jwhiteney Posted July 31, 2014 Posted July 31, 2014 I have a BPS pro qualifier and just picked up some 15lb line to go on it. I read that the drag should be set to about a third of what the line is. The drag only seems to be able to be set to 5lbs, online it says it should be 10lbs. I have it cranked down really hard. To set the drag I took the line out of the guides, attached a digital scale to the line and pulled straight away from the reel parallel to the rod. Am I doing something wrong or is it the reel? Quote
georgeyew Posted July 31, 2014 Posted July 31, 2014 How old is the reel? Maybe the drag disks need to be cleaned. Quote
jwhiteney Posted July 31, 2014 Author Posted July 31, 2014 How old is the reel? Maybe the drag disks need to be cleaned. I got it this year. Only used it a handful of times now. Quote
5fishlimit Posted July 31, 2014 Posted July 31, 2014 Do you back off the drag when you're not using it? Quote
OroBass Posted July 31, 2014 Posted July 31, 2014 Also that is not how you set the drag. Set up your line and reel. Have one person hold the rod at 10 o'clock. Then pull down on your line. You will have much different numbers. Quote
Super User Deleted account Posted July 31, 2014 Super User Posted July 31, 2014 When I went to school, 5 was 1/3 of 15... And if you do a little P90X, you should be able to crank that bad boy a little tighter, Oh, and except for heavy cover close contact heavy tackle combat fishing, 5 lbs is plenty... Quote
jwhiteney Posted August 1, 2014 Author Posted August 1, 2014 Do you back off the drag when you're not using it? no. but i didnt think i had to as its not really cranked down to hard Also that is not how you set the drag. Set up your line and reel. Have one person hold the rod at 10 o'clock. Then pull down on your line. You will have much different numbers. ok thanks. i will give that a try When I went to school, 5 was 1/3 of 15... And if you do a little P90X, you should be able to crank that bad boy a little tighter, Oh, and except for heavy cover close contact heavy tackle combat fishing, 5 lbs is plenty... yes... i am aware 1/3 of 15 is 5. issue is 5 seems like the max it will go seems like it is cranked down really hard. also wasnt sure if it was bad for it to crank it down that much Quote
OroBass Posted August 1, 2014 Posted August 1, 2014 Setting the drag with the rod "loaded" will give an extremely accurate setting. After you set your drag pull the line up by the reel and learn how it feels. I usually set mine by hand. Improper. Drag setting is responsible for a ton of negative line reviews. Quote
Super User SirSnookalot Posted August 1, 2014 Super User Posted August 1, 2014 Also that is not how you set the drag. Set up your line and reel. Have one person hold the rod at 10 o'clock. Then pull down on your line. You will have much different numbers. This is text book, a book that in 60 years of fishing I've never met anyone that has read it. With the exception some larger offshore species and competitive tarpon fishing I've never known anyone to use a scale to set drag. Bass will not strip out 50 yds of line, the drag needs only set enough to set the hook which doesn't take long to master. Catch a few fish and by feel you will know where to set it. 1 Quote
Super User roadwarrior Posted August 1, 2014 Super User Posted August 1, 2014 Getting an accurate measure will surprise most guys. Here is an alternative to using a scale: Put a 3 lb free weight in a plastic grocery bag and tie it to your line. GENTLY lift the bag and make adjustments to your drag setting as needed. That is probably all the drag you want, but add another pound or two and see what you think. Quote
shanksmare Posted August 1, 2014 Posted August 1, 2014 For me the lure of bass fishing is getting the bass to strike. Lets face it, LMB are not near the top of the food chain in terms of fighting ability. Tie a 10 lb bass to a 10 lb snook (tail to tail) and the snook would wear the scales off the bass. Do the same with a 10 lb tarpon and the tarpon would kill the bass. So do as Sirsnook said and set your drag to a reasonable setting and suppliment this drag with the best drag system known to mankind - your left thumb! I have a couple of PQers with no issues with drag. Screw it down all the way so it won't slip at all if you want. Quote
Delaware Valley Tackle Posted August 1, 2014 Posted August 1, 2014 Drag ratings are often overstated and maybe inconsistent reel to reel. Your measurement method is right, and 5# is plenty for a bass reel. I can probably squeeze a little more out of it by making sure the spring washers are good and oriented correctly, cleaning the drag etc. A Carbontex drag kit is a good upgrade and fairly inexpensive at $8-$12 for most models. Quote
Super User Tywithay Posted August 1, 2014 Super User Posted August 1, 2014 Did you fish with it, or just tie on a scale and go to town? Not enough drag to pull a scale and not enough to fish properly are very different things. I imagine if you actually put it on a rod and went fishing, you'd find you have plenty of drag. Quote
Super User K_Mac Posted August 1, 2014 Super User Posted August 1, 2014 I have 4 PQs that are all very well used. Not enough drag has never been an issue even in the heaviest of cover. A little cleaning may help if it proves to be a problem. Quote
Kevin22 Posted August 1, 2014 Posted August 1, 2014 5# is plenty. Learn to thumb the spool with heavy-hook baits on the hookset. Quote
Super User Deleted account Posted August 1, 2014 Super User Posted August 1, 2014 For me the lure of bass fishing is getting the bass to strike. Lets face it, LMB are not near the top of the food chain in terms of fighting ability. Tie a 10 lb bass to a 10 lb snook (tail to tail) and the snook would wear the scales off the bass. Do the same with a 10 lb tarpon and the tarpon would kill the bass. So do as Sirsnook said and set your drag to a reasonable setting and suppliment this drag with the best drag system known to mankind - your left thumb! I have a couple of PQers with no issues with drag. Screw it down all the way so it won't slip at all if you want. I supplemented the drag on a tarpon with my thumb once, never again. Quote
Super User new2BC4bass Posted August 1, 2014 Super User Posted August 1, 2014 I have a BPS pro qualifier and just picked up some 15lb line to go on it. I read that the drag should be set to about a third of what the line is. The drag only seems to be able to be set to 5lbs, online it says it should be 10lbs. I have it cranked down really hard. To set the drag I took the line out of the guides, attached a digital scale to the line and pulled straight away from the reel parallel to the rod. Am I doing something wrong or is it the reel? A trip to Mike at DVT is a good thing. The reel will get a deep cleaning. Performance will be all it can be with stock parts. As he already mentioned, a Carbontex drag is very reasonable and in most cases a nice upgrade. More pressure and a smoother drag. Should there be a problem with the reel from the factory, Mike will find it. Some say to use a reel for awhile before getting it cleaned. Others clean their reel (or have it cleaned) before using. My understanding is reels seldom come from the factory with the proper amount of lube. Quote
Super User new2BC4bass Posted August 1, 2014 Super User Posted August 1, 2014 I supplemented the drag on a tarpon with my thumb once, never again. I've felt the heat build up on casts before if I am having trouble with overruns, and keep my thumb in constant contact with the line throughout the cast. I don't think I would be willing to supply extra drag with my thumb in that scenario either. I hate brush burns. Quote
Super User SirSnookalot Posted August 1, 2014 Super User Posted August 1, 2014 I supplemented the drag on a tarpon with my thumb once, never again. I've done that with kingfish on my Avet. Quote
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