I know you all must think this is a dumb question. I just don't understand the purpose of the drag on a spinning reel. And I'm never really sure of how I should use it or how I should have it set. If someone would shed a little light on this subject it would be greatly appreciated. Thanks,          Walt

The primary use of drag is to prevent the line from breaking. So you don't have to use 20# test mono to fish for crappies, especially when 4-6# test will work so much better. So you set your drag to like 1/2 of the the line strength. So the fish might pull line out, but they won't break it.

There is no such thing as a dumb question, just a question unask. Ole' Bob is right it is to keep your line from breaking. It's something you have to exspearment with and once it's set your good to go.

Harry

So you are acctually supposed to let the fish take out line!? I always thought the idea was to real him in. So far Ive had one fish break my line . I was using live shiners under a bobber all of a sudden my line started going out like crazy. So being the rookie that I am instead of fighting the fish for a while, I paniced and tightened up the drag. As soon as I did the line broke.We watched my bobber go up and down out to the middle of the pond. A short time later a couple guys in a boat came along , when they saw the bobber they went to grab it and we heard him yell " Hey theres a fish on the line!!!".So we hollared back that it just got away from us.The fish never jumped so we didnt know what itwas.We asked them what it was , turns out it was a big ass pickerel , Thankfully it wasnt a bass . I wouldv'e cried knowing it was a largemouth big enough to easily snap my line that got away.Anyways thanks for your responses I'll just experiment with it till I figure whats best for me. Thanks guys! Walt

To set the drag on a reel I usually pull some line out while the bail is shut. depending on the strength of the line your using is how tight you set it. But I usually set the drag on a new reel so the line will just come out of the reel when you pull it. You can adjust it as your reeling a fish in if it's too tight or loose. But I tend to like to keep it set on the loose end just to be safe.

thats what I do, I have it set so I can pull it off by hand with some resistance, But I've lost fish by not getting a good hook set with just a little too much drag. I guess I just need more experience . Thanks j . Walt

Also pay attention to the max drag setting on your reel. There's usually some information on it available online from the manufacture's website. They will have numbers like 7# drag or 10# drag like that. If you do use a line that's higher than the reel's max drag value, there's a high chance that you can set the drag on the high value side and not worry about your line breaking for typical fishing uless you've hooked into a really big fish.

I also like to back the drag off at the end of the day, especially knowing that I'm not going fishing the very next day. It's good practice so your drag doesn't become compressed over time.

Thanks will do , Thank you to all you guys ! I know I'm coming to the right place with this stuff. Walt

Walt, These guys pretty much hit it on the head. There good men loaded with info.What ever you do make sure your drag is set from first cast to last. I could kick myself in the ass for every big fish that i lost because i was in to much in a hurry to set my drag properly.Good luck@ good fishing.J Stratton3.

Remember when setting your drag that the guides on your rod can add a significant amount to what drag the reel supplies. Tom

thanks J !!! Will do. And, good to know Tom , thanks Walt

The drag feature is for me an assist in "playing" a fish to reduce sudden loads on the hook knot. That's the weakest link between reel and lure. If the knot is known to break at 90% of line test I'd rather go up one line test to assure a minimum breaking strength. My next line of defense is the play in the rod. A good rod takes up most of the sudden moves of a fish way before reaching the breaking point of the knot.

When setting drag do it with line looped around a foot. Raise the rod quickly. Set the drag tighter until you get a smooth slippage of line off the reel. If the drag bumps randomly, back the drag off. The pressure on the rod ought to simulate the size fish you imagine can be caught. If a crappie, then work with max 3 pounds of thrust, up to 5# during spring spawn for slab crappie. If a small to medium bass, then put a 4-5# thrust pressure on the rod. If a striper, then set the drag on what you feel is a 15# thrust on the rod tip. If the drag is always jerky you have a poorly designed drag, especially for an older model spinning reel. You are looking for a smooth release of line that maintains a constant pressure along the main line, taking into account action of the rod. If the drag responds in spurts of line release, it's much more likely the knot will fail. Next comes a failure in the main line.

While spooling new line I always let it run through my fingers. Way too often I detect a small imperfection in the new line, like a little twist or bump. I back up and cut the line right there. If the spool isn't full at that point I start over, discarding the whole line run. If I leave the slightest imperfection in new line on the spool, it will break there first. Then it will fail in the knot. The drag system, if working well, smooths out those problems. It lets you play a fish with more confidence, rather than feeling you had better ram the fish into the boat every time.

