S Hook Posted June 3 Author Report Share Posted June 3 (edited) Just tested my 12 foot heavy 6-10 oz. 10 lbs was extremely heavy, rod at extreme bend upright, starting to get to the point where are you are thinking Is the rod going to break? 7lbs was about right. Edited June 3 by S Hook Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tristate Posted June 3 Report Share Posted June 3 I use a vise grip pliers to screw that baby down good and tight, as per Bob the garbage man. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EliasA Posted June 3 Report Share Posted June 3 12 hours ago, FallenKell said: Depends on how you are fishing. If using bait (and depending on your reel), I will first do a tug test on land before I star fighing and tighten it down to something like ~20-30lbs (when using 40-50lbs braid+leader). I will then make 2 full turns of loosing the drag after I cast and put the rod in a rod holder while waiting on a bite (on my reels this loosens them enough that most fish can turn and run letting the circle hooks I use gently set in their lip) and my rod tip is sensitive enough that I can see it bend, and hear the drag clicks on the first movement of the fish after a bite. While I pickup the rod I am twisting the drag back those same 2 full turns and I know I am at a setting good to fight the fish. On lighter tackle like 10-20lb line you might only need 1 full turn of the drag knob (and possibly only 1/2 depending on gear) before you risk removing the drag knob and the spool can come free. For lures, I will set it just like I initially do for bait, but only go down 1 full turn because even if I forget to turn it back, it still has enough drag to set the hook. Once set, I leave it that way and only turn it up when there is a monster fish that I can drag in. No offense, but it’s highly unlikely you’re actually fishing 20-30lb a of drag. 20lbs is significant, and a surprising number of reels can’t even put out 30lb of drag most striper fishermen have their drag set between 7-10lbs without themselves actually knowing it. the highest drag I use is 18lbs, set with a scale, and that is almost physically unmanageable, and has resulted in me being pulled into the water by fish on a couple occasions. most surf rods aren’t meant for that much drag. If your drag is set at 30lbs and you hook a fish that is capable of pulling line your rod will more than likely break. Most higher end surf rods break around 20-30lbs of drag. Most cheaper rods break even sooner. There are some rods rated for very high drag, like the ODM Jigster, which are rated from 30-35lbs of drag at absolute max GoneCoastal and S Hook 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GoneCoastal Posted June 3 Report Share Posted June 3 I pinch the line between my thumb and fingers and tighten till I can barely pull it. Probably around 3-5 pounds I would guess. Never had a problem with this method on everything up to trolling tackle. S Hook 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
S Hook Posted June 3 Author Report Share Posted June 3 35 mins ago, EliasA said: most striper fishermen have their drag set between 7-10lbs without themselves actually knowing it. yes, I might say even a little lower 5 to 7 EliasA 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
surfcast Posted June 3 Report Share Posted June 3 I am not saying my method is the best. When casting plugs I keep my drag loose just enough to hook the fish if I need a little more I add it on. The reason is if you have bail flip it saves your plug from breaking off. I know this may not be for everyone but it works. I'll tell you this, no eternal reward will forgive us now for wasting the dawn. Jim Morrison Remember when you were young, you shone like the sun. Now there's a look in your eyes, like black holes in the sky. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Camhabib Posted June 3 Report Share Posted June 3 For plugs, I tighten until there’s no slip when casting. This is winds up being just loose enough to pull some line without cutting me. For bait, cast with it set as I just mentioned, and then loosen 1-2 turns. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Camhabib Posted June 3 Report Share Posted June 3 1 hour ago, EliasA said: No offense, but it’s highly unlikely you’re actually fishing 20-30lb a of drag. 20lbs is significant, and a surprising number of reels can’t even put out 30lb of drag most striper fishermen have their drag set between 7-10lbs without themselves actually knowing it. the highest drag I use is 18lbs, set with a scale, and that is almost physically unmanageable, and has resulted in me being pulled into the water by fish on a couple occasions. most surf rods aren’t meant for that much drag. If your drag is set at 30lbs and you hook a fish that is capable of pulling line your rod will more than likely break. Most higher end surf rods break around 20-30lbs of drag. Most cheaper rods break even sooner. There are some rods rated for very high drag, like the ODM Jigster, which are rated from 30-35lbs of drag at absolute max This raises a pretty interesting question: how many feet out of line do you test the drag setting with? My understanding is that the drag changes significantly with the amount of line out. I’d have to look into the math a bit more to get a better understanding, but perhaps someone who knows a bit more can chime in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snook_Slayr Posted June 3 Report Share Posted June 3 (edited) I and a lot of people I know have been dumped using 20-25lb of drag, anyone telling you that’s not possible are probably fishing from a rock, something slippery or weigh 100lb a reply here earlier said it good though, at the bridge locked till you can’t turn the drag knob more without damaging the reel, and anywhere else it’s tightened till you can barely pull it out by the braid Edited June 3 by Snook_Slayr Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EliasA Posted June 3 Report Share Posted June 3 3 mins ago, Camhabib said: This raises a pretty interesting question: how many feet out of line do you test the drag setting with? My understanding is that the drag changes significantly with the amount of line out. I’d have to look into the math a bit more to get a better understanding, but perhaps someone who knows a bit more can chime in. I always test it with a rod’s length of line out just for convenience. The less line that is on the reel, the higher the drag output is. I don’t think it’s a huge issue unless you’re fishing your drag set at near your lines breaking strength. Like say you’re fishing 17lb mono and have your drag set at 12lbs, potentially by the end of your spool you could end up with your drag exceeding your line rating, but it’s much less likely to be an issue with modern setups as most people use 40-50lb braid Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
S Hook Posted June 3 Author Report Share Posted June 3 53 mins ago, Snook_Slayr said: I and a lot of people I know have been dumped using 20-25lb of drag, anyone telling you that’s not possible are probably fishing from a rock, something slippery or weigh 100lb what exactly does “dumped” mean? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snook_Slayr Posted June 3 Report Share Posted June 3 @S Hook ~200 yards screamed off Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
S Hook Posted June 3 Author Report Share Posted June 3 5 mins ago, Snook_Slayr said: @S Hook ~200 yards screamed off OK, the same as being "spooled". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pakalolo Posted June 3 Report Share Posted June 3 It’s striper fishing for feck’s sake , it’s not rocket science!! Set yer drag tight enough to control a fish without pulling the hook. The end. Pickerel92 and Ebbtide231 2 IN FAVOR OF COMMERCIAL FISHING AND SURFING THE NORTH SIDE MAY THE RICH GET RICHER!! FISH ARE FOOD!! UA MAU KA EA O KA AINA IKA PONO O HAWAII Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Camhabib Posted June 3 Report Share Posted June 3 1 hour ago, pakalolo said: It’s striper fishing for feck’s sake , it’s not rocket science!! Set yer drag tight enough to control a fish without pulling the hook. The end. I think the issue is that for many of us without a great deal of experience, it can be difficult to tell how much drag will cause a pulled hook. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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