My fishing gear is old but serviceable so while I mostly troll with lures for what I hope will be large dorado, sailfish, marlin, wahoo, etc. I
usually set the drag myself, drop it back, engage the clicker and enjoy the waiting.
Usually if it's a nice size fish I let Mr. Johnson set the hook. During the fight I may or may not change the drag again -- I love the fighting so I
might take a little longer than others but I can't remember killing a marlin or sailfish because we played too long. When the fish is released I back
off the drag in case of a slip-up at gaff or release so I have to reset it every time I begin to troll again.
For me it's just a guessing game about how much pressure I want on the line -- I know there are all kinds of gadgets and formula out there (1/3 your
line test, 50 lbs, at the strike post, etc.) but most of that is stuff you do in your bodega and I'm busy fishing and wishing when I set the drag.
Anybody got some surefire advice for an old man? I know nothing is foolproof -- the other day I set 30 pound test on a 4 inch feather for small dorado
and finished the day without a zip. Back at the rancho I found that several of the marlin that wouldn't bite anything, had trashed my leader without
so much as a click on the reel.monoloco - 7-3-2013 at 07:39 AM
I set mine exactly like you do Osprey, usually a little on the light side, remember, it gets tighter as the line spools off the reel. I know guys who
anally adjust their drag using scales and such, but in 30 years of fishing Baja, I can't remember ever losing a fish because of improper drag tension.
I use lever drag reels so it's always easy to apply a little more when needed.DaliDali - 7-3-2013 at 08:23 AM
When trolling......I think it's better to have the drag set on the tight side....but in no case so tight that the line does not come off the spool
smoothly.
Smooth is the key......no herky jerky allowed.
This way when a fish hits your lure and gets hooked.......the "drag" has enough resistance to drive the hook home.
If the drag is too loose......there is not enough pressure to dig that hook in before you can get to the reel and adjust it tighter.
No drag pressure.....no hook set........gone fish after a flop or two. The hook simply falls out because the barb did not penetrate.
Grab the line right were it comes off the spool and yank on it......you want some tension there.
If you have a big model of fish on....the drag should allow the line to peel off slowly when the beast makes a run.
If the beast is pulling you overboard.....it's time to back off the drags.Osprey - 7-3-2013 at 08:38 AM
I have a system for keeping the drags smooth on these old reels. I take em apart, clean all the disks and the washer chamber, try to remember how they
came out, put the thing back together. Some times I lose the dog springs then I retire the old reel and have somebody bring me one like it from a U.S.
garage sale.
Then I clean that one up and start the process all over again. I said I have a system. I didn't say anything about a good system.Skipjack Joe - 7-3-2013 at 10:01 AM
Some remarks
1. I thought that drag increased with less line on spool. Because the spool needs to go through more revolutions per foot of line.
2. I find the lever drags more sensitive to drag adjustment than star drags and therefore easier to break off fish.
3. One thing to consider is how much drag the reel is built to handle. You can ruin a reel by overtightening the drag. I did that to a couple of penn
500s trying to keep yts off the reef.
Ps. I thought this thread was going to be about the Rolling Stones.
[Edited on 7-3-2013 by Skipjack Joe]Osprey - 7-3-2013 at 12:09 PM
Skip, always thoughtful.
What part of the Penn was ruined?
Were you about to be spooled? No time to move the boat or the bite started out at 350 + feet?woody with a view - 7-3-2013 at 03:42 PM
and remember to ALWAYS back off the drag when coming ashore for more than 2 days....chuckie - 7-3-2013 at 03:56 PM
Very subjective issue....Gets complicated when using both lever and star drag reels.....Levers are easier, on my Shimanos I set a strike position in
front of the stop and after hookup back the lever off to the stop, fightin drag....I set the fighting drag by a seat of the pants method of tying the
line to an immobile object, backing off about 20 yards and "feel" my way into the pressure I want. Star drags, well, set em tight for hook up and back
em off to fight..Hard to get exact when you are hooked up....I treied for a time marking one of the stars to line up with a mark on the frame but its
easy to get off a full turn.....Cisco - 7-3-2013 at 07:12 PM
It has always been my private conviction that any man who pits his intelligence against a fish and loses has it coming.
