# Advice on filling spools



## bullet175 (Aug 11, 2008)

Hey folks, I hope Im posting this in the right place. Ive got my first pair of 30# Penn I30s reels and these are thelargest reels of this class and size Ive ever had. Im getting ready to fill the spools with line and Im wanting touse a dacron backing and mono top shot to maximize my yardage. I want a 40# test top shot but Im unsure as to what # test dacron to use and how many yards there should be in the backing. The reel is supposed to hold 700 yards of 30# test mono. TREY


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## Xanadu (Oct 1, 2007)

Take it to J&M in Orange Beach. They've got a little calculator that will tell you, but If you're going to be trolling using 40# mono, then 30 or 50 would be my choice. That said, you'll get a mile of 40 on there and never need more capacity than you can get with mono. I think a 30 holds 800 or more yards of 30#.


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## Travis Gill (Oct 6, 2007)

Why don't you just use 30lb mono? Not trying to kncock the way you do it but I have never used backing for offshore fishing. 700yds is plenty


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## bullet175 (Aug 11, 2008)

Oh dont worry about knocking my plans LOL. Ill take all the advice I can get from those in the know. If I can get away with 600/700 yards of mono Ide rather do that anyway cost wise.


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## Xanadu (Oct 1, 2007)

There are several reasons to use backing imho. First, is the savings. Dacron backing will last years if you take the time to soak it clean and dry it periodically. It may cost slightly more than mono to start with, but I replace top shots all the time and that costs $5 instead of $60. Second, dacron doesn't stretch so once you've got your 100 yds of backing off, you're not fighting line stretch. Also, when mono stretches, it gets thinner. When you pack it stretched and thin on a reel and later it relaxes, the mono will expand back to normal. That's not so big a deal with 30s, but on an 80 or 130, you could blow your reel apart. On a 30, you could have the mono expand enough to warp spools or effect the drag. Third, dacron is less susceptible to kinks, scrapes and nicks. Dacron also won't break itself under the weight/friction of itself when being dragged through the water. Mono - especially 30# - will get enough pressure from drag along with no lure or weight, that it will break if you drag more than say 400 yds.


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## bullet175 (Aug 11, 2008)

Some good info. Thanks


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