Drag question

[Bendersbe16]

For the drag system
How do u kno how much drag u should be set on. is it just personal preferance or should there be a certian amount?

Thanks

[rrw4258]

i always keep mine so i can pull it out with my hand, at a medium pace... not to much or not to little, if you set it to high, the fish can break your line, because there will be too much line tension.

Ryan

[Bendersbe16]

yea thats pretty much what i have set on mine. just didnt know if there was a certian amount or not
thanks

[JB]

After you get spooled up and are adjusting the drag, you should start loose and tighten it up to the point of being able to pull out a foot of line with some resistance ... If you discover when you hook the next bass that your not getting anywhere with the reeling in of line, perhaps give the drag adjustment a slight tweek...its always a good idea to have the drag set so they can pull line out if needed, so the line won't break. Plus, if you have it a tad loose, you can always thumb the spool to do a manual braking job as needed if the bass takes a "nose dive run"...
I think Reb was telling me once on here to loosen the drag when storing the rod for inactive times..

[Marty]

Originally Posted by Bendersbe16

For the drag system
How do u kno how much drag u should be set on. is it just personal preferance or should there be a certian amount?

Thanks

There's no one setting that's right for everyone. I use a light setting, about 20% of line test. Others may use half or some other setting. Others set it where it will give just a hair on the hookset, others have different preferences. I have much more confidence in the light setting and I believe it can prevent some losses when there's a problem with the line, such as a nick or frayed area that you might not be aware of.

[basser087]

After you tie up and are ready to put a lure on for fishing I would tie my line to a fixed object, pole, seat, ect. Then I set my drag to wear when I'm pulling so that my rod bends, as if a fish was on the other end, I then set my drag to the tightest possible setting the line and rod will allow. Fish don't pull on your line straight out from the end of your rod they pull with a bend so keep this in mind when setting your drag.

[JB]

You're right Marty,
the only thing I could add is the flexiblity of the rod, which comes into
play with the drag setting. If the pole gives a little, I think that adds to the line being able to adjust to the weight of the fish.

[KenDammit]

the proper adjustment is something like 1/4 or 1/2 or 3/4 of the actual line strength, something like that. I can't remember where I found or read the information or I'd link ya to it. What ya do is spool up, tie on to a digital scale that you know is correct, and then pull and adjust the drag until the line starts to move at the proper fraction of the weight..

[basstech]

I reset my drag everytime I go fishing. I get about a foot of line off the tip and grab the bait and lower the rod tip holding the bait low and yank back on the rod to make sure it's set properly. I want a little less drag on cranks...a little more on soft plastics.

[HuckFinn]

I have always released the drag on my reels when not in use. (When I remember) Some reels with leather and now man made drags will get a bend in the fibers over time. This bend may cause a flat spot that could affect the smoothness of the drag. I have reels from the 60's where the drag is just as good or as bad as when the reels were new.
I used to use the scale when testing the drag. Now I don't bother unless I want to find out the test of a line that I'm not sure of. e.g. reel found in garage with line but no clue as to pound.
Now what I do is with spinning gear, use my hand to pull the line off the reel, I want it to come off fast and easy. Once at that point I add drag until almost nothing comes out, I then losen the drag. Once fishing I add or subtract as needed. Most of the time the drag is at a setting to allow a hook set without pulling off line. Fish on I add or subtact as the conditions warrent.
Bait caster: release drag so line comes out at a slow pace but with no jerkiness to it. I fish with a heavier drag.

[betursweetbass]

Most of the line manufacturer's will recommend that you set your drag to 25 % of the test your using....meaning ...if your using 10 pound test...set a spring weight of 2.5 pounds on your drag. Myself, I go a lot higher and adjust for the fight as needed. Setting the hook can be iffy with a drag set to recommended specs.

[PowerBass]

I generally have them locked down on baitcasters, but medium tight on spinning. I need to back off the drag and play them out a little I think.

[pig n jig]

I tighten the drags down as well as I can before fishing and if there is alot of drag slippage when hooking fish I look for the rusty channel locks I keep in the boat to tighten them down some more. I really am bad with using the drag system.I fish alot of heavy cover and I want the fish to get to the boat as quickly as possible.P N J

[JB]

I've noticed that the weather and humidity can play into how well a drag works too..Just out of habit I almost always pull some line out after the first cast to see how much resistance the drag has that day.

[bassintom]

i'll constantly pull line to check the drag..it's a habit.

[skeeter944]

i like just a little slip on my baitcasters,i loosen up when a fish is on ,and on spinning with 6 or 8 lb line,i let it slip slowly but steadily.

[Bender]

I usually lock it way down too, especially since I started using braided line. I lost one last year using mono but i think it was a pike since it just snipped the line right off. Other than that no problems with losing fish, got new reels this year so I will have to experiment.