John SteinbeckPescador - 7-4-2013 at 07:04 AM
Speaking purely on Billfish, there is no consensus about drag setting. Some captains prefer a light drag setting and others go for a stronger setting
with more drag. I have seen those who prefer the lighter setting, but they have very educated thumbs and during the initial take they put pressure on
the spool and jerk the hook several times and then go back to a lighter setting. With trolling plugs both ways have their followers so Jorge is doing
fine with his method which works for him.
Now that a lot of people are using baits in the spread, the issue changes slightly and there is a marked preference for lighter drag settings and
circle hooks. I use ballyhoo or prepared green mackerel and I want the fish to take it, chomp down and turn before I put any pressure on the line.
The circle hook then slides to the edge of the mouth and penetrates exactly where it is supposed to. My hookup ratio with this method has increased
manyfold from the old stainless steel J hooks with the trolling plugs. And because I use fine wire hooks like the Mustad 39952BL I get very good
penetration with very little pressure.Osprey - 7-4-2013 at 08:38 AM
Pescador, real sportsmen like you make up for lots of billfishermen with good intentions who swear by circle hooks but get excited at the bite and
lift up, jerk straight up like they did with J hooks.
The problem also exists when there are inexperienced anglers aboard the boat or with Mexican Marinaros who haven't been taught about how circle hooks
work or don't really care. Adrenaline has been known to take the schoolhousin' right out of people who don't want to kill anything.Pescador - 7-5-2013 at 07:46 AM
Jorge, I was in the library this morning and reading the column written by Captain Tred Barta and I quote, "Less strike drag is always better than
more strike drag, I've caught many blue and black marlin and giant tuna using only 5 pounds of strike. The more strike drag I use, the more hooks I
pull."
So there you have it from the master.chuckie - 7-5-2013 at 08:03 AM
AND He IS.....He spoke as keynote speaker for an organization I work with, "Outdoor Buddies" which takes severely handicapped folks hunting and
fishing...Tred Barta is the real deal....Osprey - 7-5-2013 at 08:14 AM
That's exactly why I brought it up. Very experienced local Mexican charter captains usually have their drag set so hard I can't even pull it to check
it. While that's happening some engineer is designing the strike button for expensive lever drags systems and they sure as hell aren't at 5 #.
I really think the Mexican captains/marineros keep the lures close, drags tight to foreshorten the fight time, to keep the fish close to the boat to
help themselves and the angler -- also they don't really want any small fish if they can help it and light drag and lots of zips just make more work
for them. At my age I'm looking for old, injured, small, timid fish that somehow still either taste good or looking for a little tussle.chuckie - 7-5-2013 at 01:48 PM
MitchMan - 7-5-2013 at 07:30 PM
I am a novice compared to most of you guys. But, I think that setting a really tight drag takes a lot of the fun out of catching fish as the tight
drag sets the hook instead or your setting the hook.
To me, setting the hook with a good couple of proper swings (after letting the fish run the exact right amount of time to take the bait down) is half
the fun of catching a fish. The other half is bringing the fish in artfully, turning him artfully if the fish runs on you, and then cranking him in
with just the right amount of modulated force so as not to yank the hook out or breaking the line.
Setting the drag lightly, maybe only just enough so that the line doesn't pay out while trolling with the clicker on, gives YOU the manly pleasure of
setting the hook yourself when you get a hook up.Osprey - 7-6-2013 at 05:40 AM
Mitch, that bait thing if for another thread and I was trying to stay away from that for now. Veeery complicated and subjective:
I personally don't want the fish to swallow the bait with the J or circle hook unless I plan to keep it and eat it --- that brings up the subject of
"What kind of fish" and we have to start all over. For bait fishing the art, to me, is to hook the fish while letting the circle hook do what it was
designed to do so in the end you have a choice of a clean save and release if that's what you want to do.
That wouldn't involve the drag at all, just your thumb and your experience.
[Edited on 7-6-2013 by Osprey]DavidT - 7-6-2013 at 08:33 AM
Just in case you need to spend more time on the internet. This site isn't a drag.
Wow, What a great site, thanks for sharing that.MitchMan - 7-7-2013 at 08:51 AM
OH, Man, DavidT, what a great website. That just made my week!
About 4 years ago, I found this great and amazingly well done tutorial on fixing Penn Reels yourself...it was comprehensively done by Alan Tani. I
marveled at the excellence of the tutorial and have been appreciative ever since then to this intelligent guy, Alan Tani.
