# Big fish ... What about drag...?



## VICIII (Apr 8, 2005)

I was able to fish for about 5 hours and just got home ....      

We hit the out going tide at SI and was it great.. Many hook ups. About 10 each with big - line spooling - fish!!! I think Tarp00n... They would hit it and just take off.. Drags screaming and they were freight trains...
I went through about 9 jigs tonight due to break offs so I would not get spooled... It was great and hilarious.. till I started to think that I just ran my spool about 200 yards at least 10 times... I was using a 6500 bait runner and a 6000 shahara .. how do you replace the drags on those reels? Can you?
I was wondering if I am putting my reels thru too much stress and the drags might not be as easy as a Jigmaster to change... So who knows about this...


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## Railroader (Apr 13, 2005)

I thought it was impossible to damage a Shimano.....You must have done something WRONG, couldn't have been the almighty Shimano....The drags are PERFECT on SHIMANOS...You will stop ANY fish with a SHIMANO....   

The drag stacks should be in the spools, and be easy to change, IF you can get the parts.

What the hell are you doing going fishing for five hours, when your wife's home with a newborn, you insensitive ape??? You should be home nurturing, washing, and cleaning up puke....:--|    How DARE you think of fishing this close to the birth of a child, and Christmas too....  

I'm giving you my vote for Angler of the Month....


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## VICIII (Apr 8, 2005)

*Now time for work..*

She asked me if I would want to go since I was sooooo Helpful... She even said "I think that you would hit that tide you like... I am just going to bed and you could get out of here.."
She just got a better Christmas present... 

There was no damage but I was laughing last night and thought that drags must be melting and I have not seen those drags in any shop or people talking about them... I am sure it is because they never get worn out...


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## BentHook (Dec 22, 2002)

That's not right,it's three days before XMAS and I haven't even thought about shopping yet.Now, I'm going to have to run down there and see what's going on.
The Shimano drags schould just be fine and they're built to handle big fish.What pound test and how much line are you using?It must be mono as your getting close to spooled.No braid huh!  
My last trip early in Dec. I saw a guy who I thought was you.But,when I got down there, he was much younger.He had a harness on with a Penn 9/0 and probaly 300lb mono.He was trying to dig one of those grouper out of the pilings.I hung around 15 minutes as I wanted to see if he was going overboard. Now that RailRoader and his wife have got a taste of the big reds, we schould put them on the grouper.
You got my vote for Angler of the Year.


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## VICIII (Apr 8, 2005)

Angler of the year no but _man with fishing issues *yes*_..

I had too reels out there.. bait runner 6500 which holds close to 300 yards of 20lb. mono. and a Shahara that hold around 200 yards of 20lb. mono.
I did not have the right gear to land these big guys. Just liked to see how hard and how much they pulled..
The wind was so bad last night. It was the worst because the wind was right in our face. Just 20mph steady wind and I am trying to cast in to it. We almost went home.. We got there and three wet people came up to us with a dim flash light and told us they just crashed there boat on the rocks before the Jetty starts... Yes they were drunk and there was a small craft warning for a few days.... But they were out trying to "just drive around... you know..." So we told them we would drive them back to there home which was about 30 min away. I think that helped in the fish hook ups.... There were guys next to us trying to do it but they would get hung up... SI was empty but two fisherman on the north jetty and one on the north catwalk. I guess with Snook it get empty.. Naw it was the WIND...!


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## CrawFish (Sep 23, 2003)

You know you could use your hand to slow down the fish right. The poor man's drag.


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## VICIII (Apr 8, 2005)

CrawFish said:


> You know you could use your hand to slow down the fish right. The poor man's drag.


We did when it got to the end.. to pop of the line so we did not lose it...
when you tried to stop those fish by stoping the spool you just get mono stretch and then Pop...


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## CrawFish (Sep 23, 2003)

When I fished w/ my abu, I applied just enuf pressure to slow the fish down. As everyone knows, abu drags suck. I also do that w/ the spinning reels. I only do that when the drag lock down isn't enuf.


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## VICIII (Apr 8, 2005)

CrawFish said:


> When I fished w/ my abu, I applied just enuf pressure to slow the fish down. As everyone knows, abu drags suck.


Don't be hatin ABU.... It is a sin in the Florida fourm. 

Yeah sometimes it works but other time the fish just keep pulling way. If you guys can get to SI on a windy night get there. It is when the big fish feed...


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## CrawFish (Sep 23, 2003)

VICIII said:


> Don't be hatin ABU.... It is a sin in the Florida fourm.


Don't get me wrong, I love them abus for pomps and mullets.    


(stirring up the pot)


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## rhorm (Mar 25, 2005)

Congrats VIC on atleast hookin up with some monsters  Can't wait for the tarpon to show up here in the bay this spring. I haven't tried the baitrunner yet but, I lost a few nice ones with my sahara. Great reel for the price though. Mine stays on a sojurn and I keep a pink banana jig tied on. I use strictly for pomps and spanish. I noticed some drag slippage with it this past spring so I have it on reserve for light duty. I do have braid on it but, we won't go there lol


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## Surf Fish (Dec 16, 2005)

Yes, you can change the drag washers in the 6500. Main drag in the spool is easy to change. The baitrunner drag is a bit more difficult, you have to tear the whole reel apart. 

If you need parts, call Shimano. They'll hook you up.


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## VICIII (Apr 8, 2005)

Surf Fish said:


> Yes, you can change the drag washers in the 6500. Main drag in the spool is easy to change. The baitrunner drag is a bit more difficult, you have to tear the whole reel apart.
> 
> If you need parts, call Shimano. They'll hook you up.


Thanks for you info... Shimano will be contacted..


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## derekxec (Apr 26, 2006)

yeah def call shimano about the drag...they will probably send you one out for free...when my friend needed a new levelwind for his tekota he called up asking how much and they were like whats your addy and sent it free of charge lol


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## Fishbreath (Nov 11, 2004)

CrawFish said:


> Don't get me wrong, I love them abus for pomps and mullets.
> 
> 
> (stirring up the pot)


Hey Vic, don't worry. Teo's just jealous, he's got ABU envy.... 

Fishing w/ mono - $7.99 per spool

Fishing and getting spooled by a big fish - worth every penny

Fishing with an ABU and getting spooled....PRICELESS!!!    

Merry Christmas to you, your wife and Cooper!


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