4lb, 20lb line, set 5

With a satisfying clunk, the gimbal fitting slotted into the wide butt pad. All seemed set for a ding dong battle with the hard fighting fish until the angler hurriedly took a big step backward to retain his balance. Then, the rod kicked straight and his line slackened.Angrily the rod was thrown into a corner, the angler sat on the engine box and opened his sandwich box. Determinedly he chewed whilst he got his temper under control.The first time that had happened there had been some good natured joshing, the second time it was only his best pal who had pulled his legthis time there was a stony silence from all.Eventually the brand of monofilament took the blame but it shouldn’t have reallythe simple mechanics of the situation were that the angler had his drag hammered up too tight for the lines breaking strain.There are two ways to set a reel’s drag if you are a practical angler but it is as well to understand that there has been a lot of “on the job” research and a more than a little hot air expounded on this subject over the years. The first way is for those anglers who specialise in Line Class fishing and is a two person job which involves setting the drag with a spring balance. The second way is the “practical angler” way and if the truth be known, I reckon that most reel clutches around the world are set this way, for exotic big game fish, as well as for the slower moving but just as determined, domestic species.The practical way involves little more than setting the rod/reel combination up as you would wish to use it. Then get someone to hold the end of the line or fasten it to something solid and lean into the rod so that it is pulled into a heavy fighting curve. Set the drag so that it gives line at this point or some would say, just before.So long as you appreciate that when the reel is half empty, the drag force applied will for all practical purposes be doubled. So be prepared to slacken the drag a little if you are caught up with a lively fish in deep water and your reel is part emptied of its line.Lever drag reels usually have a spring loaded stop, so that when the drag is correctly set, the lever will go as far as the stop and no further, unless the stop is deliberately depressed in order to push the lever past the stop to result in a near solid lockup. This simple arrangement is the principal reason why many anglers prefer a lever drag system.The Star drag system has been around for many years and has proven itself fully capable of landing the largest of fish, but when the spray is flying and the chips are down, it is easier to make a mistake with a star drag system than it is with a lever drag.But, if you are not constantly slugging it out with fast running fish, or perhaps you are using fairly heavy line for the species that you are likely to encounter, for example 25lb line for Bass that are unlikely to make double figures. Or you have a few years experience under your belt and you are completely familiar with your tackle and are well able to recognise when your drag has to be slackened back a little, then a star drag is more than adequate.The star drag is set in exactly the same manner as the lever drag system. The difference is that you don’t have a stop to limit the amount of drag imposed and the playing of a fish is much more down to your “feel” for the situation. It is this “feel” for playing fish which no textbook or article can teach, it is matter of hard won practical experience.Knowing the optimum setting for your drag will enable you to make best use of the rods power and the breaking strain of your line. Simple things that many anglers discount as airy fairy, like the effect of water frictionyou don’t believe me. Try this simple test.Trail fifty or sixty yards of line behind the boat with no sinker, swivel or anything on the line. Then try to recover it with the boat making just five mphand I guarantee you will find out about the effect of water friction. As more line is pulled from the reel, the amount of drag will increase without the lever or star being touched. Problem is, that as the line zaps off the reel it is difficult for even experienced anglers to stop themselves from increasing the amount of dragit seems the logical thing to do. What they should be doing is actually backing the drag off, to counter the effect of the increased amount of drag.A practical way of assessing when you must decrease the amount of drag, and when you can set some more, is to watch and feel the rod working. If you have a favourite rod, recognise its heaviest fighting curve, then strive to fish the rod just a bit lighter than its maximum. You will find yourself constantly shifting the drag lever or star to keep the weight on the rod. After a while this fine tuning will become a subconscious reaction. It is a covert skill which is rarely acknowledged, because most experienced anglers either don’t know they are doing it, or if they are totally in control and aware of every move they make, the drag control will still be an educated instinct to the point where it is like changing gear in a car, you don’t even think about it, your hand and brain are in auto and it just happens.From a practical fishing viewpoint, always try to fish the drag a little on the light side, so that if the fish make a sudden and unexpected dive you have some leeway.Instinct is a learned reaction. So where do you start your learning? A rule of thumb accepted by most experienced anglers is that the drag setting should be about 25/30 percent of the lines breaking strain, set straight from the reel with a spring balance.Try setting your drag at this percentage and then put the reel on your favourite rod, then heave into it till the drag begins to slip bet you are surprised.10lb line, set 3-4lb, 20lb line, set 5-6lb, 30lb line, set 7-8lb, 50lb line, set 13-15lb, this is as much as even a strong man will be able to handle without a full harness.80lb line, set 22-25lb, you will need a fighting chair for this amount of drag!!!

These percentages make the assumption that you can tie a decent knot, that the line is less than two years old(yeahI know!!), that your rod rings are not scored, etc, etceteras. In other words, that you are using reasonable kit. Learn how far you can push your tackle and luck will play a smaller part in landing that big one!