drag setting Million dollar question on setting the drag on baitcaster

[Hammer 4]

I set my drag on my baitcasters at about 2.5 to 3 lbs for most applications. Flipping I'll tighten it down just before lock down. 

Heavy swimbaiting is probably around 6 to 8 lbs. via my pull test.

Spinning is about 2 lbs. as I only use 8 or 6 lb test on it.

I can always tighten or loosen the drag as needed. 

[fishwizzard]

I set the drag on most reels via the highly scientific method of "can just barely pull line with it held between my thumb and index finger".  For most reels my thumb rests on the spool and I clamp down to add pressure at the hookset and then as needed when fighting a fish.  For some larger reels where my thumb isn't in an ideal position I do add a lot more drag, usually setting it to the equally accurate "can just barely pull line with it wrapped round my thumb two times".  

[redmeansdistortion]

3 hours ago, Emiliano said:

I follow the Randy Blaukat YouTube channel and recently he talked about how to fight the fish properly by relying on pushing the thumb bar and apply pressure on the spool by thumbing in order to react to fish runs, so he has the drag set to max I guess.

I know most anglers and Pro as well rely on that technique, but why?

By clicking the thumb bar the spool remains engaged/blocked for a fraction (a second or less for ex) and that can stop the fish surge unless you follow the fish movement and that can be a problem if you don't react instantly.

Reel drag exists for a reason and I rely on that plus the rod flex to fight the fish accordingly to line lbs test and type of hook I'm using. I prefer to set the drag a bit looser (let's say than normal) and than control de pressure of the spool by thumbing if needed, ...unless I'm flipping or punching obviously.

I always set the hook while I'm thumbing the spool and I never had any issues by doing that, but that is my style and I know everyone is different.

But I'm open minded and I would like to know what's the advantage by using the thumb bar and not the drag.

Hitting the thumb bar when a fish is running isn't a very good idea since it can cause premature wear on the pinion gear. 

 

Something to think about, and I encounter this often even among well seasoned anglers that have been on the water for decades.  There's a very big misconception about what drag is intended for.  The prevailing mentality I've observed is that it's meant to stop a fish in its tracks, to keep it from running, so it can be brought to the boat faster.  The purpose of drag is to let fish run in a controlled manner and tire itself without breaking the line.  Break-offs are the result of 2 things, a poorly tied knot or an improperly set drag.

[roadwarrior]

11 minutes ago, redmeansdistortion said:

The purpose of drag is to let fish run in a controlled manner and tire itself without breaking the line.  Break-offs are the result of 2 things, a poorly tied knot or an improperly set drag.

 

[TnRiver46]

22 hours ago, roadwarrior said:

Never.

I set my drag at about 2 lbs and never make any adjustments.

Reckon why your reels come with drag adjustments then? 

[roadwarrior]

Well, my way isn't the only way. So the adjustments are for individual tastes.

I fish lighter line than most guys on spinning tackle because I think I get better

action and more bites.

[TnRiver46]

On 3/28/2021 at 4:46 AM, Emiliano said:

I follow the Randy Blaukat YouTube channel and recently he talked about how to fight the fish properly by relying on pushing the thumb bar and apply pressure on the spool by thumbing in order to react to fish runs, so he has the drag set to max I guess.

I know most anglers and Pro as well rely on that technique, but why?

By clicking the thumb bar the spool remains engaged/blocked for a fraction (a second or less for ex) and that can stop the fish surge unless you follow the fish movement and that can be a problem if you don't react instantly.

Reel drag exists for a reason and I rely on that plus the rod flex to fight the fish accordingly to line lbs test and type of hook I'm using. I prefer to set the drag a bit looser (let's say than normal) and than control de pressure of the spool by thumbing if needed, ...unless I'm flipping or punching obviously.

I always set the hook while I'm thumbing the spool and I never had any issues by doing that, but that is my style and I know everyone is different.

But I'm open minded and I would like to know what's the advantage by using the thumb bar and not the drag.

The advantage  of the thumb bar is now your brain is the drag and is dynamic. It’s not set at 2 lb, 3lbs, blah blah blah. It can be looser when the fish pulls harder in a split second. I’ve yet to see a pro angler NOT push the thumb bar when a fish dives under the boat. And I’ve seen lots of pros backreel their spinning reels too....... but that shall be ignored before we go down that path or the thread will be locked like my drags 

[roadwarrior]

"or the thread will be locked?"

I don't think so.

 

Just a discussion of what I do or others do. I am simply sharing my experience,

but your results may be different. I am specifically set up for that surge from a

big brown fish when it sees the boat.

