Question About Drag On My Chronarch??

[BassinNCstyle]

I went out today with my new chronarch. I noticed that even with drag all the way tight I could pull line out if I pulled hard enough. I was thinking I shoukn't be able to pull at all with tight drag, am I wrong? It has 50lb pp on it. The spoolis turning and not just the line, it does have black tape backing. THANKS

[iabass8]

Are you using any backing? The braid might be slipping on the spool. Unless you are punching mats or frog fishing slop, you don't need the drag locked down.

[BassinNCstyle]

Are you using any backing? The braid might be slipping on the spool. Unless you are punching mats or frog fishing slop, you don't need the drag locked down.

 

 

Yes I have backing and could see spool move with line. 

[Fishwhittler]

I went out today with my new chronarch. I noticed that even with drag all the way tight I could pull line out if I pulled hard enough. I was thinking I shoukn't be able to pull at all with tight drag, am I wrong? It has 50lb pp on it. The spoolis turning and not just the line, it does have black tape backing. THANKS

 

The Chronarch's drag locks down around 10#—there's nothing wrong with your reel.  The Chronarch is incapable of providing more drag pressure than that without modification.  

 

The most powerful drag on bass fishing baitcast reels is around 25#.  There are no reels that lock down completely.

[BassinNCstyle]

The Chronarch's drag locks down around 10#—there's nothing wrong with your reel.  The Chronarch is incapable of providing more drag pressure than that without modification.  

 

The most powerful drag on bass fishing baitcast reels is around 25#.  There are no reels that lock down completely.

 

Can you explain further about drag locks down at 10lbs. I am a newbe to understanding BC more indepth. Does it mean anything over 10lb can cause drag to loose?

[Capt.Bob]

Can you explain further about drag locks down at 10lbs. I am a newbe to understanding BC more indepth. Does it mean anything over 10lb can cause drag to loose?

If it is working properly yes, that is an awful lot of drag, and when you add the proper use of what the rod can add to that, it is ten pounds at the reel, and much more at the hook! 

[5dollarsplash]

My Lexa 300 has the capability of 22lbs of drag.  I set it around 4-5lbs.  If I brought it to 22 it would be a struggle to pull line but I could probably manage it, and most likely would break rod tips if I got hung up on something.  For bass fishing most recommend lighter drags unless your fishing complete slop.

[lmbfisherman]

Can you explain further about drag locks down at 10lbs. I am a newbe to understanding BC more indepth. Does it mean anything over 10lb can cause drag to loose?

See Capt Bob's explanation.  Frankly if you couldn't pull line yourself at 10 lbs of pressure at the "reel" then I'd worry about how strong you are. 

[BassinNCstyle]

When someone say they have drag set at so many lbs how do they set it to know it set at certain lbs?

[Capt.Bob]

When someone say they have drag set at so many lbs how do they set it to know it set at certain lbs?

Most don't! I just go by what feels appropriate to me,in time you will know, if I need a little more or less I will adjust when I get a fish on, I always start loose.

 

You can use an electronic weight scale and measure the pull coming straight off  the reel. Once set with 10 lbs. of drag you can more than double that using the rod the way it is meant to be used. the farther you point the line guide away from your fish (lure or hook at the end of our line) the more you increase the resistance at the lure, without adding drag at the reel.

 

This is why most of set a drag aprox. 1/3rd to1/5th the desired rod rating (or line, whichever is lighter). You should use your rod rating as with most baitcasters now day's people use 20 to 50 lbs braid, and most rods are rated for less LBS test than the  line we are using on them. I use 20lbs test braid on my Medium power rods that are rated for 15lbs to 17lbs  max, and 30lbs test on my medium heavy which are rated for 17 to 25 lbs max. with the over 15 lbs that my lew's are capable of (they all test a tad higher than that) I can easily use the rod to create over twice that, and put much more strain on the rods than they are designed to handle. I always use a leader and never use a heavier lbs test than my rod is designed for, it is always my weakest link and what I set my drag to account for when I add that power with my rod!! 

 

This is what makes the use of a tuned drag so important to those who use their drag the way they are designed to be used. I install carbontex drags using carbon washers and I prefer to run them wet (just my preference, I think it is smoother) But for extreme cold I run them dry. This will assure when properly set you never loose a fish because of broken leader (line) or have to little resistance to set the hook properly, and if it is a big fish the SMOoOTH'st drag to tame it possible!!! I never tune a reel without starting with the drag!!

[iabass8]

some people use a scale to pull against. most of the time you can do it by feel after you get the hang of where the drag should be. it's very easy to tell after a few fish.

[BradH]

You can make setting the drag as complex or as easy as you want it to be.  I just do it by feel, I like to do it the easy way.  Generally in heavy cover with single hook baits like a spinnerbait, bass jig or Texas rig go tighter.  For crankbaits and other treble hooked lures go lighter.  When fighting/moving a fish I use the rod, not the reel.  I will almost always make adjustments when fighting a fish of any size and/or thumb the spool.  Ten pounds of drag will get almost anything in fresh water to the boat.

[Capt.Bob]

Ten pounds of drag will cost you more fish than it will save you, 90% of the time for Bass! The heavier you set a drag, the less room for error,,,,  

[BassinNCstyle]

Thanks for the help. I just always assumed a compltete tight drag will keep it from moving at all.

[Smallmouth Hunter]

I just set the drag to where I can pull it and the line doesn't cut into itself which is probably 4-5 lbs.

[Delaware Valley Tackle]

Truth be told, 5lbs of drag is plenty for bass fishing. As for the OP, there's nothing wrong with your reel. I would suggest a carbontex upgrade for the main washer down the road.