Damage to Lever Drag Reels by Setting Drag in Strike

[Craigen]

I have been taught to never turn the preset knob on a lever drag reel when the lever is not in free spool.  Some say that this rule doesn't apply to some brands of reels.  This does not seem true.  Any thoughts?

[Bryan Young]

Whenever you adjust the preset know, the lever should ALWAYS be in freespool...but I suppose that if you have it set for the lowest setting out of freespool, if you spin the spool until it drag slows down the spool, that could be your minimum drag setting.  Then after that, setting drag pressures should ALWAYS be in freespool.

[Craigen]

Thanks Bryan. That's what I thought.  It was stated on another forum that Accurate's were "too sensitive" because someone damaged a new reel in this way.  There was some suggestion that other lever drag reels (Okuma) may be impossible to damage in this way.  Cheers...

[Bryan Young]

There are many ways to damage a new/old lever drag reel.  The easiest one is setting the drag level too high in the first, then moving the lever to strick or full.  Drags should be set gradually unlike star drags where you can crank it down from the get go.

[Reel 224]

There are many ways to damage a new/old lever drag reel.  The easiest one is setting the drag level too high in the first, then moving the lever to strick or full.  Drags should be set gradually unlike star drags where you can crank it down from the get go.

Bryan: I watched a video not to long ago that showed setting the drag in the first setting after free spool, giving the ability to go to full drag beyond normal setting. Are you saying to put the drag lever in free spool and then set minimum drag?

Just thought of another question. Can you use the lever drag to control casting in preventing backlash?

[mike1010]

Just thought of another question. Can you use the lever drag to control casting in preventing backlash?

Avet suggests casting their non-MC MX and SX series reels with the drag lever in the Bait position.  And at least some of the Okuma LDs use the drag system for cast control.

[Reel 224]

The reel I am using is a Canyon HS-15. What I'm not clear on is what Bryan was saying about setting the drag.

[MarkT]

Set it for the strike settling, not the first setting. 

[Reel 224]

Set it for the strike settling, not the first setting. 

Mark: this is the first lever drag that I have owned so I need to understand what the strike setting is.

On the reel starting at the bottom position,(Free Spool) then second position from there to the first stop before full drag.Is that the strike position. Third position to stop. (Full Drag)?

[johndtuttle]

Set it for the strike settling, not the first setting. 

Mark: this is the first lever drag that I have owned so I need to understand what the strike setting is.

On the reel starting at the bottom position,(Free Spool) then second position from there to the first stop before full drag.Is that the strike position. Third position to stop. (Full Drag)?

That is correct.

[Three se7ens]

And don't start off cranking down the preset knob until you lose freespool. That's almost certain to crush the bearings on an avet, and possibly other reels too.

It's a trial and error process setting it at first. Start low, move the lever to strike, and check the drag. Back to freespool, adjust the preset, and repeat until you get where you want.

The beauty of a lever drag is once you get the preset in the right place, you just use the lever to make adjustments and still be able to easily return to your known drag settings.

[Reel 224]

Well basically that is what I had done initially without knowing a lot about lever drag systems. What had confused me was what I read in Bryan's post. Guess I was reading it wrong.

There was a movie I watched years ago where an actor said to this other character.  "Explain it to me like I'm a two year old". I think that fits in a lot of situations.

[johndtuttle]

Couple of things:

1. The preset knob is not a cast control of any kind.

2. What it does is increase the drag's starting position so you can adjust how much drag you will get at strike once you move the lever forward and you are setting what it's final full drag will be.

3. The lever uses a cam inside under the preset knob to ramp up the drag as you move it from free to strike and then full. With a low preset you might have just 5lbs at strike and 10lbs at full. With a higher preset you might get 10lbs at strike and 20 lbs at full etc.

4. Your preset drag at "strike" will vary depending on what line you are using. Typically this is 1/4 to 1/3 of the rated strength of the line.
ie fishing 30lb leader set strike to no more than 10lbs, 40lb leader no more than 13lbs. This can be verified with a scale or many are happy with a hand test (which typically ends up being a very low setting) that they are comfortable with knowing their target fish.

5. It is important that when you set your reel at strike you don't feel some stiffness in turning the handle. If you do, every time you are turning the handle you are destroying the bearings. This is a lot of cranking when fishing all day and it inevitably destroys the bearings. Conversely, if you dial it up until you are losing freespool then the drag washer is actually touching the spool. This is usually a too high setting.

6. "Full" is really only used in an emergency like you need to stop a fish now or lose it. You will notice handle binding typically at this setting so don't use it for long.


just a few tips, it all becomes second nature very quickly with a little use

[Reel 224]

Excellent explanation johndtuttle Thanks for breaking it down in steps. I have rechecked the reels settings and I am satisfied with the preset drag and the feel of the crank. It is set at 5# now with 30# leader. It's a little light but should work out fine for the fish we are targeting. Fluke, and Tog.

[fIsHsTiiCkS]

John just a question, as I have had this question with several people. If you plan to run at #5, than why not switch to a lighter line test. Would that not aid in helping catch? Just a conversation.