Odd change in drag performance

Up on the Salmon River, I fished for two full days; and I noticed a
perceptible difference in my drag performance between the two days. On
the first day, all was well as far as I remember. I hooked up with a
good number of big fish, and the drag gave line grudgingly but smoothly
when necessary. On day two however, it was different. I'd hook up
and the drag would hold as before; but once a certain threshold was
reached, it seemed to give line in huge chunks. It seemed as though a
fish would never gain by inches. Once he broke the initial friction,
it was almost as if the reel would free spool for a second or two. It
was still smooth, but the kinetic friction seemed significantly less
than the static friction. I found myself palming the spool to shorten
the runs.

Whatever happened, happened overnight. Any idea what could cause this?
Moisture on the cork? I'm pretty sure (but not 100% sure) that I'm
not imagining this.

On 18 Oct 2006 08:36:25 -0700, "rb608" wrote:

Up on the Salmon River, I fished for two full days; and I noticed a
perceptible difference in my drag performance between the two days.

Change your dress and get a new girdle...

On
the first day, all was well as far as I remember. I hooked up with a
good number of big fish, and the drag gave line grudgingly but smoothly
when necessary. On day two however, it was different. I'd hook up
and the drag would hold as before; but once a certain threshold was
reached, it seemed to give line in huge chunks.

Oooooh....I thought this was a new juggling, um, act...have you ever
heard of "The Aristocrats?"

It seemed as though a
fish would never gain by inches. Once he broke the initial friction,
it was almost as if the reel would free spool for a second or two. It
was still smooth, but the kinetic friction seemed significantly less
than the static friction. I found myself palming the spool to shorten
the runs.

Whatever happened, happened overnight. Any idea what could cause this?
Moisture on the cork? I'm pretty sure (but not 100% sure) that I'm
not imagining this.

What kind of lube, if any, are you using _ON THE REEL_? Could it be
getting gummy or otherwise causing a situation? If that isn't a likely
cause, change the drag disk and see what happens. If you want to check
for moisture in the current one, hold it underwater for a coupla-few
minutes, wipe the surface, and put it in an small, airtight container
with a color-changing moisture controller, like the red-to-blue
dry-in-the-oven devices on cracker/cookie/biscuit tins. Then put the
container in as warm a place as you can find, like in direct sunlight
and see if there is any color change. If the air is humid, there could
be a initial reaction as the dryer absorbs the moisture in the air
before any in the cork. Or, if you happen to have a lumberyard nearby
or know a home inspector, and they have the right type of gauge, ask
them to moisture-gauge it.

TC,
R

rb608 typed:
Up on the Salmon River, I fished for two full days; and I noticed a
perceptible difference in my drag performance between the two days.
On the first day, all was well as far as I remember. I hooked up
with a good number of big fish, and the drag gave line grudgingly but
smoothly when necessary. On day two however, it was different. I'd
hook up and the drag would hold as before; but once a certain
threshold was reached, it seemed to give line in huge chunks. It
seemed as though a fish would never gain by inches. Once he broke
the initial friction, it was almost as if the reel would free spool
for a second or two. It was still smooth, but the kinetic friction
seemed significantly less than the static friction. I found myself
palming the spool to shorten the runs.

Whatever happened, happened overnight. Any idea what could cause
this? Moisture on the cork? I'm pretty sure (but not 100% sure) that
I'm
not imagining this.

Phew! The subject had me worried, Joe. I thought maybe you gave up fire
juggling for a different entertainment venue altogether.
--
TL,
Tim
-------------------------
http://css.sbcma.com/timj

wrote:
What kind of lube, if any, are you using _ON THE REEL_? Could it be
getting gummy or otherwise causing a situation?

Nah, nothing gummy. I checked that on the stream.

If that isn't a likely
cause, change the drag disk and see what happens.

That's where I expect to end up eventually. I do have another
identical reel, so if I feel ambitious, I can always do the scientific
method stuff; but a cheap piece of cork is a more expedient solution,
methinks.

Tx,
Joe F.

Tim J. wrote:
Phew! The subject had me worried, Joe. I thought maybe you gave up fire
juggling for a different entertainment venue altogether.

g Nope, I haven't given up hackle for a boa (not that there's
anything wrong with that.)

Joe F.

On 18 Oct 2006 10:03:04 -0700, "rb608" wrote:

Tim J. wrote:
Phew! The subject had me worried, Joe. I thought maybe you gave up fire
juggling for a different entertainment venue altogether.

g Nope, I haven't given up hackle for a boa (not that there's
anything wrong with that.)

Yeah, but you weren't rushing out to get poor little Ali her drink
fixins, either...

TC,
R
....and yeah, there's something really, really wrong with that...

Joe F.

wrote:
Yeah, but you weren't rushing out to get poor little Ali her drink
fixins, either...

I'm sure that a mere offering of cranberry juice would have inflamed
her desire for an older, overweight, unshaven, married guy in blue
sweat pants and long johns; I just decided to take it easy on the charm
my first day.

I don't mean to imply that Ali wasn't of a pleasant demeanor, for she
was well above average in that setting; but truth be told, any female
in that town not wearing waders and weighing less than 200 pounds
starts looking like Ali McGraw after a few days up there.

Joe F.

A good cleaning has cured all of my problems in this area...except for the
top posting..

john


"rb608" wrote in message
oups.com...
Up on the Salmon River, I fished for two full days; and I noticed a
perceptible difference in my drag performance between the two days. On
the first day, all was well as far as I remember. I hooked up with a
good number of big fish, and the drag gave line grudgingly but smoothly
when necessary. On day two however, it was different. I'd hook up
and the drag would hold as before; but once a certain threshold was
reached, it seemed to give line in huge chunks. It seemed as though a
fish would never gain by inches. Once he broke the initial friction,
it was almost as if the reel would free spool for a second or two. It
was still smooth, but the kinetic friction seemed significantly less
than the static friction. I found myself palming the spool to shorten
the runs.

Whatever happened, happened overnight. Any idea what could cause this?
Moisture on the cork? I'm pretty sure (but not 100% sure) that I'm
not imagining this.