjustment. Your knot should be able to move a bit while you are using it. Just make sure it doesn’t slip apart in the process.

Hold the your knot’s ends and clip them

Again, leave a room, about 1/8” to prevent them from slipping apart. You should trim them closer to your knot. That should permit them to move some more when they eventually tighten.

Try to use your knot before you go out and fish

Observe if there is any slipping. Adjust your knot by cutting it off a bit. Try using it again. You should not lose any part of your fly fishing line.

You can practice forming the knot using a clothesline or a rope. You can also source a string with a bigger diameter. It is a good alternative. It is easier to handle while you attempt to master tying the knot.