Backing advice

On Sun, 25 Jan 2004, Aaron Hammer wrote:

I know Orvis, SA, and others make small diameter backing. Does anyone has
advice on the best backing (for the money)? Anyone compared a couple brands
and have preference?

I have a very large arbor reel that I use for fishing the California surf.
There is not enough room for enough backing so I use a gel-spun
polyethylene backing, 30 lb test Power-Pro. This is available from your
local bass fishing tackle dealer. I have never used the GSP fly line
backings but I know that the Power-Pro has a smooth coating and is
therefore less abarasive than other GSP lines I've used for conventional
fishing. Nevertheless, what Mike Connor says is true. This stuff will
slice your fingers. That doesn't stop the hardcore conventional tackle
guys who use if for chasing 300 lb tuna. The high end sal****er
conventional reels do not have level-wind mechanisms so they have to
guide the GSP onto their reels with their fingers.

Mu