setting drag question - Kayak Fishing Adventures on Big Water’s Edge

sdcityboy · 03-11-2008, 07:24 PM

new to conventional reels. my diawa 40 sealine says set drag to 1/3 line strength. using 40lb so that would be aprox 13 lbs. so why when i pull 12lbs my drag is all the way tight? i tried this on my tld 15 with aprox same results.

esdees · 03-11-2008, 07:37 PM

Sounds to me like you're missing a washer inside the reels. Or maybe there's grease or oil in places where it's not supposed to be. Hopefully someone with more experience will chime in.

wavster · 03-11-2008, 07:56 PM

Have you cleaned the reels? If you did and you add too much drag grease, they will slip
no matter how tight you make the drag. Use VERY little drag grease when
servicing your reels.

T-Rex · 03-11-2008, 08:01 PM

Yeah, it sounds like it may be time to clean your reel or replace the drag washers. According to Daiwa, max drag should be 17.6 lbs.

Also, are you putting a bend in the rod or pulling straight from the reel when you're taking a drag reading? 12 lbs straight from the reel is probably the same as about 15 lbs with rod pressure. You might be just right for the kayak.

sdcityboy · 03-11-2008, 08:04 PM

they are brand new right out of the box. i checked the digi scale. its correct. with bend in rod or straight doesnt seem to matter much. 40 lb topshot on 65 braid on the tld and it still max's out drag at about 15lb.

Grego · 03-11-2008, 08:20 PM

If the previous post was correct at max drag to be 17.6lbs and you believe your getting 15lb with an "arc" in the rod....then I would venture to say that they are requiring a 90 degree "arc" to get the max setting. Try and position the pull to get that 90 degree arc and you might see it hold up to around 17 before it lets out. I doubt you'll ever get close to factory claims, they probably do it in some lab with robots and crap.

Oh, but make sure your rod rating is more or equal to your reel rating....the only time it's definitely not a good idea to set drag to reel is when the rod rating is below the reel rating for obvious reasons. Have fun! don't break anything!

sdcityboy · 03-11-2008, 08:39 PM

thanx guys i'm going to set both drags for 7 lb straight out and go from there and get used to it. LJ tomorrow!

Rusty · 03-14-2008, 10:55 AM

CityBoy - If you want to get more drag out of your reel you can take it to SquidCo and have them install CarbonTex Drags and or keep your present drag and just put spacers in the reel. I don't have a clue how to do it yourself, but it's only 30 bucks for parts and labor there (usually takes less than a week).

I had them do this to a Newell I burned out last summer and the drag is not only smoother, but it now has significantly more strength. 12#s drag isn't bad for 40# line anyway, but if you ever want to use 60# on that reel, which I think it's rated to (for long range trip etc), 12#s might be a little light.

Iceman · 03-14-2008, 11:33 AM

When fishing 40# I still set about 8# of drag, you are pulling pretty hard at that setting and making that YT earn it.This is the drag at the rod tip, it is more on the other end of the line 100+ feet out, not to mention the secondary drag of the yak being towed. If I thought it was a WSB on the line I'd back down to about 5#

DIVERGARY · 07-31-2008, 12:47 PM

My Shimano TLD manual says to measure the drag when the spool is almost empty. As more line is on the reel there is more mechanical advantage from the larger diameter so the drag will be less, but as a fish runs the line out the drag progressively increase due to the smaller diameter. I have been using this method for the past 10 years and never had a line break, solved my breakoffs when i had long runs.

03-11-2008, 07:24 PM	#1
sdcityboy Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: south park (san diego),CA Posts: 119	setting drag question new to conventional reels. my diawa 40 sealine says set drag to 1/3 line strength. using 40lb so that would be aprox 13 lbs. so why when i pull 12lbs my drag is all the way tight? i tried this on my tld 15 with aprox same results. Last edited by sdcityboy; 03-11-2008 at 07:25 PM. Reason: ?

03-11-2008, 08:04 PM	#5
sdcityboy Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: south park (san diego),CA Posts: 119	they are brand new right out of the box. i checked the digi scale. its correct. with bend in rod or straight doesnt seem to matter much. 40 lb topshot on 65 braid on the tld and it still max's out drag at about 15lb. Last edited by sdcityboy; 03-11-2008 at 08:08 PM. Reason: ?

03-11-2008, 08:20 PM	#6
Grego Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2005 Posts: 445	If the previous post was correct at max drag to be 17.6lbs and you believe your getting 15lb with an "arc" in the rod....then I would venture to say that they are requiring a 90 degree "arc" to get the max setting. Try and position the pull to get that 90 degree arc and you might see it hold up to around 17 before it lets out. I doubt you'll ever get close to factory claims, they probably do it in some lab with robots and crap. Oh, but make sure your rod rating is more or equal to your reel rating....the only time it's definitely not a good idea to set drag to reel is when the rod rating is below the reel rating for obvious reasons. Have fun! don't break anything! Last edited by Grego; 03-11-2008 at 08:30 PM.

03-14-2008, 11:33 AM	#9
Iceman Administrator Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: 1-2 miles off the point Posts: 6,943	When fishing 40# I still set about 8# of drag, you are pulling pretty hard at that setting and making that YT earn it.This is the drag at the rod tip, it is more on the other end of the line 100+ feet out, not to mention the secondary drag of the yak being towed. If I thought it was a WSB on the line I'd back down to about 5# __________________

03-11-2008, 07:37 PM	#2
esdees The Good Clone Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Clairemont Posts: 520	Sounds to me like you're missing a washer inside the reels. Or maybe there's grease or oil in places where it's not supposed to be. Hopefully someone with more experience will chime in.

03-11-2008, 07:56 PM	#3
wavster Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Encinitas Posts: 562	Have you cleaned the reels? If you did and you add too much drag grease, they will slip no matter how tight you make the drag. Use VERY little drag grease when servicing your reels.

03-11-2008, 08:01 PM	#4
T-Rex Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Rancho Santa Margarita Posts: 770	Yeah, it sounds like it may be time to clean your reel or replace the drag washers. According to Daiwa, max drag should be 17.6 lbs. Also, are you putting a bend in the rod or pulling straight from the reel when you're taking a drag reading? 12 lbs straight from the reel is probably the same as about 15 lbs with rod pressure. You might be just right for the kayak.

03-11-2008, 08:39 PM	#7
sdcityboy Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: south park (san diego),CA Posts: 119	thanx guys i'm going to set both drags for 7 lb straight out and go from there and get used to it. LJ tomorrow!

03-14-2008, 10:55 AM	#8
Rusty Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: LJ Posts: 201	CityBoy - If you want to get more drag out of your reel you can take it to SquidCo and have them install CarbonTex Drags and or keep your present drag and just put spacers in the reel. I don't have a clue how to do it yourself, but it's only 30 bucks for parts and labor there (usually takes less than a week). I had them do this to a Newell I burned out last summer and the drag is not only smoother, but it now has significantly more strength. 12#s drag isn't bad for 40# line anyway, but if you ever want to use 60# on that reel, which I think it's rated to (for long range trip etc), 12#s might be a little light.

07-31-2008, 12:47 PM	#10
DIVERGARY Junior Member Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Houston Texas Posts: 1	My Shimano TLD manual says to measure the drag when the spool is almost empty. As more line is on the reel there is more mechanical advantage from the larger diameter so the drag will be less, but as a fish runs the line out the drag progressively increase due to the smaller diameter. I have been using this method for the past 10 years and never had a line break, solved my breakoffs when i had long runs.