[redmeansdistortion]

10 minutes ago, TnRiver46 said:

The advance of the thumb bar is now your brain is the drag and is dynamic. It’s not set at 2 lb, 3lbs, blah blah blah. It can be looser when the fish pulls harder in a split second. I’ve yet to see a pro angler NOT push the thumb bar when I fish dives under the boat. And I’ve seen lots of pros backreel their spinning reels too....... but that shall be ignored before we go down that path or the thread will be locked like my drags 

I'm trying to wrap my head around this.  What is the advantage of going into free spool if the drag is already set right?  If I'm running 2lb of drag and the fish takes a dive under the boat, will the drag not perform as it should?  If I need a little more, I can thumb the spool.  I'm far from a pro angler, just curious.

[TnRiver46]

16 minutes ago, roadwarrior said:

"or the thread will be locked?"

I don't think so.

 

Just a discussion of what I do or others do. I am simply sharing my experience,

but your results may be different. I am specifically set up for that surge from a

big brown fish when it sees the boat.

seems like They always do that right next to the boat! Sneaky devils

9 minutes ago, redmeansdistortion said:

I'm trying to wrap my head around this.  What is the advantage of going into free spool if the drag is already set right?  If I'm running 2lb of drag and the fish takes a dive under the boat, will the drag not perform as it should?  If I need a little more, I can thumb the spool.  I'm far from a pro angler, just curious.

Well, it's personal preference. But to me, 1 single drag setting is not always right. A fish isn't always pulling with the same exact strength and speed so I like the amount of resistance I'm using to be ever changing, not set 

[Emiliano]

I think no need to lock the thread @TnRiver46 we are just sharing infos and I only asked why some didn't use drag if reels are made and designed to cast, retrieve and "figth" the fish with all the tech available nowadays, and quality reel drag is a main factor in the reel price as well IMO

As I said in my post everyone has own techniques and methods and is more confident in something other don't, that's it

[bulldog1935]

I'm very happy with spring-scale set to 1/4 of weakest link - rod max line rating, line or leader test.  The rod capacity too often gets overlooked with big braid test.  

If I need more short-term drag for a little authority to stop a fish or set hook, can thumb either bait or spinning spool.  

[BrianMDTX]

I think everyone should set their drag the way they prefer. Light, heavy, use the thumb bar, etc. Whatever works for you works for me. 
 

I’d rather set the drag at 2-3 lbs and take my guesswork out of the equation during the heat of battle. YMMV

[redmeansdistortion]

32 minutes ago, TnRiver46 said:

Well, it's personal preference. But to me, 1 single drag setting is not always right. A fish isn't always pulling with the same exact strength and speed so I like the amount of resistance I'm using to be ever changing, not set 

I can understand the advantage on your end since you prefer to fish with the drag locked down.  You're simply doing the opposite of what myself and others do, hitting the thumb bar to free up the spool and controlling the drag with your thumb instead of using a nominal drag setting and thumbing the spool as necessary.

[TOXIC]

Since I flunked my physics class (twice) riddle me this....

is 2lbs of drag when you hook to a scale 3 feet from the rod tip still 2lbs of drag when you have 30 feet of line out?  I know line type comes into play like mono vs Fluro vs braid but surely there is some equation to explain it.?

[Team9nine]

35 minutes ago, TOXIC said:

Since I flunked my physics class (twice) riddle me this....

is 2lbs of drag when you hook to a scale 3 feet from the rod tip still 2lbs of drag when you have 30 feet of line out?  I know line type comes into play like mono vs Fluro vs braid but surely there is some equation to explain it.?

 

No...the more line off the spool, the higher the drag pressure regardless of initial setting - and, of course, that’s not taking all the other variables into play which affect whether a line and knot will hold. There are obviously nuances involved based on things like line diameter, spool width, gear ratio,  etc., but the technically correct answer is ‘No.’

[TOXIC]

1 minute ago, Team9nine said:

 

No...the more line off the spool, the higher the drag pressure regardless of initial setting - and, of course, that’s not taking all the other variables into play which affect whether a line and knot will hold. There are obviously nuances involved based on things like line diameter, spool width, gear ratio,  etc., but the technically correct answer is ‘No.’

That’s what I thought.  I participated in a demonstration at a show I was working where Hackney pulled out 4 foot of line from a baitcaster and had me hold it between my index finger and thumb.  He did a normal hookset and pulled the line free.  He had me move about 40 feet and he could not pull the line from my fingers.  This was with mono.  

[BrianMDTX]

1 minute ago, TOXIC said:

That’s what I thought.  I participated in a demonstration at a show I was working where Hackney pulled out 4 foot of line from a baitcaster and had me hold it between my index finger and thumb.  He did a normal hookset and pulled the line free.  He had me move about 40 feet and he could not pull the line from my fingers.  This was with mono.  

That demonstration sounds like it’s more the physical properties of monofilament line over a distance vs drag. Any line over distance that stretches is going to have less of an impact on the drag. Did he try that with straight braid? 

