FS Digest

Hello, I've been getting more into fishing and I've been looking to upgrade the very basic reel I got from my father in law but I don't seem to understand what the max drag rating on a reel means. I was looking at the Pfluger President and since I'd be fishing for bass and trout I thought the 35 would give me the most flexibility since the max drag was 12#. What I don't understand is why for a reel that has a max drag of 12# they would list how much 14# rated line you could it on the reel. Would you put a line on reel where the test is higher than the max drag? I thought that you'd want the numbers to match at most.

--
by fec2455

PEPENANDO Loc: Tampico, Mexico

https://www.saltstrong.com/articles/set-spinning-reel-drag-without-scale/ hope this help

DaveDave Loc: Northern Arizona

My Grandfather always preached setting drag of your reel at 30% of the weight of your line.
So in your example of using 14 lb line setting your drag on reel is only 4.7 lbs well under the reels max of 12 lbs of available drag.
Great question.

Kerry Hansen Loc: Bremerton, WA

I think the amount of different Lb lines is to tell people the most commonly asked question and that is how much line the reel will hold and different lb rated lines are different diameter so they are trying to tell you how much line it will hold. So If for example you use super braid, each will normally have on the box the equiv mono diameter thus you can check the reel to see how much of that Super Braid it will hold. If you use a lighter lb rated leader, then you set the reel drag accordingly. I always set the drag by feel (subjective) I don't have any sort of gauge to measure setting. Also think about this: the amount of line on the spool affects how much resistance you put on the fish because of the different Moment arm.

Ben Bragg Loc: Dayton Ohio

This is a fantastic topic. one near and dear to my heart. Like has been mentioned the line capacity rating is there to give you an approximation of how much a given diameter line the reel will hold
What I dont get is why some swear by use of say 65 pound line when reel may have a max drag od 16 pounds.
Some swear by " ya gotta winch em out of the slop"
the limit to this theory is what the reel drag can deliver and what the rod can handle.
Id like to see a traditional bass rod ( aside from an ugly stick , you could probably pull a cement truck out of the mud with one of those) that can handle a 65 pound load

I use 80 pound braid on musky gear. thats more to prevent breakoff during a back lash than ever hoping to catch an 80 pound fish. Remember we are talking 8-16 oz lures here
My calcutta 400s and Tranx 300 have 17.5 and 18 pound max drag respectively . Properly adjusted drag using the 30 % rule my reels are good to about 60 pound test effectively

Sinker Rig Loc: Tampa area

Cheap reels have weak drags, probably weaker than it's advertised rating. Well built reels have excellent drags......and show me a bass that can overwhelm a strong 12lb drag if it's locked as tight as it will go. We don't have bass that big here in Fl. All it takes is one small knick for light line to fail, thus stronger line is sometimes a better option

runandgun Loc: East Texas

Lots of good comments and analysis on the topic. To me, the choice of line in relation to the kind of fish you are tying to catch, the conditions you are fishing in (ie. open water vs. cover) dictate what kind and weight of line you need to use. Educating yourself via the internet, visiting with other local fisherman, or your own experience will help you decide.

I have a number of Shimano Curado reels and put anywhere from 10lb. mono to 25lb. depending on where and what I am fishing for. Of course lure size and reel adjustments are in order. Others have braid like for bass fishing in lily pads with frogs. Next is the rod; you will need a stout rod to haul bass out of lily pads or grass beds. Lots of considerations; too much to cover here. You can learn so much from the video's and from other experienced fisherman to shorten your learning curve.