Bass Fishing Reels

Question: How many pounds of drag is necessary for a bass fishing reel?

(Posted by: Backwater Charlie on 2011-08-03 23:42:08)

The rise of the Revo, with 24lbs of drag pressure, has brought on the new age of heavyweight drags on bass fishing reels, primarily baitcasters. It's not uncommon to see 14 to 18lb+ drags on the newest offerings by Lew's, Quantum, Abu Garcia (of course), and even Ardent (their pitching/ flipping model). My question to bass anglers out there (and any other fisherman who wants to chime in), when does necessary turn into superfluous? What would be a comfortable poundage of drag in a bass reel, for you?

Posted by: Ole Fisherman on 2011-08-04, 02:24:12

Well, depends on what I'm using the reel for....?? A Flippin'/ Pitchin' reel needs that extreme drag so you can quickly get the fish out of cover. And it is certainly nice to have (at least) 12LB's for any Soft Plastic's situation, (esp around docks!). For Crankin', Spinnerbait, open-water Topwater- a 10LB drag is OK. But, realize what your asking. Having the ability to have ridiculous drag at the turn of a handle is VERY convenient. It makes ANY reel have the ability to be more useful. Whereas, a reel with 10LB drag (only) would HAVE to be designated as a Crankin'/ Spinnerbait/ Topwater outfit. SO, I say, gimme the most advertised drag available. Just because you purchase a Corvette doesn't mean you HAVE to go 150 MPH everywhere you go? (wink) UPDATE: Peter_AZ- The reason you need such a strong drag on a Flippin'/ Pitchin' reel??- Not only are you turning the head of a 5-15LB Bass, but typically, your bringing along another 6-8LB's of weed and gunk. Plus, you usually only have about 10 yards of line out when Flippin'/ Pitchin'. Believe it or not, even a slight bit of drag slippage can cause you to lose the fish. The "torque " involved in trying to pull a 15 lb "cinder block " with only 8-10 yards of line out is tremendous- esp when that cinder block doesn't WANT to be pulled! I always find it amazing with 24LBs of drag you STILL end up losing fish. I hope this helps ya better understand Peter_AZ- I wish I could take you out and show you what I'm trying to describe...(lol).

Posted by: Grand Master Basser® on 2011-08-03, 23:58:48

Ardent was the first to introduce heavy drag poundage... with their pitching/ flipping reel that's factory set at damn near 30 pounds. 30 pounds of drag (ok, 28), what the hell? Seriously, why so much? The original Ambassadeurs also had some heavy drags in them, but nothing near what they are now. A comfortable amount of drag for me is what my dad's little Daiwa Liberto Pixy is set at... 3 pounds. That's the PERFECT amount of drag for the 110 yards of 6 pound Sunline it holds.

Posted by: LUTHER on 2011-08-04, 06:01:57

Too many variables, like what pound test line your using, what type of line your using (mono or braid) type of rod stiff or limber, if the waters your fishing in contain a lot of snags or if it is free from snags. Just need to match the drag to the equipment and conditions.

Posted by: Peter_AZ on 2011-08-04, 07:49:58

Not a bass angler, but 28 pounds of drag (mentioned in someone else's reply) is about what long range tuna fishermen use with 80 pound line for 200+ pound tuna. (One third the breaking strength of the line). For inshore light tackle saltwater, I like between third and one half the breaking strength of the line -- with 20 pound line, about 8 pounds of drag. It's nice to have a little more there in case I really have to button down; but normally I do that with my thumb. But with heavy use with long running fish like tuna, drags do weaken over time, so the few extra pounds available with new drag washers may be needed once you've caught a few dozen fish with them. But extra-strong drags make no sense to me for freshwater bass. Though I suppose that if you're using 65 pound braid with no leader and you snag a boulder or something and have to pull to break the line that 28 pound drag could come in handy.