Reel Brake

[Tungsten]

I was wondering what people like to have there reels set at.

 

I have my disc drag reels set on the soft side,tight enough that it doesn't back lash when i pull line out,no tighter then that.I guess years of having cheaper reels with little or no adjustment I've gotten use to using my finger rubbing against the reel as a brake.

 

What say you?

 

 

[brownonbow]

I'd say that if your quarry is trout you have nailed it by having your drag set to control the line on the reel from backlash. A large trout should be able to be controlled with a little palming of the reel added to that if necessary.

[Pipestoneflyguy]

Ditto - just enough to prevent my reel from becoming a bowl of spagetti - adjust up on the run if needed, and thats rare.

[Flyfisher]

I like palming my reel to. Trout are no big deal, you don't need a lot of drag capability on a reel. What I do like is a large arbor for quick line retrieval. Keeps line coil to a minimum to.

[reevesr1]

I almost never palm my reel and adjust the drag, often during the fight. But that's a artifact of fishing for years with reels that you could not palm. Palming just does not enter my mind. Maybe I should start trying to work it in.

 

But what I do is start with it pretty loose, tighten if the fish takes a bunch of line (more line=more stretch=more tolerance to tight drag). Now that worked with straight mono on a traditional reel. Not so sure if the same thing applies with fly line/leader combination, though my thought is that the fly line still acts as a shock absorber when there is a significant amount of it out. As the fish gets close I tend to loosen the drag for the same reason (less line=less stretch=no tolerance to tight drag). Anyway, I'm sure the result of this is too much screwing around with the drag. But years of habit is hard to break.

[126barnes]

Just enough so that I don't end up with a rat's nest for trout. I like to have it a little tighter for grisles, but usually palm the first run and adjust after that.

[Guest 420FLYFISHIN]

same here, just enough to prevent back spin or pull on the spey cast.

[headscan]

Just enough drag to keep from backspooling for me as well. I frequently just use my finger to press the fly line against the cork instead of palming, though not advisable if a fish is running fast.

[Brunsie]

I'm the same as everyone else, just enough to stop backspin. I do usually tighten it up a bit on still water.

[maxwell]

i got mine set pretty tight.. for nymphing the bow and streamers on the bow if the fish is in teh 18-20" mark and spunky its gotta work too pull a 20 foot run.. andis going too be bagged if it takes another run... any of the smaller fish will more than likely fall off or pull the hook cuz they cant pull more than a inch or two of drag.. i like it that way!!!!! i only wana touch the gooders anyway! and its better for the little fish too not really get played, tired, or touched..... thems the future generations or lunkers!!!! the most important!! for bull trout and big streamer fish in the mid too high 20's i got it even tighter..... same reason...... i dont want a big fish running way down a smaller river possibly bashing into rocks...... i like slapping the plaming rim too pick up slack line at my feet but i dont palm the rim during the fight for more drag!

[jack]

With Rick, I adjust during the fight. On salmon streams, I tighten it until the flow doesn't pull line out.

j

[SilverDoctor]

Have quite a few reels with drum drags. Seldom use them any more it seems. Love and have gone back to the click drag as I find them to have the perfect amount of drag. I like the personal control and quickness of palming as opposed to a set brake. But that's just me.

 

[trailhead]

I keep my drag set for the weight of the tippet, I'm like Maxwell if the fish is going to run then it has to work hard. That's why i rarely get into the backing on the reel. So if I have a fish that hits and then runs I know it's big. When I started flyfishing decades ago I was told that the rod is what fights the fish, not the reel.

[nebc]

For steelhead and salmon I always have had my drag set tight enough to avoid a birds nest but on a solid hook-up tended to tighten using the drag up to a point and also palmed it a lot given I was usually able to use a heavier leader and tippet. Until this Xmas I had been using a SA model 78 reel on which the drag was always a bit sticky so I did not want to set it up so tight that it might be an issue.

 

On lakes for pike, walleye and trout I tended to do the same but started with it a tiny bit tighter, as sometimes if fishing for pike in particular their first runs were pretty fast, plus I would be using a stronger leader and tippet. Lake rainbow with very clear water negates heavy leader/tippets so I tended to leave it set to just avoid a bird nest forming and palmed the reel a bit as needed ...

 

With my new reel I would like to think I would prefer to use the drag more directly, but who can tell if I will do that, as years of doing it the old ways might have me reacting as I normally would ... but I just might change my habits fast if I were to lose a good one ...

[Tungsten]

I thought more people would have it set tighter,I guess I'm not the only one.Like others i like the control of the brake with my little finger rubbing on the reel,loose at the beginning and getting tighter as the fight goes on.I would think it would also help protect lighter tippets and less chance of a fish jumping out of the water on hook up and spitting the hook.

[darrinhurst]

I never really thought too much about it. When I was learning to Fly Fish, they said to have it just tight enough so that it doesn't free spool when you pull line off.

 

Like some of you, I do tend to adjust it during the fight. If it's running too easy, I tighten it up. I also find that when I have my rod under my arm, the drag gets loosened from flopping around under my arm that I have to re-adjust when I am done tying my flies on.