Drag question

[FXRScotty]

My jig rigs are 7' rods with Penn 9500ss reals loaded with 65#PP braid and 50#flouro leaders. i have been really cranking the drags down and haven't broken a knot or line but have bent a couple of hooks. what are youse guys running and setting? I have a bad? habit of cranking down as the fight gets long as my arms get tired. should I quit whining and just leave it be? Scotty.

[Boonebird]

I think we where going 17 lbs at strike on our jigging rods. Now when we are kicking the snot out of them and drop down the 50wides i think they are at 26 thats 80 lbs top shot and 130 jerry brown. I hope this helps. Ps never ever bent a hook. We use butterfly jig with owner hooks. Dont forget as line goes out the drag increase. There is food for thought. Half a spool doubles and 3/4 emtpy is 3 times what the drag is set at.

[chumtini]

General rule of 1/3 the breaking strength of the line, or 21#s.

[FXRScotty]

Thanks guys. They were owner hooks that bent but you do have a point about the drag getting harder as the spool gets smaller. I'm going back to giving them the finger and leave the drag alone. Scotty.

[jazzrockskier]

Originally Posted by FXRScotty

My jig rigs are 7' rods with Penn 9500ss reals loaded with 65#PP braid and 50#flouro leaders. i have been really cranking the drags down and haven't broken a knot or line but have bent a couple of hooks. what are youse guys running and setting? I have a bad? habit of cranking down as the fight gets long as my arms get tired. should I quit whining and just leave it be? Scotty.

Well the Power Pro Website recommends setting your drag to no more than 1/3rd of the weakest piece of your tackle system the flourocarbon line. in your case that would be about 16 1/2 Lbs of drag. Since spectra braid has no stretch high drag setting tear up the gears and washers in your reel. So check your drag with a scale after cranking down of a fish to see where you end up. You could also go after smaller fish to save your arms

[FXRScotty]

Originally Posted by jazzrockskier

Well the Power Pro Website recommends setting your drag to no more than 1/3rd of the weakest piece of your tackle system the flourocarbon line. in your case that would be about 16 1/2 Lbs of drag. Since spectra braid has no stretch high drag setting tear up the gears and washers in your reel. So check your drag with a scale after cranking down of a fish to see where you end up. You could also go after smaller fish to save your arms

Thanks for the reply but what are these smaller fish you speak of? The 40# stripers we have to release Scotty.

[tightlines]

How do you guys test your drag with a scale? Do you have someone hold the scale and just keep pulling until it slowly moves and check the pounds? I was testing mine last week while heading offshore and my brother was holding the scale and I was bending the rod and trying to pull and was only getting to around 10pounds and it felt like it was 50pounds. Do you put them in a rod holder or can you do it yourself at home?

thx

[Boonebird]

Here is what I do. Right or wrong. I take a 50 lbs scale tie it to a cleat on the dock. Tie a swivle to the line atach to the cleat. Run down the dock pulling drag get the washers nice a warm as a fish does. I reset the scale and lift up on the rod as I was fighting a fish. I hope god the scale read what I want. I do this every trip it takes about 30 minutes while everyone is getting the boat ready. As I check them they go on the boat. Last year I did it under way big mistake two reasons. One got left uncheck. At full I had 6 pounds of drag yea you know where this is going. 45 minutes of burning my thumb I got the yellow to the transom and I broke it off in the rudder. YEa my fault. Next one rod had tomuch drag on it a eye hit we had him on for 1.5 hrs. The guy on the rod bumped it up past the pin and broke the rod. Yea not going to happen again.

[chumtini]

Warm up the drags, then use a scale. Rod should be at an angle. Just don't high stick it. You might break the rod. I use a rod holder. Then pull the scale, not the rod.

[Boonebird]

It could be the scale u where using. That im not sure. The rods we use on our 50wides the line with 28 lbs of drag on strike will not touch the grip. I dont want to know what 50lbs is like . No way. I have done 40 just for giggles.