Hi All. What are the Pro's and Con's of front drag adjust as apposed to rear drag adjust on spinning reels? I use both and have not found a real preference but I have noticed that most sold are front drag adjust.
Thanks
Brian

Brian, not sure what you are fishing for or what kind of bait?  But if you are fishing with live bait why not give the Shimano Bait runner a look.  I use it to fish for everything from speckled trout and bass to King Mackerel.  It has both a front and rear drag system.  One allows you to set drag on bail so fish can pull off line easily.  Once you set the hook your normal drag system kicks in and you can adjust it while playing the fish.  I really enjoy it particularly when bass fishing with live bait like golden shiners. It is very durable and holds up well in fresh or salt water. Comes in several different sizes. Uncle Tom

well I mostly use my spinning gear for trout in lakes and streams. also some bass fishing applications. I don't do alot of live bait fishing but was thinking of getting a baitrunner reel for catfish.

Brian

For freshwater fishing, it's just mechanically more efficient to have the drag washers inside the spool and use that empty space.  Many of the rear drag systems have smaller drag washers and the reel frame will have to be designed to house it.  Now the entire reel draft shaft will have to turn before the rear drag washers can offset it.  Think car brakes.  It's just more mechanically efficient to have the brakes directly inside the wheels instead of down the axel somewhere else.

Now there are merits to having rear drag systems and that ease of access.  In fact the Shimano Symetres that have the rear fighting drag system allows one to disengage the majority of the drag similar to a baitfeeder or baitrunner type reels.  They however do have less max drag, 6 lbs compared to it's front drag versions of 11 or 15 lbs front drag.

Posted By slipperybob on 13 Aug 2010 02:50 PM
For freshwater fishing, it's just mechanically more efficient to have the drag washers inside the spool and use that empty space.  Many of the rear drag systems have smaller drag washers and the reel frame will have to be designed to house it.  Now the entire reel draft shaft will have to turn before the rear drag washers can offset it.  Think car brakes.  It's just more mechanically efficient to have the brakes directly inside the wheels instead of down the axel somewhere else.

Now there are merits to having rear drag systems and that ease of access.  In fact the Shimano Symetres that have the rear fighting drag system allows one to disengage the majority of the drag similar to a baitfeeder or baitrunner type reels.  They however do have less max drag, 6 lbs compared to it's front drag versions of 11 or 15 lbs front drag.

I totally agree with SB's thoughts here.

Being on Ebay...and for SOME reason...I will watch an occassional auction of a Mitchell 300. They MAY be noisy...but if the drag built into the spool is kept clean and lubricated...these reels are tough. I have 6 different models of these...and will not give them up.

The fact that these reels continue to sell well on Ebay is no surprise to me.

JMHO

The biggest knock on a front drag is that it is hard to adjust while fighting a fish. I fish almost exclusively with front drag spinning reels (mostly Shimanos) and have no trouble adjusting the drag during a fight. A front drag is more efficient. Ever notice that none of the premium spinning reels come in a rear drag (Shimano offers a few rear drag reels in their mid-priced line) but all the 'cheapos' are rear drag? Tom

Wow. Great info. Just the kind of information I was looking for.

Brian

Dave. I agree on the mitchell. I need to keep my eyes open for one or more of these. They bring back good memories, I just wish i had taken better care of the ones I owned when I was younger.
Brian

Well Steve...considering Mitchell 300's were consistantly sold over 50+ years...AND that sales of them on Ebay remain brisk...I would say that your opinion is not shared by MANY hundreds....if not thousands...of fisherman.

JMHO....and you ARE entitled to your opinion.

Brian...there's well over 200 current auctions of them on Ebay at the moment. I don't know if you are on there...but ya gotta beware IF you are...that just because someone on there SAYS the reel is in good shape mechanically...doesn't mean that it is. I could write a book on experiences while buying on there

I MAY have an extra one in good shape (the 6 models I referred to earlier were of Mitchell's in general)....so I'll take a look in the next couple of days. IF I have one...I'll PM you so that I can send pics to ya.

If for some reason I don't have a decent 300...there is a Life Member on here that has worked on reels for most of his life...and usually has a couple of 300's in his inventory. I trust him like a long-known brother / friend...and he has NEVER done me wrong on equipment.  he comes to the La Crosse Meet every year.

I DO know that I have spools that are in great shape....both large and small capacity.

I always use front drag

I always use front drag