Sorry, I can't get my head around what the mystery is. If you throw
something (a ball, a stone etc) hard enough it'll stay airborn
until
gravity overcomes the velocity and the trajectory and will
pull it to
ground. A highly trained throwing arm can send an
object a long way
with a very flat trajectory, a poorly trained
throwing arm throws
something with a lob and it doesn't go very
far and falls to the
ground quickly. I think we're looking
for mystery where there is
none......... for me this horse is well
and truly flogged to death.
Peter Morse
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Gordy-
Most of us set the reel drag
based upon “feel,” especially for freshwater fishing. But I’d like to
set the drag as tight as reasonably possible in order to stop (or slow down)
large trout in lakes from taking off for the next county, going well into
the backing, and eventually breaking 12 lb test tippet at the fly. Is
there a formula for setting the drag on the reel based upon the strength of
the leader tippet?
I’ve estimated the (straight)
drag tension using a Boga Grip and have found even three pounds of drag
resistance to be more than I would feel comfortable using with 12 lb
tippet. It would be great to know how much resistance I could safely
get away with. Of course, it largely depends upon how much pressure is
being applied by the bend of the rod, the stiffness of the rod, the
direction the trout is going, and whether the trout has turned at an angle
from the fisherman. Maybe there are too many variables to be able to
answer this question definitively, but any suggestions would be
appreciated.
Jim
Harvey
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Jim:
Fresh or salt.... the
principles of drag setting are
similar.
I'll start by saying
that 3 pounds of drag when using your 12 lb. tippet is a LOT
!!
When fishing for large
salty pelagics such as sailfish and marlin, we would often use a 20 lb. test
tippet. Even so, we'd set the strike drag at a measured 2 lbs.
Some of the experienced anglers would have a mark on their reel drag setting
knob so that as the fish ran way out to kingdom come, they could quickly
move it down to ONE POUND.
As the fish ran out even
farther, we'd reduce it to just enough to keep the backing from back
lashing.
EVEN SO, AS THE FISH
TURNED AND KEPT GOING, THE TIPPET WOULD SOMETIMES BREAK !
Why ?
1.) No matter how far
you back off on the drag as the fish takes off, you still have the
resistance of the line or backing to the guides and tip-top of the
rod. This will vary depending upon the position in which the rod is
held and its bend.
2.) As the fish runs way
out there, there is resistance of the fly line to the water. The
longer the line in the water, the greater the resistance. (You would have
all this even if there were zero reel
drag.)
3.) This resistance of
the water to the fly line, is magnified dramatically as the fish turns and
keeps going. Thus, the fish can easily break the tippet "against the
belly of the line".
So what do we do when
one of these big fish runs way out there
?
# We back off on
the reel drag so that there is just enough to prevent backlash and a
tangle.
# If in a boat, we
move the craft in the direction of the fish. This has to be done
carefully so as not to provide slack. A good captain or guide can do
this in a way which helps negate the curve in the fly line made by the
fish turning.
# With really big
game, we rig up differently...... cutting the fly line back so as to leave
just enough for the cast we'll likely
make.
# Many use sinking
fly lines because the diameter is less .... thus less water
resistance.
Expert anglers use the
rim drag on the reel to control the drag, as well rather than taking the
chance of increasing it with the drag knob simply because they can release
it in a heartbeat if the fish lunges or
jumps.
Once the fish is closer
to you and begins to be subdued, more finger drag on the reel rim is used by
these anglers. When the angler feels that it's time to do so, the drag
on the reel is increased gradually to put pressure on the fish. Some
call that the "fight drag".... about 4 lbs (with a 20 lb. tippet and the
fish close by)
To this is added more
rim-drag pressure as the angler feels he has increasing
control.
Having said all this, I
know that there are differences of opinion about fighting big fish,
especially tarpon. I could write an entire article on that subject
! Suffice it to say, that I'll adjust my drag when fighting a tarpon
depending on the size of the fish and (more importantly) how it is behaving
after hooked. There are times when I increase that drag almost to the
breaking point of the leader system when indicated in order to break the
tarpon's SPIRIT. Then I can finish him off sooner and am more likely
to gain a successful release because I have not exhausted the
creature.
It's a whole different
ball game when fishing a river. When a big fish like a salmon booms
down river and you can't run after him, one trick is to peel off line and
roll it out to him down river. This provides a loop in the water so
that the river can start to pull him a bit downstream. Sometime the
fish will turn in response and go back upstream. I've use this trick
on King salmon in Alaska.
KISS PRINCIPLES
:
A. When a big fish
runs way out there, the worse thing you can do is to increase your drag to
try to stop him !
B. Set
your drag very lightly to start. You can always increase it later
after the fish settles down.
C
I like Lefty's method ......Place your line in your mouth so it is held only
by your lips. As you close your lips, this should be the amount of reel drag
used for most fishing.
D. As the
fish runs way out there, REDUCE YOUR DRAG
!
Gordy