Bamboozle wrote:
I'm with magicwrench & giogio for the same reasons and others:
I use Micron as backing. To be honest, with the price of Micron, 3/4 to a half a reel spool of the stuff is almost as expensive as half a discounted fly line.
Have you ever stepped on a fly line and damaged it badly or cut it completely in half because you have sharp new screw in studs on your wading shoes? Well I have unfortunately and it happens most often, where exposed rocks abound which also happens to be most of the small streams I fish. On one occasion, turning around a DT saved the day.
I fish a few tiny creeks that have revealed surprises like a really long, deep run that had to be fished standing in it belly deep and throwing casts up to 70 feet to get to some far off risers. I also discovered small reservoirs on quite a few others that required similar casts if you wanted to try for those fish.
In regards to reels, I own more than a few small reels from 2.5" to 2.75" and there isn't one that won't hold a DT3. If you need a 4 or 5wt line on a reel that small you are still better off with a WF4 or WF5 versus cutting.
Nope, I want to have a full-length line on every reel that will work anywhere versus a half of line that will work in many places, but not all.
+1 I have paid more for backing on a reel as compared to the fly line purchased. I have found that cheap DT lines do just fine, for a long time, which saves a lot of money. Just keep clean.
Your reel and day on the water will thank you with the backing there. Memory in the line is no joke.