My Noob Friend.

[AJMichigan]

Went bass fishing with my buddy at one of my favorite spots this weekend. He's been bass fishing previously, but he's a noob in most aspects. We're both fishing spinners and he hooks into a monster about 10 feet from the bank. Well..my friend doesn't have his drag set properly and it's set WAYYY too loose. He is not able to keep the line tight on this bad boy. He starts freaking out

"Dude come fix my drag! come fix my drag!"

 

So I take the pole from him and I'm able to feel this fish before he gets off, my god, this was the biggest thing i've ever felt on the end of a line while fishing freshwater. I tighten up the drag quickly and next thing I know he's gone. We get the lure back in and this fish moved the knot all the way down the bar of the spinner.

 

He was furious, and I couldn't help but chuckle a bit inside but was upset with him as well..

 

First thing I ALWAYS do when I get to my fishing spot is check all aspects of my rod/reel to make sure they're in proper working order.

 

I dont think he'll ever forget to check his drag again though! LOL. 8)

[BassinLou]

Lesson learned. It's unfortunate that we have learn that way sometimes.

[RyneB]

that happened to me on my first outing this year. I always loosen my drags on all my reels after cleaning and relubing them when I put them away for the winter. Well I must have forgot to tighten up my Premier. It didn't cost me a fish, but it made me panic. GO WOLVERINES

[papajoe222]

I have just the opposite problem, I forget to loosen the drag  when fighting a big fish. I get so pumped after hooking a fish on a crank I often forget to back off during the fight.  It's a catch 22 for me because if I set the drag loose enough to begin with, I won't get a good hook set on a long cast. I've had the bad luck of loosing a tourney winning fish this way.  What I'm really saying is; If your buddy is like me, it may take more than once for him to learn the lesson.

[Dwight Hottle]

My rule of thumb is to set my drag looser if I' m using treble hooks and to tighten my drag if I'm using a single hook bait. You can always loosen the drag as the fish comes to the boat. The better quality reels allow you to adjust the drag one click at a time.

[Brian Needham]

drags are like a Ronco rotisserie.........set it and forget it! 

[alexandboi]

The opposite happened to my friend last week haha. Hes relatively new to fishing too. He set the hook on a good 5 or 6 and was reeling it in fast (he was using 8lb fluoro) and i could see his rod bending so I yelled at him to back off the drag. But I guess in the excitement he didn't hear or pay attention to me and as the fish got to the shore she made a quick turn, and SNAP! haha. The looks on his face was priceless haha. 

[Jrob78]

All you have to do is thumb the spool if the drag is too loose.  

[Khong]

Things I always do a night ahead for reels/rods/line before I go fishing in the morning.  

 

1) Check the lines to see if it's abrasive or knicked.  I would pull the line out and cut it.  If the spool needs replacing then go and replace it.  I'm sure y'all follow the rule of fill it up 1/3 to 1/2 with cheap heavy mono and the rest with what you are going to cast.  

 

2) Check your fishing knots.  Usually, I would just retie them.

 

3) Check your rod and make sure it doesn't have cracks or looks as if it's going to break on you.

 

4) Condition your line with KVD.

 

5) Set your drags properly on your reel set-up.

[SirSnookalot]

I don't set my drag until I'm ready to make the first cast, I know where I want by feel.  Seldom do I adjust the drag in freshwater fishing, not the case with some other fish.  I can change pressure by moving the rod to a different angle, or put pressure on with my hand without ever touching the drag knob, even break a lure off when I know there is no chance of landing a fish.  Star drags on convention reels are a thing of the past for me, once I got used to a lever drag.

[Sam]

I loosen the spool and drag on all reels when storing them between fishing adventures and in the winter. I like taking the pressure off the drag when the reel is not in use.

 

So when I hit the water I adjust all reels the night before by balancing the baitcasters and setting up the spinning reels by tightening the drags.

 

What your friend experienced happens to all of us, sooner or later.  I have seen veteran bass fisherman do the same thing and to say the least, it was funny.

 

It is like forgetting to put the plug in the boat before launching it. Happens to us sooner or later and all it takes is one time and you never forget to set up the rods and reels and put the plug in the boat.

[Bankbeater]

One morning I was running late to get to the lake.  I got there and threw my gear into the boat and off we go.  A little while later I am fishing in some weeds with a jig and feel a tap, so I swing to set the hook.  Next thing I know I have a huge backlash in my reel, and the fish is gone.  When I put my gear away after a trip I loosen the drag and in my rushing around that morning I had forgotten to tighten it down again.

[Tuckahoe Joe]

I don't set my drag until I'm ready to make the first cast, I know where I want by feel.  Seldom do I adjust the drag in freshwater fishing, not the case with some other fish.  I can change pressure by moving the rod to a different angle, or put pressure on with my hand without ever touching the drag knob, even break a lure off when I know there is no chance of landing a fish.  Star drags on convention reels are a thing of the past for me, once I got used to a lever drag.

 

I loosen the spool and drag on all reels when storing them between fishing adventures and in the winter. I like taking the pressure off the drag when the reel is not in use.

 

So when I hit the water I adjust all reels the night before by balancing the baitcasters and setting up the spinning reels by tightening the drags.

 

What your friend experienced happens to all of us, sooner or later.  I have seen veteran bass fisherman do the same thing and to say the least, it was funny.

 

It is like forgetting to put the plug in the boat before launching it. Happens to us sooner or later and all it takes is one time and you never forget to set up the rods and reels and put the plug in the boat.

 

 

I do both of these things.  I just figure that loosening the drag is probably easier on the reel when not in use.  Therefore, when I get to the lake, my drag is already loose so I have to re-set it.  Fortunately I haven't lost a fish yet due to line snagage or my drag being improperly set but sometimes I do forget to tighten it up before I start fishing.  Luckily for me I always realize before I get bit.  Sucks about your friend but like others have said, he learned his lesson the hard way.