# Max Drag



## patindaytona (Jun 17, 2006)

Looked for info and found it's very complicated. Can someone give me a simplified answer to this? I just bought a Stradic and max drag is 20#. Does this mean I can't use any line strength greater than that on it? 
Or does it mean that when I crank down the drag all the way, it will bottom out at 20#...meaning I CAN use heavier line and but i will just have to crank down the drag knob all the way and only 20lbs of pressure will be "allowed" to come off that reel in ANY case and not harm it?


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## fishnuttz (Jun 27, 2008)

Well I could be wrong but to my understanding that is the max drag at what the reel is rated to handle. So if you use the theory of 1/3 drag too line weight you can run up to 60# line at 20# of drag and be sure the reel can handle it . Allthough might want to go down a little if you want to be easy on your stuff. Or if you don't care about your stuff that much you night be able to go up a little . jmo & Somebody will probalytell you I'm wrong lol


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## AbuMike (Sep 3, 2007)

Max drag is simply that. This really has nothing to do with the line you should use. Refer to the box or spool for the recommended line sizes for the reel you have in hand.


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## Drumdum (Jan 6, 2003)

patindaytona said:


> Looked for info and found it's very complicated. Can someone give me a simplified answer to this? I just bought a Stradic and max drag is 20#. Does this mean I can't use any line strength greater than that on it?
> Or does it mean that when I crank down the drag all the way, it will bottom out at 20#...meaning I CAN use heavier line and but i will just have to crank down the drag knob all the way and only 20lbs of pressure will be "allowed" to come off that reel in ANY case and not harm it?


 Most folks,myself included,will never use 20lb of drag on any fish with any reel (unless in standup gear with a Warsaw grouper,bluefin,or huge shark... All it is telling you is that that is max drag that could be applied with that reel.. Most of us use less than one third the breaking strength of the line.. You may use more if you have the shock on the reel and have a fish that is getting ready to wrap the pilings on a pier.. You use more than 5 or 6lbs of drag on a fish,then you are putting some heat on it.. With a saltist,you'd be fine with anything from 17 to 25lb line on it,jmho...


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## fishnuttz (Jun 27, 2008)

I'm sorry I thought he asked about capability of the reel At "MAX drag" your right I don't use more than 5# of drag either Most of the time . Although sometimes like if a cobia is going under the pier or a 50# cat is heading into a log jamb.Then I will crank down on it. He also asked if he could go heavier than 20# line I gave my opinion on the MAX that i thought the reel could handle. I totally agree 17 /25# is usually enough.


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## Drumdum (Jan 6, 2003)

fishnuttz said:


> I'm sorry I thought he asked about capability of the reel At "MAX drag" your right I don't use more than 5# of drag either Most of the time . Although sometimes like if a cobia is going under the pier or a 50# cat is heading into a log jamb.Then I will crank down on it. He also asked if he could go heavier than 20# line I gave my opinion on the MAX that i thought the reel could handle. I totally agree 17 /25# is usually enough.


 Yeap,you're correct,guess I didn't read his question correctly...:redface: After re-reading his question,he pretty much answered it on his own...

Just went into one of my rants.. You see,some folks actually THINK they are applying,or NEED to apply 20lbs of drag.. 20lbs of drag is a good thing,and says something for the capability of that reel,but you will rarely if ever need it when fighting a fish..From what you have said here,we are on the same page....jmho..


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## patindaytona (Jun 17, 2006)

I just tied 5lbs of weight to my line. I angled my rod at 45 degrees. Lifted up till the weight just started to come off the ground. Is this right? Remember I have 20lbs max drag on my reel. That sure surprised me if it's right...my rod was about bent in half! That's alot of weight!


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## JAM (Jul 22, 2002)

*Some of the Newer Daiwa Spinners have a DEAD LIFT DRAG of over 30#'s*

Don't care who you r, your goin swimmin if ya lock her down on a boat. Never got real hi-tech on Drag settin, I just pull on it till it feels good to me, even on the Big Stuff.. Don't help much..But you can feel when its right..

JAM


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## fishnuttz (Jun 27, 2008)

I used a weight scale hook it around a door knob or something tie to it and pull and you can see exactly what your setting is . Now though after a few times doing that I can pretty much tell by feel. Yes 5 lbs is alot enough for Most situations


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## patindaytona (Jun 17, 2006)

Fishnuttz, did you bend the rod at 45 degrees?


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## fishnuttz (Jun 27, 2008)

yes something like that or just how you would do with a fish on the line. to simulate fighting a fish.


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## SmoothLures (Feb 13, 2008)

It means if you crank it down all the way it will take ~20 lbs of force to pull any line. That doesn't mean you should ever use 20 lbs of drag, just some guys think bigger/more is better.


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## patindaytona (Jun 17, 2006)

Ok, think I got it. I'll stick with the 5lbs drag setting. It feels to me like that's what I've been using a long time with the 50lb braid and pulled in plenty of reds, a few 40inchers. Might be another story when I test it though. I tried 20lbs for a long time before I went to the 50lb braid and I lost alot of fish due to breaking. Probably many factors though.


