Setting drag when on the boat

[charleville]

I seek advice please. When I go fishing I usually set the drag on my fishing reels by the age old, guessing method. :grin:


The good books tell us to set the drag on a fishing reel by use of a scale. That is OK if you have the space to do it and/or someone on hand to read the scale but it is not so useful a technique when out on your boat with limited space and no one else there to help. I have read advice that experienced anglers get to know how much drag to set by hand and that may be ok if you are using the one size line all of the time but intuitively, it seems like nonsense to me.


As I carry frozen milk bottles of water in my esky, I have been thinking about throwing the required number of milk bottles into a plastic bag and lifting that up with the hook on the line and adjusting the drag until it just slips.


ie if you want to set the drag at say somewhere around 20% on 20 lb line, then two one litre bottles of ice will probably do the trick as 1 litre of water weighs 1 kg/2.2lbs. Because water expands as it freezes, I invariably don't fill the milk bottles to full capacity when I freeze them and so the actual water weight is probably closer to the 2 lbs figure than the 2.2 lbs per bottle.

Has anyone got a better method for onboard drag adjustments, please?


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[krazyfisher]

I would think the best way is to set them before you go, but if it must be done in the boat and you dont want to guess put the rod in a rod holder and use a set of scales.

[finga]

I have never bothered to tell the truth.
I just do the drag up and have a tug (on the line that is).
If the line doesn't break and it feels about right then goodo.
But I usually fish light and with an Alvey so drag is in the palm of the hand (literally)

[Marlin_Mike]

I have never bothered to tell the truth.
I just do the drag up and have a tug (on the line that is).
If the line doesn't break and it feels about right then goodo.
But I usually fish light and with an Alvey so drag is in the palm of the hand (literally)


I aint touching that last line Scotty........:grin: :rolleyes: :wink:

[thephotoguru]

I use a drag scale when I think it is important.

these have a sliding indicator that stays at the maximum weight pulled.

Stick the rod in the holder and the gently pull on the scale is the go.

Cheers Eamon

[finga]

I aint touching that last line Scotty........:grin: :rolleyes: :wink:
Well it is.
Haven't you ever palmed the spool of an Alvey??

[try to fish]

just get yourself a set of BOUZ drag checker.

How to Use Drag Checker What is drag checker?

Traditionally, we generally put a rod spring balance on the tip of the rod to setup the drag or check the rod deflection load. With this method, a second person was needed to read the scale because the position of the balance is too far from the person holding the rod. Drag setup is especially hard to calculate, and is frequently based on experience of the fisherman and his best instincts.

The drag checker has made drag measurements possible with the reel and rig set on the fishing rod close to your hands without any line modifications. The drag checker has a night line function that memorizes the measurement value, making it possible for one-man to measure tension and rod deflection load. The drag checker has full functionality to sufficiently obtain the performance of a rod, reel and line. (1)Drag Measurement As you know drag prevents the fish from cutting the string. The drag checker makes the draghttp://www.plat.co.jp/english/goods/drag_ima1.jpg setup easy and quick. http://www.plat.co.jp/img-data/bouz/ima1.jpg
How to measure

1. Bridge the line from the reel as shown in the picture.
2. Pull the string slowly, straight toward the arrow.
3. Read the needle
* at the start of drag.
* Measurement is easy because the orange needle display remains even after releasing the tension.
(2)Rod Deflection Measurement This measurement helps you understand how much deflection the rod will have for the amount of given force.

How to measure

1. Set the tackle. Then fix the tip of the line.
2. Install the anti-deflection wire on the main body.
3. Set the drag checker at this position.
4. Bend the rod to the desired deflection to measure.
5. Check the measurement value.

* Be aware that the values change depending on the angle of the rod. When you measure the drag by fixing the drag checker on the line from the rod, the measurement value will differ from the measurement in front of the reel. Be sure to make comparisons.
http://www.plat.co.jp/img-data/bouz/ima2.gif
(3)Other Measurements 1)Measuring the lines and line lashing

As indicated, drag checker measures the strength of the line or line lashing. Line strength of less than 5kg is the measurable range.

1. Set the line on the pulley using the same method as the drag measurement.http://www.plat.co.jp/img-data/bouz/ima3.jpg
2. Pull the line from both directions and cut the line.
3. Read the scale at the time of cutting.

* It is important to pull the line slowly to prevent impact movement of the night line. 2)Measuring the weight of the fish http://www.plat.co.jp/img-data/bouz/ima4.jpg
You can also weigh the fish caught with the drag checker.
(500g - 5kg)

1. Without taking off the fish needle, set reader on the drag checker.
2. Dangle the fish slowly.
3. Read the scale.

The drag checker is a new type of measurement device with which fisherman can obtain the data they could not easily collect in the past. We can expect further possibilities with this device depending on the fishermanユs creativity. This device will change the way we fish....

[charleville]

just get yourself a set of BOUZ drag checker.



Aha! That is what I want!


A multiplicity of thanks, "try to fish."


Thanks for all other responses too, fellas. :smiley:



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[charleville]

I just do the drag up and have a tug (on the line that is).
If the line doesn't break and it feels about right then goodo. (literally)



Ditto, Scott - but as all engineers know, you don't treasure what you don't measure. :wink:


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[charleville]

Not cheap though!!!!!


http://img.skitch.com/20100425-jypaid9uk7a36rhxwribkcaskn.preview.jpg (http://skitch.com/charleville2/dyp6j/fishhead-online)
Click for full size (http://skitch.com/charleville2/dyp6j/fishhead-online) - Uploaded with plasq (http://plasq.com)'s Skitch (http://skitch.com)


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[levinge]

The old T-Bar scale method works just a good

[wags on the water]

Before flicking a line in the water, I pull the line from the spool (and adjust the drag) until there is a fair amount of resistance. Not too much, but not too little that you may spool yourself on a big fish, but just enough so that you will tire the fish. I've never used a drag setting device to set the drag. I just go by feel. If you've fished for a number of years, then you should be aware of what amount of resistance is used for each species you target.

We've all used light (mono) line before so you'd be aware of what amount of pressure it can break. You'd also be aware of how much pressure you can put on your rods before you hear that 'snapping' sound.

This is the way I do it.

Cheers,
Wags

[levinge]

I only use it to set the initial drag load on my lever drag reels when I buy them or when they have been serviced and returned...

[try to fish]

er............dunno where you get the price from but please check out plat.com as theyre around $100 posted from japan.takes around a week.

[gr hilly]

do it by hand Charlie but not in front of your reel, sit your rod in a rod holder and grab the line at the sinker so your rod has to bend and then set your drag to suit.

hilly

[levinge]

do it by hand Charlie but not in front of your reel, sit your rod in a rod holder and grab the line at the sinker so your rod has to bend and then set your drag to suit.

hilly

Thats all good for inshore fishing, but you'll get smashed on that method offshore...