How To Set The Drag On A Spinning Reel Without A Scale?
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If you don’t set your drag on your fishing reel properly, chances are, you could be missing out on fish. I’ve seen a lot of anglers that don’t take this seriously.
It’s very important that your drag is adjusted properly because when you fight a fish, if it’s, you might lose it.
Dangers Of Setting The Drag Too High
Now, what I mean by that is if you have your drag set too high, and when a fish takes off, and on a very sudden and very fast run, a lot of times, the line will break.
This is because there was no give when that fish took off from the very tight drag, and it will likely cause your fishing line to snap.
Now, another thing that we will see if you’ve got a trout or a snook on the line; they have very thin mouths and very thin linings.
And that hook point that’s lodged into their mouth, and if there is no give from very high drag, it’s going to tear a really big hole in their mouth. That’s why a lot of times you’re going to lose that fish when it shakes its head.
Dangers Of Setting The Drag Too Low
Now, on the flip side of that, if you’ve got a rag that’s set too light and a fish takes off on a very big run, if it’s a tarpon or a shark, a lot of times, it can actually spool you.
Now another thing that we will see with very light drags is when you go try and set the hook, you’re not going to get a very deep dive in with that hook point.
This is because the drag was already engaging just from a hookset. So it’s very important that we have that drag set at the proper amount, and I’m going to show you guys exactly how to do that.
How To Set The Drag On A Spinning Reel Without A Scale
In this article, I’m going to show you two way to set the drag on your spinning reel correctly:
- Without a scale
- With a scale
Setting The Drag With The Scale
Let’s talk about how you can set the drag with the scale because it’s really an easy thing to do; the whole process won’t take long. It’s also much easier than doing it without the help of a scale.
So, these scales are actually pretty easy to pick up. They are also pretty cheap too. You can probably get one under ten bucks from any big box store. You just need to make sure that there’s a hook or something that you can connect your main fishing line to.
Because what we’re going to do is pull the scale with the mainline attached to it to gauge exactly how much pressure is required before your drag engages.
What you want it to read is between twenty to thirty percent of the breaking strength of the line that you have on your reel.
For example, if you have a ten-pound test on your reel, and when you pull using the scale, you want to read is between two and three pounds of force. Try to keep your hands steady as you pull the line with the fishing line attached.
You will need to adjust the drag to get to the proper settings. With a scale, you can really fine-tune exactly the amount of pressure that you need to get that drag set right.
What if you don’t have a scale? Well, that’s why you are here, isn’t it? The next method should give you all the necessary pointers that you will need in order to learn how to set the drag on the spinning reel without a scale.
Setting The Drag Without A Scale
This method is not as precise without a scale, and without you having to tie things to dumbbells or any stupid stuff like that, all you need to do is wrap the line around your hand.
Now, what’s going to happen if you have your drag set at the right amount and you start to apply pressure, there’s going to be an indentation that’s caused by the line. This is going to cause your skin to move in.
If it’s set too light, it’s not even going to press into your skin, and it’s just going to look like it’s sitting there. But if the drag is moving while you’re applying pressure, that means it’s set to light.
And if it requires no effort to move that again, it’s set to light. On the other hand, if you set the drag too tight, it’s going to require a lot of pressure, like enough to make you strain. It will also feel like the line is going to cut your hand.
So, if the line feels like it’s going to cut your hand, you need to lighten the drag. Once you have set it correctly, apply a good amount of pressure to get that drag moving and enough to make sure it’s indenting right there on your pinky.
This is a good sign that there is a good amount of pressure, and you can now feel confident that the drag is set at the right amount.
Tips
If you have a higher pound test, you’re going to want to set that pound of pressure higher on your drag because you want it at 20 to 30 percent of the breaking strength of your line rating. Then again, that’s going to change depending on the line that you have.
Conclusion:
And that’s all there is to it. I hope you enjoyed this short tutorial, and I highly recommend that with your spinning reels, you have a smooth drag. So, as you see, there are two ways to set the drag on your spinning reel.
I highly recommend that you use a scale for this but if you don’t have one, use the method that I just showed you here. And now you know how to set the drag on the spinning reel without a scale.
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