Drag or Back reel?

[DTro]

With a good drag, I don't understand the argument. It's like anti-lock brakes. No matter who you are, you are not going to outperform them. Some people might not like them, but they work. Just like a good drag. I set it based on the line strength and never worry about it. I usually have it on the loose side. Who cares if a smaller fish pulls out a little drag. I won't lose a big one.

[walleye_dog]

Back-Reel for me. Up in Manitoba we can sometimes find some BIG lakers in 60-80 feet of water, which really gets fun on walleye tackle while jigging with a 1oz. jig and minnow. But trying to set the hook in this situation you need a tight drag, then hold on because the freight train has just departed. So back-reeling, when done correctly is kind of an art, but really effective.

I also learned to thumb the spool on a baitcaster many yaers ago. I used to do a ton of night fishing for muskies before I got married. In most situations my drag would be extremely tight for hook sets, but a majority of the fish I caught were next to the boat. This usually meant my thumb was the only option for playing a green fish.

[slipperybob]

Quote:

---

With a good drag, I don't understand the argument. It's like anti-lock brakes. No matter who you are, you are not going to outperform them. Some people might not like them, but they work. Just like a good drag. I set it based on the line strength and never worry about it. I usually have it on the loose side. Who cares if a smaller fish pulls out a little drag. I won't lose a big one.

---

It's not an argument of which is better. It's like a preference of driving an automatic or driving a stick shift vehicle. With technology these days, automatics can have much more gears in comparison to stick shifts. Would a person still want to drive a 5/6 speed stick shift or opt out to drive an automatic with up to 8 speed gears? Antilock is great, but the road is a sharp curve. Try steering your vehicle and it goes straight. Without the added feature of stability control in conjunction of the anti-lock, driving a vehicle in this condition is an art without any of those technological advancements.

[Leif]

I think that drag is way better as long as you set it right. It is more consistant then back reeling

[slipperybob]

I'm wondering what people feel is setting your drag right? For me it's to ensure that the line will not break under these two premises:

1) setting the hook

2) big fish makes sudden run

Call it: playing a fish, guiding a fish in, or fighting a fish. There's an art to doing that but for some people it's just reeling in a fish.

Even under the condition of back reeling, you're drag is still working. Furthermore one must consider how pricey their spinning reel is. I have full confidence in reels over $100. I have some confidence in reels $50-$100. I have little to no confidence in reels under $50. Drag disc size and whether it's multilayered or contain cermanics to dissipate heat are part of the technological advancements.

Hmm...I think I'm taking this way too Seriously...

LOL's I'm gonna pull out my Zebco 33 spincaster reel.

[BobT]

To my knowledge the suggested drag setting has been about 30% of the line's rated strength. The drag should therefore slip when one applies more than 2-1/2lbs. force against 8lb test line. This may vary to some degree depending on the reliability and design of the drag but one must keep in mind that no matter the quality of the drag, it is friction that is creating the resistance and when you overcome friction you introduce heat and as the heat continues to be introduced the result is usually an increase in friction so the drag will likely get tighter as the system gets hotter. The more a fish takes drag the more likely it can fail. Naturally, the amount of time the drag is working and the speed at which the line is being taken play a role as well.

Bob

[CrawlerKing]

Back reel.....when I have that money fish on the line, I want as much control as possible. Even though I use "good" reels, Quantum Energy PTIs, I still have the most confidence in back reeling....I have seen too many people fishing with me lose quality fish when the fish makes that last "big run" and their drag doesn't work. I don't ever remember losing a fish because I was back reeling... but of course I have a pretty selective memory!