Jim

Wow Jim !!! Are you a pro? That is a very knowledgable answer . I got great answers from alot of good people, can't wait to put it all to good use. Walt

The short answer is I am not a pro angler. I might have been long ago had I not chosen instead to stay with a federal career, agreeing not to compete with local fishing guides. Now the guys I competed with for jar money are retiring from the big game. My answers are not different from what I typed out by the thousands when I first joined here. Of course all that is gone from here but still in my head. What I say here is simply what I've learned and do. My problem now is I don't have the time to stay involved online, and I know better than to spend too much time talking fishing when actually fishing takes priority.

Many times while working in Corps campgrounds I ran across pros I knew before they began going out of state to fish tournaments, and was often invited to join them for supper after getting off work (Forester/Park Ranger). The idea was to pick me for local tidbits of information. We spent hundreds of hours pouring over paper maps (no such things as sonar with GPS with maps). In one of those campfire talks I listened to a long discussion about drag, about which at the time I had nothing to contribute as I quickly learned. I put into practice what I learned and pass on what works. In short the drag is in fact valuable for preventing line breakage, if you've got the rest of the gear right. My take on that is to let the drag show me there are one or more problems leading to line breakage. If there is some serious problem like a poor knot, then a perfectly operating drag will not prevent break-offs. If just delays them a bit.

There are lots of great questions and answers here, with as many perspectives, and all seasoned with different experiences, so I value all opinions here. I'm glad to have helped a bit.

Jim

Wanted to let everyone know that I caught a nice Bass today !!! I picked up a shimano rod and reel combo at a yard sale for 15 bucks and couldn't wait to try it out. I wasn't sure what was on the spool for line but it seemed kind of old the line even broke when I first tried to tie on the hook but I didn't expect to have any luck so I tried it out at my usual spot anyways. And on my third cast wouldn't ya know felt a slight tug and steady pull on the line I knew it was a bass. Remembering the stuff I learned here with the drag properly set, I was able to get a good hook-set , then let him take out some line, and reeled him in when he wasn't fighting, let him take some line again, basically went back and forth with him because I was so worried about the line breaking. The whole thing went on for a few minutes. Well I managed to get him to shore after a decent fight, he jumped twice, and definately wasn't happy about being caught. Turned out to be a nice 3 pounder. Guys, this fish would have got away by breaking the old line this reel was spooled with if I didn't use the things I learned about setting and using the drag on my reel from all of you!! So I just wanted to thank everyone who answered my question you helped me reel in a nice catch!!!! Thanks Walt

Awesome! That's putting to all this to use.

That report made my day already. Now work on putting some new line on that reel and be sure the knot is right, and don't forget some spit. You'll add extra fun fishing not holding your breath worrying about the line that has an unknown history. You can get everything perfect with no breakage or knot failure, but if overpowering a caught bass, tear the hook out of a tender lip part. The drag will allow enough give without allowing line slack to cut your losses. Congrats on the good buy, too.

Let me add this. Playing a bass too much can result in letting a tiny hook hole widen to a gaping 2" wide hole with hook just laid over the edge of it. One more flop cold separate you from the catch of a lifetime. I'm preaching to myself. I've had way too many nice bass in the boat that were pure lucky catches, the hook falling out as soon as I let pressure off the line after lipping them. I let line peel off when a fish makes a hard run, but my goal is to get it ever closer to the boat each time it tries that.

Great story and I'm glad this thread helped you in landing that big bass. And OBA is right don't fight em too much or they will spit the hook. Had it ahppen to me too many times.

Harry

Thanks Harry!!....Thanks Jim!!...Thanks Slipperybob!!....It wasn't all that much of a fight, it still took some effort to remove the hook after I got him in my hands, so he suffered very little damage.Which is always a good thing. He wasn't too far out when I hooked Him.We more or less just went back and forth for 2 or 3 minutes.I usually try to bring them in as fast as I can , But this time the experience was much more enjoyable, so I must have finally done it right!!!! Thanks again to all of you and everyone else who takes the time to offer up some experience to help out us that are not so experienced. Walt

It's truly nice to see a question being answered...and success / learning being the result.

Jim and I used to have MANY conversations on here about various fishing topics...and he is THE most respected angler I know of on here...for his willingness to share information.

If you take a look through Members Tips...and in particular a topic I have there called "Links and Info for Fisher-People"....you will see discussions I "archived" where he...and MANY other knowledgeable anglers...gave TRULY great advise / info.