Alan's Workbench
The wand picks the wizard, Mr. Potter
Apr. 1 2009, 9:53 AM
Apr. 1 2009, 9:53 AM
It’s common on Internet boards to see a guy say that he as a reel and wants to match it up to a rod. It’s difficult because rods will typically give you a line weight rating. Just like with reels, I would rather see them list a drag range. I believe that using a drag range is the most reliable way to establish a proper rating for a rod. Experienced fishermen all have a “feel” for what is well balance, but have probably not thought it through in an OBJECTIVE manner. Yeah, there’s that word again! Here’s the procedure that I go through.
Place any reel with any heavy line (it doesn’t matter) on the rod. Button down the drag. Run the line through the guides, and tie it off to a milk jug. Place the rod in a holder of some sort so that the rod butt rests at a 45 degree angle. Now add weight (cut a hole in the jug) until the rod bends to the desired flex that you want. I look for the rod to bend until the tip is midway between the top of the arc and the bottom of butt of the rod. You may desire more or less flex. It depends upon the type of rod and your personal preferences.
Now total up the weight in the jug. Let's say that you have a medium-weight rod that flexes to a desired amount with only 10 pounds of STATIC weight. You have now determined the proper drag setting for your rod. Remember that guides will typically add about 10 percent to the DYNAMIC drag. Remember also that I use all guides for drag settings of less than 10 pounds, a roller tip for drag settings of 10 to 15 pounds, a roller tip and roller stripper for drag settings of 15-20 pounds, and all rollers for drag settings of 20 pounds or more. But that’s just me.
Next, choose a line weight. Different people have different preferences. You might typically fish as heavy a drag setting as 33 percent or as light as 25 percent. Anything more risks line breakage (been there). Anything less is wasted unless line abrasion resistance is a concern. Admittedly, I fish some rigs as heavy as 40 percent and others as light as 12 percent. Let's just say that we will stay within average parameters. With a desired 10-pound drag setting at a 33 percent, you need a 300pound mono.
Decide how much line you really need. Typically you only need 300 yards of line capacity. What kind of fish can take a 300-yard run on you if the drags are properly set? Fer cryin’ out loud, guys! That’s the length of three football fields. Why in the world would anyone need 1,000 yards of line? In the vast majority of cases, it’s lack of confidence, low drag settings, or you’re fishing WAY back. Remember our friend at the dinner party? Yeah, very few fishermen actually check their drag settings with a scale. I'm sorry that this is so harsh, but unless the fish is larger than five times the line weight, I see no excuse for getting spooled.
Finally, select a reel. It has to have the capacity to hold the required amount of line, deliver the required amount of drag, and still maintain the required amount of free spool.
Luckily, you’ve got just the perfect reel!
Now total up the weight in the jug. Let's say that you have a medium-weight rod that flexes to a desired amount with only 10 pounds of STATIC weight. You have now determined the proper drag setting for your rod. Remember that guides will typically add about 10 percent to the DYNAMIC drag. Remember also that I use all guides for drag settings of less than 10 pounds, a roller tip for drag settings of 10 to 15 pounds, a roller tip and roller stripper for drag settings of 15-20 pounds, and all rollers for drag settings of 20 pounds or more. But that’s just me.
Next, choose a line weight. Different people have different preferences. You might typically fish as heavy a drag setting as 33 percent or as light as 25 percent. Anything more risks line breakage (been there). Anything less is wasted unless line abrasion resistance is a concern. Admittedly, I fish some rigs as heavy as 40 percent and others as light as 12 percent. Let's just say that we will stay within average parameters. With a desired 10-pound drag setting at a 33 percent, you need a 300pound mono.
Decide how much line you really need. Typically you only need 300 yards of line capacity. What kind of fish can take a 300-yard run on you if the drags are properly set? Fer cryin’ out loud, guys! That’s the length of three football fields. Why in the world would anyone need 1,000 yards of line? In the vast majority of cases, it’s lack of confidence, low drag settings, or you’re fishing WAY back. Remember our friend at the dinner party? Yeah, very few fishermen actually check their drag settings with a scale. I'm sorry that this is so harsh, but unless the fish is larger than five times the line weight, I see no excuse for getting spooled.
Finally, select a reel. It has to have the capacity to hold the required amount of line, deliver the required amount of drag, and still maintain the required amount of free spool.
Luckily, you’ve got just the perfect reel!
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