Setting the drag of a reel is a fundamental part of fishing. I cannot begin to describe how many times I have witnessed things go wrong due to improper drag settings.
I have seen too many posts regarding drag settings, and they all forget to mention an important aspect of setting the drag:
your rod. When setting the drag you
HAVE to take into consideration how much weight the rod can take. Most people will tell you to simply set the drag to 30% of your line weight, but hold on a sec... what if 30% of your line weight is too heavy for your rod? I'm gonna keep this post very short and simple. This is the right way to do it.
How much drag to set?1. If your line weight falls
within the line rating stated on your rod, set the drag to between 25-30% of your
line weight.
2. If your line is
heavier than the line rating stated on your rod(this is very common when using PE lines), set the drag to 25-30% of
your rod's upper range of rating. This means if your rod is rated 6-15lbs, set the drag to 25-30% of 15lbs, which is about 3.5-5lbs.
How to measure the drag?1. Get a friend or family member to help you
2. Thread the line through all the guides on your rod.
3. Attach a swivel to the end of the line, or tie a loop at the end.
4. Attach the swivel or loop to a scale, if you do not have one, buy one, preferably an electronic scale as it is much easier to read.
5. Turn the drag all the way down for starters.
6. Get your assistant to hold the scale, his/her job is simply to stand really still, and read the numbers to you.
7. Holding the rod at a 45 degree angle, start walking backwards, away from your assistant.
8. Once the drag starts letting line out, your assistant is to read the weight to you.
9. Tighten the drag and repeat the "walk-away" process until the drag releases line at approximately the weight you want.
Keri and Nick.
The whole grp.