Gearing up a new fly reel is one of those anticipatory endeavors–it’s a bit of work, but the pay-off is simple. You get to go fishing.
But, believe it or not, there is a science to this process. I’ve geared up fly reels with backing and line, only to realize I’ve loaded too much backing—or not enough—on the reel, and I have to go back and remedy the situation.
Here, Tim Flagler shows how, with a bit of work, you can guarantee that your fly reel will have exactly the right amount of backing on it before you start loading up your new fly line. And, as you’ll see in the video, you get to use power tools. What’s not fun about that?
— Chris Hunt