"Charles B. Summers" wrote in message
news
Sure Rich... if you're using spinning tackle. I prefer the winch method
myself... so Ken says.
"RichZ" wrote in message
...
Bob La Londe wrote:
Ages ago my dad and I used to set the drag on our reels with a spring
scale. We would usually set the drag so it slipped at about 1/3 of the
line test when pulling directly against the reel.
That being said I always wondered if that was wise or if we should have
set it even lighter. I have to be honest we never broke off many fish.
If we did they were real toads that wrapped us up or were just too big
to fight on the amount of line we had.
The reason I wonder about the wisdom of our drag settings is that it
takes a lot more force to strip drag through the guides of a rod arced
over than straight off the reel. We probably had a good comprimise, but
I wonder if we might have been more accurate in our useful setting if we
had used the spring scale to set the drag at about 1/2 of line strength
through the rod arced over... hmmm...
http://www.richz.com/fishing/fishtips/backreel.html
I guess I just don't do it right. Except on my flipping rods I keep the
drags set so that they will slip on the hookset on any fish over two pounds,
and just use my thumb for extra pressure on bigger fish in open water. It
works for me.
On bigger fish (like 8-12 lb stripers) on spinning tackle I used to set the
drag slightly heavier, but not cinched down, and back wind as Rich
suggested. It works pretty well on those long runs, well atleast until your
palm starts to get beat up from acting as a brake against that spinning
handle on a long hard run. LOL.
As far as a lighter drag setting being a problem. Not unless you are
fighting monster fish. You can cup the spool with your palm on a spinning
reel or thumb it on a baitcaster jsut fine to add some brakes. I've done
exactly that many times when fishing 10lb line with topwater and I see a 4+
head for the tulies.
I guess I have tactics that work ok for me, but its been so long since I
fished really light tackle that I just needed to refresh my memory. Thanks
everybody.
--
Bob La Londe
Fishing Arizona & The Colorado River
Fishing Forums & Contests
http://www.YumaBassMan.com
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