How much drag do I really need??
 

looking for a lh conventional set up this off season and most of the reels that in my price range. they are running abou 9-15# max drag . my spinning setup maxes out around 15# and it hasnt been enough, we do alot of fishing around alot of bridges and moorings with live baits. I want somthing with more stoping power and i tend to run 50# braid on my spin set up and most likely want to run it on the new set up any advice thanks

You can stop a Tuna with 15#. Guys fishing school tuna, 40 to 70 pounds set at 12 to 14# of drag. 7# is more than enough.
Hell, my nephew Jake caught a 30# striper at 1/2 tide in the Canal on a Penn 5500. Couldn't be more than 5# on drag on that little reel.

At 15 lbs I'd be more worried about the knots in my mono.

-spence

Have you checked your drag with a drag scale? 15 lbs is a lot of drag it takes a serious spinner to make 15 lbs.....and then you have your thumb!

If you were to setup a reel at 15# of drag you had better have a very very good rod. Very good platform you are standing on and as Jeff said, you better have knots of steel because something will give. 15# of drag is a TON.

Just switch to a Abu 7001 (LH) conventional. That'll stop a train. Or if you have a lot of money to waste buy a VS 200. 40# of drag is the advertized rating. To me a $700 reel to catch bass on a boat is a waste. In the surf, different story but in a dry boat where the reel isn't under water (God willing) it's a lot of money

thats what i was wondering i will put the reel to te test and see what it comes to its only a 4500b bait runner i think its 12-15 # drag locked down a star 20-50 delux rod and it keep running, twice this year and there wasnt much current ??

Did you check the drag? Perhaps it needs to be serviced....

-spence

i understand stoping tunas but your in the middle of the ocean he can run 200 yards i need to stop somthing in 10-20 feet

this isnt everyday i fish like this but, this year wish i had a bigger reel.the rod was fine,

like stated before i would lock the drag down and check against a scale and see whats it pulling.

then if thats wrong, get the drag serviced.

i only keep my drag reel tight if im fishing the canal in full current and adjust it as necessary

i believe in maximum drag and pressure on all fish- the sooner i land her the quicker she can recover when i release her.

15 lbs of drag is alot to hold on to. Not as bad on a boat rod, but still wears on you. An 8 foot rod with the reel at 24 inches has a mechanical advantage of 4. How long do you want to deal with the 60lbs of force your top hand has to hold on to? In any case, the drag shouldn't be set more than 1/3 the rating of the weakest link. So got a 30lb rod, 10lbs drag max. That is still more than enough drag.
Posted from my iPhone/Mobile device