Super User skunked_again Posted January 2, 2011 Super User Posted January 2, 2011 whats more important? the rated poundage of a reel or a smooth drag in general? i have always thought drag ratings by the manufacturers was a wives tale of sorts since i dont know of anyone that cranks the drag down tight and goes bass fishing. wouldnt a smooth drag serve better? Quote
Thefishy1 Posted January 2, 2011 Posted January 2, 2011 I dont think that it matters for some things like Flipping, but on my drop shot rod I have 4lb test and having a reel with 50lb pound max drag wouldnt mean anything if it was not smooth. If the drag is not smooth it would be jerky letting out line and with lighter lines that I like to use would cause a lot of problems. I agree with you about the wives tale too, I dont mean to call out Revos but they do it the best. Having a reel with 24lb drag is good, but in reality most guys probably only use around 6-10lbs of drag when regularly bass fishing. Quote
SeanW Posted January 2, 2011 Posted January 2, 2011 Quote whats more important? the rated poundage of a reel or a smooth drag in general? i have always thought drag ratings by the manufacturers was a wives tale of sorts since i dont know of anyone that cranks the drag down tight and goes bass fishing. wouldnt a smooth drag serve better? Id prefer both, therefore its Revo reels for me. When Im punching I dont want any drag. I want to get the fish out now. If the drag slips that fish has a chance to wrap me on something. I do tighten my drag when punching and frog fishing. Quote
RussBert Posted January 2, 2011 Posted January 2, 2011 For me, smoothness is paramount. All my lo-pro baitcasters have carbontex drag discs, lubed with Cal's drag grease and the metal drag washers have all been ground and polished. My "heavy stuff" set up has a tweeked Ambassaduer 5000 that is capable more drag than I'll ever need in freshwater. Quote
Super User Shane J Posted January 2, 2011 Super User Posted January 2, 2011 I'm with Russ on this one, and go with Carbontex on all of them, that way, I get improved drag ratings and smoothness that is unmatched. Quote
Super User roadwarrior Posted January 2, 2011 Super User Posted January 2, 2011 You can measure your drag setting by putting free weights in a plastic grocery bag. Tie the bag to your line and GENTLY lift the bag with your rod. Loosen or tighten the drag to lift the bag off the floor. After experimenting with actual weight, I suspect you will discover that five pounds of drag is more than you will ever need. My reels are set between 3-4 pounds. 8-) Quote
jeb2 Posted January 2, 2011 Posted January 2, 2011 Quote Quote whats more important? the rated poundage of a reel or a smooth drag in general? i have always thought drag ratings by the manufacturers was a wives tale of sorts since i dont know of anyone that cranks the drag down tight and goes bass fishing. wouldnt a smooth drag serve better? Id prefer both, therefore its Revo reels for me. +1. I own several Revo's now that have drag ratings of about 20lbs. They are super smooth right out of the box, too. First time I had a fish pulling drag on my first 2010 Premier, I had to look at the reel to confirm it was pulling line out as it was just as smooth as glass so I didn't feel it. When I hooked into a 19lb striper with that reel, it was sure nice to have the overkill drag to fight it with. So, bottom line, I'll take both in the same reel, when given the choice. Quote
Super User Goose52 Posted January 2, 2011 Super User Posted January 2, 2011 Quote You can measure your drag setting by putting free weights in a plastic grocery bag. Tie the bag to your line and GENTLY lift the bag with your rod. Loosen or tighten the drag to lift the bag off the floor. After experimenting with actual weight, I suspect you will discover that five pounds of drag is more than you will ever need. My reels are set between 3-4 pounds. 8-) I guess I would have to say smooth over max drag. I do fish nearly exclusively in open water though so I don't have the problem of trying to move a fish quickly out of the junk into open water. Like RW, I would imagine that all my BC reels are set for 5lbs or lower. With open water, that's enough drag to bring in something like this on 10lb test line... Quote
Super User J Francho Posted January 2, 2011 Super User Posted January 2, 2011 For my two heavy cover reels, I use dry Carbontex which gives me about 10 lbs. without really cranking the drag star down. That's just enough for winching fish out without stripping the pinion. Ask me how I know this, LOL. For all the rest, I use a wet Carbontex setup. A smooth break away point into drag is much more important. Mine are set at 3-5 lbs. Plenty of resistance, even in weeds. The one exception is my CI4, which gets used in sub freezing conditions, and that is a dry Carbontex setup. I have another old TD-X that is set up dry for the same purpose as well. Quote
Jaheff Posted January 2, 2011 Posted January 2, 2011 Quote You can measure your drag setting by putting free weights in a plastic grocery bag. Tie the bag to your line and GENTLY lift the bag with your rod. Loosen or tighten the drag to lift the bag off the floor. After experimenting with actual weight, I suspect you will discover that five pounds of drag is more than you will ever need. My reels are set between 3-4 pounds. 8-) Or you can buy a drag scale. Their a "T" shaped spring scale that has a tab that marks your highest setting where your drag slips. Shimano makes the most durable one. Quote
fathom Posted January 3, 2011 Posted January 3, 2011 smoothness here. god gave us the opposible thumb for reasons other than casting. Quote
Nibbles Posted January 3, 2011 Posted January 3, 2011 I would be careful about using your thumb to force the spool to a stop to horse fish into a boat. Pressing down hard on a spool could potentially bend your spool shaft. Quote
Delaware Valley Tackle Posted January 3, 2011 Posted January 3, 2011 I consider smoothness more importatnt in bass tackle primarily because 10 lbs of drag is more than adequate for bass and as Jfrancho mentioned, the drag protects the whole power-train. Quote
Super User .ghoti. Posted January 9, 2011 Super User Posted January 9, 2011 Quote For me, smoothness is paramount. All my lo-pro baitcasters have carbontex drag discs, lubed with Cal's drag grease and the metal drag washers have all been ground and polished. Ditto, minus the ground or lapped washers. I put all my metal drag washers on a coordinate measurement system; to see that they all had parallel sides, than just polished them to a high shine. Carbon drag washers, polished metal washers and Shimano drag grease = super smooth drag performance. Measured break-away torque was within 2 ounces of straight line pulling torque, or I rebuilt the drag stack until it was. My drags are set at 25-33 % of line strength for all applications. For #12 line that 3-4 pounds, and is more than enough for bass fishing. You think you really need 20+ pounds of drag? Try this simple test. Get a 20 pound dumbbell. Tie your line to it, then try to pick it up using your favorite rod. Make sure you a have the shipping tube, and check for the warranty / replacement fee ready to go. You're gonna need it. Quote
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.