Drag Racing

A lot is riding on the performance of the drag system of the reel when you’ve got a fish on the line. You can use the best line and terminal tackle and tie perfect knots, but if your drag is not performing correctly you will break fish off, especially big fish that test the limits of your tackle and angling skill.

The drag system on your reel works in much the same way as the brakes on your car. A combination of metallic and non-metallic disks rotates against one another to generate friction. The break pedal in your car controls the amount of pressure the brake pads place against the rotors and subsequently how hard the vehicle stops. A drag knob, star wheel or lever controls the pressure on the drag disks and how much force it will take for a fish to pull line off the reel. A drag system has to be smooth, adjustable and free of excessive start-up inertia—the need for greater force to get the disks to start slipping. If your reel is not up to these standards it should be serviced before your next fishing trip.

Setting a drag is best done with a drag scale. The typical drag setting is about one third of the breaking strength of the line for spinning and star drag reels. Set the drag with the line going through the rod guides, the end attached to a stationary object, tighten it a few turns and pump line from the reel against the drag, then reel back down. Do this at least a half dozen times to warm up the drag washers. Then attach the line to the drag scale and pull the rod and reel back with the rod tip pointed straight at the scale until the drag begins to slip. Check the scale for a reading and adjust the drag knob accordingly. Repeat the process until you get the desired setting.

Lever drag reels offer the option of changing the drag pressure during a fight and feature “strike” and “full” drag positions. Set strike at 30%, full at 50% and add one or two tape marks on the reel body for settings less than strike. That way you always know how much pressure you’re putting on a fish.

Drags are critical to fishing success. Be sure yours are at peak performance and you won’t be crying the blues when the big one breaks free.

-Gary Caputi