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## Drumdum (Jan 6, 2003)

patindaytona said:


> I just tied 5lbs of weight to my line. I angled my rod at 45 degrees. Lifted up till the weight just started to come off the ground. Is this right? Remember I have 20lbs max drag on my reel. That sure surprised me if it's right...my rod was about bent in half! That's alot of weight!


 Yeap,that is exactly what I'm saying,most folks will never put that much drag on a fish.. I is definatly much more pressure than you think...


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## moose22dog (Feb 17, 2010)

20# of drag is ALOT like dd said before thats a hell of a fish if you need that much.


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## huntingwood (Jun 13, 2009)

JAM said:


> Don't care who you r, your goin swimmin if ya lock her down on a boat. Never got real hi-tech on Drag settin, I just pull on it till it feels good to me, even on the Big Stuff.. Don't help much..But you can feel when its right..
> 
> JAM


Plenty of people do fish 30+ pounds of drag standing up for bluefin. A select few can even fish 40 lbs standing up, but those are the guys that can bring in a 200 lb bluefin in 10-15 min.


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## John81 (Apr 24, 2007)

ive seen people use 70+ pounds of drag. Go watch how they do goliatch groupers near structure avet trex is a beast. The most ive ever fished was around 32# on my stella jigging


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## RoryGoggin (Jan 6, 2005)

IMHO - set your drag for your weakest component if you don't want to break something. Oh, and try to "balance" your tackle.


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## Drumdum (Jan 6, 2003)

RoryGoggin said:


> IMHO - set your drag for your weakest component if you don't want to break something. Oh, and try to "balance" your tackle.


 With goliath grouper and big bluefin,you better do more than balance the tackle ya better balance your arse or get drug over with that kinda drag...


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## spydermn (Apr 26, 2009)

So you are saying my Fin Nor Offshore 95 with 60# of lock down drag is overkill?

Well, Daddy always said there is no kind of kill like overkill!!!

BTW this is my reel for big sharks if I ever get the chance.


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## Shooter (Nov 14, 2004)

If your usen that kind of drag on a big shark from the beach just remember one little tip,,, tie a good rope around the bumper and then around your arse cause you will get drug in and go swimmen with the toothys.

Now what did Bear say when he upped the test on his shark rig and was drug to the railing.. oh yea "Someone CUT This (*(*&&^%)*&)(^$ friggen line"


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## Drumdum (Jan 6, 2003)

spydermn said:


> So you are saying my Fin Nor Offshore 95 with 60# of lock down drag is overkill?
> 
> Well, Daddy always said there is no kind of kill like overkill!!!
> 
> BTW this is my reel for big sharks if I ever get the chance.


 For that kind of fishing,as well as big sharks,and being strapped down as Shooter said,cranker down to what you can stand... All I'm saying is in normal pier and surf fishing,using 17 to 20lb line that kind of drag isn't necessary.. Using hundred or more test braid,yeah 20 or 30lbs of drag is ok no doubt,not many get the opportunity to fish for goliaths and bluefin tuna though....


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## John81 (Apr 24, 2007)

The finnor gears will get tore up at 60lbs of drag. Not every reel can handle it's advertised drag well. Only a few spinners on the market can actually handle 30+ ie Shimano stella,daiwa dogfight or there saltiga spinner,accurate twinspin, maybe the new Penn torque spinner but not alot of feedback on those. So pretty much if it isn't there flagship spinner don't be upset when your reel breaks. I love my Saragossa's but I would never fish them past 25#. For anything higher I use my Stella


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## patindaytona (Jun 17, 2006)

Since reds are such a popular catch, it would be great if someone, somehow could measure the average pressure say a slot red could produce. Then it would be a valuable way to set the drag. I catch 90% of my catch as reds year round.


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## Drumdum (Jan 6, 2003)

Max drag I put on a drum is 3-4lbs,using 5max and that would be if the drum is right there at the pilings and looking nip and tuck getting him into the net.. That's just me though...


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## notso (Jul 18, 2005)

*marketing gimmick*

Max drag rating mostly a marketing gimmick. Before you freak out, let me explain why.
All fishing reels apply drag via resisting letting the spool spin. Basically you can look at this as a torque. The units for torque involve a force AND a distance (ie Foot-pounds, newton meters, etc). The distance is the length of the lever arm used to exert the twisting force (or resist it in this case). Drag ratings are just listed in force without the distance. It's easy enough to convert the torque to linear force if you know the length of your lever arm. On a fishing reel, the lever arm length is from the centerline of the spool, to the outermost spot where the line comes off.
Here's where the problem comes in, on most reels this length can double or triple from one layer of line on the spool to full spool. So for a given drag setting (torque setting) the linear force that needs to be exerted on the line to pull it off the reel will change by 2 or 3 times from full to empty spool.

As an example if I set the drag on my 6/0 to 10 lbs of drag with a full spool (approx 4in dia), when I'm down to empty (approx .75" dia ) the force required to pull line has increased to 53lbs!!!

