This was a good read. Thought I would share

[YakDout]

http://www.sportfishingmag.com/techn...s-drag-control

[Teambcw]

Thanks for sharing.

[Mike scales]

Good read indeed

[FlyFishinYakr]

A good reason I went to almost all lever drag reels and prefer "cork instead of synthetic drag washers on my Fly reels (either Abel Or Tibor!).
FFY

[lowprofile]

#1 Is wrong. a 1:1 ratio puts more strain on the drag washer than a 6;1 ratio... think about it for a second. if I pull 12" of line off a spool with 1:1 ratio that spool and drag washer will rotate 2-3 times. if I pull 12" off a 6:1 ratio spool the drag washer will rotate maybe once. Therefore there is less strain on the drag and less friction created. Lever drags also do not always have more surface area than star drags. most lever drags have one carbon drag washer. although it is large, star drag reels have several drag washers and easily make up the difference and sometimes exceed the surface area of lever drag washers.

#2. this is correct, although with smaller reels (from the SX to HX size in the avet line) the difference is not as substantial as they'd like you to think. on a larger reel like a 50W to 130 size trolling reel you can go from 40lb off the top to over 150lbs at 1/5th spool. this can break you off, especially if using line that is rated under 130lbs. the smaller reels like the Avet HXW will go from 16lbs off the top to 33lbs at 1/4 spool. when used properly this reel is a big 50lb reel to a small 80lb reel therefore you have nothing to worry about even with 50lb line and 33lbs of drag you will not break your line.

#3 this is actually a good tip and one I've used many times with long rods and light line off the beach.

#4 is pointless. if you prefer greased drags, use a good Teflon grease like Cals. sure as it heats up the friction is reduced but at the same time your spool diameter is decreasing, increasing your drag. neither are substantial on smaller gear. if you like dry drags, know that the friction could burn the outer layer and create a slick surface making your drags less effective.

#5 take it with a grain of salt. grease creates a slicker surface and smoother startup. weather its condensed due to low temps or more fluid due to warmer temps its not going to affect your overall drag setting. Accurate reels have a problem with swelling and causing drag problems more than any reel I've ever heard mentioned. to avoid this with any reel, set your drags the morning of. a spring drag scale is less than $20 and it takes 30 seconds to set your reels drag.

#6. know what 15lbs really feels like before pulling on the drag. this is where a rod stress test is needed. notice where your rod is bending (at which eye) at your preferred setting and test it that way. never check a drag while trolling or with a fish on. the additional pull of the fish or lure will lessen the resistance it takes to pull the drag.

#7. to each their own. I service my reels every 4-6 trips anyways and recommend you do the same weather its a spinner or conventional. the only ones that I let go longer are trolling reels which are stripped and properly serviced before they ever hit the water. bearings and drags greased as well as all surfaces covered in corrosion protectant substance.

[alanw]

Originally Posted by lowprofile

#1 Is wrong. a 1:1 ratio puts more strain on the drag washer than a 6;1 ratio... think about it for a second. if I pull 12" of line off a spool with 1:1 ratio that spool and drag washer will rotate 2-3 times. if I pull 12" off a 6:1 ratio spool the drag washer will rotate maybe once. Therefore there is less strain on the drag and less friction created. Lever drags also do not always have more surface area than star drags. most lever drags have one carbon drag washer. although it is large, star drag reels have several drag washers and easily make up the difference and sometimes exceed the surface area of lever drag washers.

Think about it again. A 6:1 ratio is like being in 6th gear at the handle, but in reverse (fish pulling drag) it's like being in 1st gear at the spool. It's not about drag rotations, which of course is very low like you mentioned, but rather about pressure. On a 6:1 ratio star drag reel I would guess that the drag needs to be 6x tighter than on a 1:1 reel to have the same amount of drag pounds at the line. All this extra pressure on the drag washers causes extra friction. Am I wrong?