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Thoughts about setting drag

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inthered

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View Post........But thats because i did the "Pull the line off with the hand" drag testkooky.gif

A good size fish will double that pressure in a nano secondbiggrin.gif a monster fish

will rip off 100yds of line in no time..

and thats what happens when you fish with a loose drag..

The fish i go after are fast and strong and love to wrap you up and they will

rip a loose drag like it was butter.

 

I've wondered how long it would take for someone from Florida to come around. Once you get past the point where you can pull line off by hand, you better use a scale to set your drag or you're out of the game. I haven't caught an inshore fish yet in NJ which needed ten pounds of drag.

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View Postim always messing with my drags. if a fish is taking too much line, then i tighten it. if he's not taking enough line then i loosen it...simple!

 

If a fish isn't strong enough to pull drag why would you loosen your drag so he can pull it? That doesn't make any sense, or, rather, serve any purpose. And when you're tightening it, while a fish is taking line, how can you possibly tell how much drag you're setting it at and how do you know you're not risking your knots, clip, hooks, split rings, swivels, and the fish's flesh from letting go? Not only that, but as the reel empties of line and its effective spool diameter decreases, the drag increases exponentially.

 

Its asking for trouble, and some how, some day, that tinkering may very well cost you a good fish. Set the drag when you start fishing, with either a scale or by feel, but for godsakkes leave it the hell alone when you have a fish on - its there to protect your gear while the fish tires out, not to tinker with in order to maximize fight time - and if you're truly in danger of getting spooled cup the thing.

I've done stuff I ain't proud of, and the stuff I am proud of is disgusting.

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I have had the experience that if I tighten up the drag too much, I lose fish as they thrash around on the surface immediately after the hookup. My rod is fairly stiff and the braid has absolutely no give. I have better luck with a looser drag, (the drag sings on the strike) but am not afraid to tighten it up (or loosen it further) depending on how the fight goes. I am not one to use my reel as a winch (and am not sure it would take it, an Okuma VS55 which I believe has an aluminum main gear).

 

I did swap out the drag washers last night with the ones in the spare spool. After three years the drag wasn't as smooth as it once was. I'll have to search on the reel maintenance forum to find the best way to rehab the original stack.

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View PostIf a fish isn't strong enough to pull drag why would you loosen your drag so he can pull it? That doesn't make any sense, or, rather, serve any purpose. And when you're tightening it, while a fish is taking line, how can you possibly tell how much drag you're setting it at and how do you know you're not risking your knots, clip, hooks, split rings, swivels, and the fish's flesh from letting go? Not only that, but as the reel empties of line and its effective spool diameter decreases, the drag increases exponentially.

 

 

Its asking for trouble, and some how, some day, that tinkering may very well cost you a good fish. Set the drag when you start fishing, with either a scale or by feel, but for godsakkes leave it the hell alone when you have a fish on - its there to protect your gear while the fish tires out, not to tinker with in order to maximize fight time - and if you're truly in danger of getting spooled cup the thing.

 

I'm going to respectfully disagree. I am intimate enough with my reels to know how much tightening and loosing will effect the drag in lbs (pretty close anyway) and have zero worry about losing any fish by messing with it now and again. When a good fish is in close I like to loosen the drag a bit knowing when it gets close to the sand its going to give a short, strong burst, and I rather let her run especially if theres no crowd. I rarely tighten a drag while fighting a fish, I start with a pretty tight drag as I fish a lot of areas with current and hard structure, and if I need to back off of it then I do, if anything this method has saved me a lot of fish in the areas I fish.

 

 

I'm not saying my way is the best way for everybody, it's probably not, but its the best way for me with the areas and way that I fish.

LIBBA 1246
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View PostIf a fish isn't strong enough to pull drag why would you loosen your drag so he can pull it? That doesn't make any sense, or, rather, serve any purpose. And when you're tightening it, while a fish is taking line, how can you possibly tell how much drag you're setting it at and how do you know you're not risking your knots, clip, hooks, split rings, swivels, and the fish's flesh from letting go? Not only that, but as the reel empties of line and its effective spool diameter decreases, the drag increases exponentially.

 

Its asking for trouble, and some how, some day, that tinkering may very well cost you a good fish. Set the drag when you start fishing, with either a scale or by feel, but for godsakkes leave it the hell alone when you have a fish on - its there to protect your gear while the fish tires out, not to tinker with in order to maximize fight time - and if you're truly in danger of getting spooled cup the thing.