[king fisher]

In general I set the drag at 1/3 breaking strength of the line.  If I'm fishing in heavy cover, I set the drag  higher, but never locked down.    As soon as I pull the fish out of the cover, I lightened up on the drag.  I  lost a double digit bass a few weeks ago, because I locked down my drag to get a backlash out, and forgot to reset it.  The big bass made a hard run, I was trying to back my kayak away from a tree, and expected the drag to give, it didn't, end of story.    I am opposite of most bass anglers.  I like to take my time and fight the fish with a gentle touch.  In my experience more hooks pull free, or line breaks due to horsing a fish than get off because the fight lasts to long.  I have landed many large fish, that were barely skin hooked because I backed off the drag, and played them with a gentle touch.  Of course a big fish must be quickly forced  away from cover, before any amount of finesse can be applied.  If I'm fishing light line around heavy cover, than gently leading the fish through the cover instead of forcing it is the only option and my drag will be set at 1/3 breaking strength.  Most of the time I will not be fishing light line in heavy cover. A short answer would be I set my drag depending on the type of cover, line, rod, and technique.

[Team9nine]

4 minutes ago, TOXIC said:

That’s what I thought.  I participated in a demonstration at a show I was working where Hackney pulled out 4 foot of line from a baitcaster and had me hold it between my index finger and thumb.  He did a normal hookset and pulled the line free.  He had me move about 40 feet and he could not pull the line from my fingers.  This was with mono.  

 

That is more an example of the inherent stretch in line, esp. mono. The further away/the more line out, the weaker the force at the end of the line. It goes downhill fast, especially in water as opposed to your room demonstration. Same goes for bite detection.

[BrianMDTX]

6 minutes ago, king fisher said:

I am opposite of most bass anglers.  I like to take my time and fight the fish with a gentle touch.

So do I. Hauling them in skimming the surface is (to me) not much fun. I love it when you have a decent bass hooked and almost to the boat (or bank) and it makes that last hard run and I hear the drag letting out some line. To me, that’s fishing! 

[TOXIC]

13 minutes ago, Team9nine said:

 

That is more an example of the inherent stretch in line, esp. mono. The further away/the more line out, the weaker the force at the end of the line. It goes downhill fast, especially in water as opposed to your room demonstration. Same goes for bite detection.

Yes it is but there has to be a factor to drag at different line lengths as well.  Even braid.  Line stretch and rod action play a part as well but the amount of power you can generate at longer line distances even with zero line stretch or rod action has to be a measurable factor does it not? You cannot maintain the same power at longer distances without loss.  I know I’m splitting hairs but it’s a fun conversation.

[Guitarfish]

I set mine light and use an educated thumb.  I think anyone that fly fishes too would understand.  Though I bass fished prior to picking up a fly rod.  I have always enjoyed the mental adjustment to the thumb pressure according to the strength of the tug.  If Mr. Fishy jerks really hard I remove my thumb and let him run.  I use the same method with jigs, spinnerbaits or a top water.

My methods wouldn't apply if I'm counting on my catch in a tournament or such.

[Team9nine]

11 minutes ago, TOXIC said:

Yes it is but there has to be a factor to drag at different line lengths as well.  Even braid.  Line stretch and rod action play a part as well but the amount of power you can generate at longer line distances even with zero line stretch or rod action has to be a measurable factor does it not? You cannot maintain the same power at longer distances without loss.  I know I’m splitting hairs but it’s a fun conversation.

 

You’re right, but you’re talking about multiple different factors that all just happen to be playing together at the same time. There is drag setting as relates to spool diameter (how much line on the reel at any given point in time); there is “drag” on the line based on length of cast and how a fish moves; drag as relates to rod action and rod angle during a fight; there is elasticity and hooking force; there is distance vs bite detection; line diameter vs all these things; and others. You can create equations to probably solve most of them, but I’m not sure what a Grand Unified Theory would look like. Might need @Deephaven or @fissure_man for those - lol.

[WRB]

15 hours ago, mcipinkie said:

Drags ??

 

We don't need no stinking drags.  We're bass fishermen.

 

On bait casters, I screw 'em down.  Probably costs me a treble hook fish or two every year, but I make up for it on the one's I horse out of heavy cover.

 

Spinners, I just adjust them until it feels right.  Been fishing almost 70 years.  I know what feels right.  Still probably tighter than most people.

 

Surely don't need a scale to adjust reel drags. Got to agree with Fishes in Trees on this one.

 

Try tying your line and lifting a gallon jug of water with your drag lock down with your flipping rod. 8 lbs of drag is easy with baiting reels. More then 6 lbs if drag is over kill with bass fishing.

Tom

PS, let me where your rod broke!