Notice that manufacturers never mention how much line is on the spool when they make their rating?
The same principle applys to retrieve rates listed in inches per rev of the handle..

My guess would be that they would use an empty spool to get the drag rating (because higer numbers sound better) and a full spool for retreval rates (same reason).


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## patindaytona (Jun 17, 2006)

I'm still going to be using my 40lb braid, though I'll set the drag to about the 5lb mark. Braid has a way of cutting into itself on the spool and don't want any quick jerks due to that, so i think that extra amount of test might be need only for that...it wouldn't cause any additional burn to happen.


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## spydermn (Apr 26, 2009)

I got the reel more for capacity than the drag #. I just think that it is funny that it goes that high! I did buy it as a shark reel but I cannot imagine locking down on one of the toothy bastards! I will loose the line before I go in.


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## DrumintheSuds (Nov 19, 2007)

I pay zero attention to max drag because I have NEVER and will NEVER even come remotely close to dialing my drag to max. My drag consist of quality line to do the job, "lightly greased" carbontex drag washers, the weight the fish has to drag around and proper handling of the fish. When he wants to run let him......when he lets up for a second or current is in my favor I take advantage.


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## ORF Pete (Sep 26, 2009)

patindaytona said:


> Since reds are such a popular catch, it would be great if someone, somehow could measure the average pressure say a slot red could produce. Then it would be a valuable way to set the drag. I catch 90% of my catch as reds year round.


Getting an accurate answer to that question is a pretty tall order. You can get some idea off of peoples experiences though. The red in my pics album was 48 inches long, and I didn't use more than 5lbs of drag until he was up to the pier. I used a bit more when getting him into the net.


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## Drumdum (Jan 6, 2003)

DrumintheSuds said:


> I pay zero attention to max drag because I have NEVER and will NEVER even come remotely close to dialing my drag to max. My drag consist of quality line to do the job, "lightly greased" carbontex drag washers, the weight the fish has to drag around and proper handling of the fish. When he wants to run let him......when he lets up for a second or current is in my favor I take advantage.


That's what I been say'n,ain't no such thing as "maxdrag" when fighting a fish unless I want to break em off... Bluefin or a grouper,yeah,maybe,but alst I got ta say is HANG ON... 



ORF Pete said:


> Getting an accurate answer to that question is a pretty tall order. You can get some idea off of peoples experiences though. The red in my pics album was 48 inches long, and I didn't use more than 5lbs of drag until he was up to the pier. I used a bit more when getting him into the net.


 I bet if you put a scale on it you would be surprised at how little drag you actually applied... jmho,and never even saw you fight the fish... Just going by over 35yrs of watching folks putting them in a net off the planks,and doing it myself as well...


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## hifu (Aug 3, 2006)

Shooter said:


> If your usen that kind of drag on a big shark from the beach just remember one little tip,,, tie a good rope around the bumper and then around your arse cause you will get drug in and go swimmen with the toothys.
> 
> Now what did Bear say when he upped the test on his shark rig and was drug to the railing.. oh yea "Someone CUT This (*(*&&^%)*&)(^$ friggen line"


now thats a purdy darn gudden


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## ORF Pete (Sep 26, 2009)

Drumdum said:


> I bet if you put a scale on it you would be surprised at how little drag you actually applied... jmho,and never even saw you fight the fish... Just going by over 35yrs of watching folks putting them in a net off the planks,and doing it myself as well...


I can appreciate your point, but trust me that you're preaching to the choir here and don't need to quote 35 years of experience to make that point. I've been lurking around the site long enough to trust your word and that of many others on face value alone. And I agree 110% that many people easily overestimate how much drag they are applying. Makes me think back to the guy who was talking about using 20 pounds of drag on strike when king rig fishing, or something crazy like that (anyone remember that?). Prime example of someone severely overestimating how much drag then are using imo.

Anyways, I'm positive it was in the 4-5 pound range during most of the fight. Less on the initial run, and never above 5 until getting him into the net. Maybe more than you would have used for the same fish, but everyone has their personal preferences.

I think the biggest points to make here is ones you guys have already made: Using max drag during the fight is mostly reserved to whale fishing, and you'd be surprised how little drag you may need to fight a large red, striper, etc.


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## Drumdum (Jan 6, 2003)

*Like it was yesterday..*



> Makes me think back to the guy who was talking about using 20 pounds of drag on strike when king rig fishing, or something crazy like that (anyone remember that?).


 Yeap was in the thick of that thread,remember it well... Ole boy was talking to folks that had never kingfished,telling them to put 17lbs of drag on their fighting reel for the initial run, and then put it into the holder or on the deck.. It would be fun to watch   ,but I couldn't do that to someone trying to learn how to catch their first king...


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## ORF Pete (Sep 26, 2009)

Yeah, I didn't want to add that he was either mistaken, _or_ lying and trolling in an attempt to give people bad advice... but there ya go. I stayed out of that one at the time and didn't touch it with a 10ft. pole.


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