The drag mechanism on the fishing reel needs to be perfect. Setting the drag on a spinning reel without a scale may be challenging because you do not have a perfect measurement. But it is not impossible.
How to Set Drag on a Spinning Reel Without a Scale?
The following steps show you how you can set the drag on your spinning reel without a scale.
Pull the line: Hold the fishing rod with one hand and the fishing line with the other. Now, pull the fishing line before adjusting the drag setting. After that, you must measure how comfortable the line is to maintain the perfect drag setting.
Setting the drag is of the essential trial tasks of fishing. When the fish pulls on the line, it feels pressure. The drag mechanism determines how much pressure the fish feels.
Drag adjustment: When you tighten the drag, the fish will have more pressure, and the loose drag will provide less pressure to the fish. Thus, your fishing experience can be diverse according to different fish.
First, you must imagine the scenario of fishing. Now, set the drag according to the weight of the fish that you will probably catch with your fishing reel. The drag setting includes adjusting a spinning reel. It is important to move the spinning reel freely and slowly. Moreover, perfect adjustment of the drag setting increases the chance of catching fish quickly.
Tighten/loosen the drag: This is one of the main tasks of a drag setting. When you want to tighten the drag of the fishing reel, turn the top crank to the right. On the other hand, turn the top crank to the left to loosen the drag. When you tighten the drag, it becomes harder for the fish to run and take the line. On the other hand, it is easier for fish when the drag is loose.
Do not overtighten or loosen the drag. Too tight drag does not let the line go fast enough. So, it may break off. Loose drag is insufficient for fighting against big fish.
Tie a knot: When you determine the perfect amount of line to set the drag on the spinning reel, tie a knot. Now, make a pound test by attaching a weight-like metal sinker to the opposite end of the line. The pound test is about 100 inches of this swing distance and makes you sure how much weight your drag should be. Suppose you need 5 pounds of drag, so you must ensure your sinker travels 5 feet with each swing. When you are an experienced fish hunter, you can easily determine how many pounds of drag are needed for specific distance fishing.
For a slick braided line, use a lighter drag. The braided line has a tendency to slip. However, a lighter drag is important for tightening the line down. Thus, your line can fight a fish.
Stack the spools: When you think that the targeted fish is near you, cup the spool and try to catch the fish. There is a simple process to do it with your hands. First, cup your index finger and thumb around the line. Do it in such a way that the line passes off of your spool.
The pressure on the line leaves your thumb with each turn—it tandems with your index finger hold.
How to make the drag of the fishing reel tighter?
If you set the drag tighter, the fish will feel more pressure. On the other hand, a loose environment decreases pressure on the fish.
Suppose you are on a boat and you are trying to catch a large fish. If you want to take the fish on board without breaking the line, you have to make the drag tight enough.
There is a top crank just in front of the fishing reel. When you want to tighten the drag, you will turn the top crank of your reel clockwise. Turn the top crank anticlockwise when you loosen the drag.
