setting the drag

[skeeter944]

how do yall set the drag on your reels? what about when your using low stretch line such as flouro or braid? how tight do you like it for worms and jigs? how about moving lures? just wondering. thanks!

[ironman]

I keep it to where if I pull it pretty hard it will come out and if you catch a fish and the line ingoing out ot much just tighten it.

[zooker]

i never lock mine down. even my pnj reel is set fairly heavy but it will give.. with t-rigs or carolina rig medium drag setting. the cranks because of there ability to catch large non target fish-stripers,catfish- plus i use fairly light line. the drag is set lightly..

zooker

[flamez]

mine are tight but no tight enough to hurt the reel when ever i need drag i just push the button down and thumb my spool and when setting ur drag you wanna pull it from the end of the rod not directly from the reel

[skeeter944]

ok,thanks for the replies guys!

[Bender]

Technically you should set it at half the pound rating of your line. I guess tie it off to a scale and see when it pulls out.
I set mine pretty heavy though and hope for the best. I have had only one bass take line this year, and a couple pike. Only one break off, but that was my fault as I could see that the knot broke, changed line next day and have not had a problem since.

[JB]

I never have locked a drag down, I keep it so you can pull some line out, I figure if i need more drag I can always thumb the spool , plus on some big fish you need a drag that lets line out, but with some resistance.

[Vabass22]

I like a fairly light drag, and if I need it tighter, I'll tighten it during the fight. I mostly fish open water, so there is no place to get snagged up, in snaggy water, I would tighten it up more.

[Fishie1]

I am unlike all you guys......I lock the sucker down on my plastics but if I am dropshotting it is set lighter and if I am flipping to docks with a light line at short distance it is set a tad lighter.....just lock thos babies down and hit the button..........of course I am not worried about losing a cat fish or something else. I have lost some really big cats that have made a huge run and broken me off like 75lb flatheads because you will not be able to push the button cause the reel is so tensed........

[bassguy2004]

I just crank'm down, but when I return home I take all the pressure off the drag bushings.

[adamgambill]

Get an old milk jug preferably a half gallon- fill it with water tie off to it and crank with the drag wide open and increase drag until you can start moving the jug. Never had this method fail but that is just baseline-if you feel it slipping too much with the hogs, you need more tension. Just a thought anyhow. My $.02