Does fly reel line come in different tests ?
OK, let’s make sure what we’re talking about. A typical fly line is 100 feet long and covered with PVC or some other plastic so it’s thick. You won’t be using this at all when you’re using a fly reel out ice fishing. When you set up a fly reel you first spool up a couple of hundred yards of braided line, which is called backing. This does two things. First, it gives you more line in case the fish makes a long run. Secondly, it takes up a lot of space on the reel. It effectively makes the spool a larger diameter so you are retrieving line faster.
When you’re using a fly reel for ice fishing, the same things apply. You don’t need to spool up hundreds of yards of expensive fluorocarbon line on the reel. You want to have some backing to fill up the spool or for that long run a big fish might make, and have some fluoro or mono at the end.
You can walk into a fly shop or the fly fishing department at a sporting goods store and buy “fly line backing”. It isn’t cheap, and it isn’t even required. ANY decent braided line will do the same job, and as James pointed out is much less expensive than the “official” stuff. And it works just fine.