 

i loosen the drag if its too tight when i land a big fish. of coarse im not going to loosen it if i have a small fish on the line, but if i see my rod half bent, im going to loosen the drag a bit, let the fish run and then start reeling it in. that way it takes pressure of my gear and knots. you never know what size fish your going to land so how can you possibly set the drag before start fishing not knowing what size fish is going to land on your hook...i dont get that theory. you can tell how much drag your setting by what the fish does and by feel. you dont need to use a scale to get the exact lbs of drag, i think thats ridiculous, at least where i fish. this method works for me and ive never lost a fish due to incorrect usage of drag.

(*member formerly known as 'Grilled Sardine')
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View Post...you never know what size fish your going to land so how can you possibly set the drag before start fishing not knowing what size fish is going to land on your hook...

 

Why in the world would you change your drag according to a guess of how big the fish on the end of your line is? What does that accomplish?

 

In any situation you should be trying to land a fish as quickly and cleanly as possible - this ain't Jimmy Huston Outdoors where you slosh the thing around for a few minutes to get a little extra enjoyment out of the "fight"....or maybe it is. Take a cue from the big game guys - drags get set with a scale and left the hell alone - they do that for a reason and its the same reason we should be doing it.

I've done stuff I ain't proud of, and the stuff I am proud of is disgusting.

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If you aren't "supposed" to adjust the drag while fighting a fish, then why are all fishing reels in production today designed with drag adjustment features which are easily accessible from the fighting position (some equipped with multiple accessible drag adjustment features, like a baitrunner)?

 

Just sayin.

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View Posti loosen the drag if its too tight when i land a big fish. of coarse im not going to loosen it if i have a small fish on the line, but if i see my rod half bent, im going to loosen the drag a bit, let the fish run and then start reeling it in.

 

 

If you set the drag properly beforehand, the size/strength of the fish you catch will be a non-issue when it comes to drag. If it's a big fish, it'll be able to take drag. If it's a smaller fish it won't be able to take as much, if any.

 

Think of your drag knob as a Ron Popeil Showtime Rotisserie: Set it and forget it!wink.gif

U.S. Marines: No better friend, no worse enemy.
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View PostIf you aren't "supposed" to adjust the drag while fighting a fish, then why are all fishing reels in production today designed with drag adjustment features which are easily accessible from the fighting position (some equipped with multiple accessible drag adjustment features, like a baitrunner)?

 

Just sayin.

 

 

Isn't your cars emergency brake easily accessible from the "driving position"?wink.gif

U.S. Marines: No better friend, no worse enemy.
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View PostIsn't your cars emergency brake easily accessible from the "driving position"?wink.gif

 

Am I the only one that does j-turns on a regular basis??

 

 

Seriously though, when I get my line spooled at the local shop, will they set the drag for me there? I have no instrument to measure by.

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View PostWhy in the world would you change your drag according to a guess of how big the fish on the end of your line is? What does that accomplish?

 

In any situation you should be trying to land a fish as quickly and cleanly as possible - this ain't Jimmy Huston Outdoors where you slosh the thing around for a few minutes to get a little extra enjoyment out of the "fight"....or maybe it is. Take a cue from the big game guys - drags get set with a scale and left the hell alone - they do that for a reason and its the same reason we should be doing it.

 

ok...lets say your jiggin for striper. you have your drag all pre-set. all of a sudden a big ray comes and starts taking line like none other. so your saying in this situation i shouldn't touch the drag??? I know i could cup the spool but why would i do that if i can just turn the drag nob a bit to tighten the drag. doesnt make much sense to me. the drag is there so that you can adjust it when needed.

(*member formerly known as 'Grilled Sardine')
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View PostI've always tested my drag by pulling it out. Never had an issue. Plus, if the fish is taking more line than you want simply tighten the drag. No reason for a fish to spool you before you figure that one out.

 

Me too! I'll just add, if I need to adjust the drag while pulling a fish, I do so as the fish is pulling off line. that way I get a good feel of how much to adjust with out unintensionally over tightening.

Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn't pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same.
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View Post...all of a sudden a big ray comes and starts taking line like none other. so your saying in this situation i shouldn't touch the drag???

 

What are you accomplishing by messing with the drag? If its already set correctly, its set at the point where it puts as much pressure on the fish as possible while sufficiently protecting your rod, line, knots, hooks, etc., so what does tightening it accomplish? If your goal is to break the fish off then cup the spool and stop it. If your goal is to land the ray then your drag is already at the point that gives you the best chance of landing it. Why would you tighten the drag?

I've done stuff I ain't proud of, and the stuff I am proud of is disgusting.

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