08-02-2003, 05:21 PM
[cool]In a front drag reel, they are usually in the spool, itself. You undo the drag adjustment all the way and lift the center shaft up and out. Maybe a good cleaning in a mild soap solution will help. Lotsa grit and grime can get in those sensitive areas.
On a rear drag system, you have to open the casing of the reel, and you will usually find the drag assembly right at the bottom of the reel, around the shaft. If you use oil lubricants, instead of the silicone gels, the lube tends to flow down into the drag washers and you have to clean them up more often.
On the line twist, PM me with the brand and size line you are buying. That may be a consideration. There is a balance between spool size, line size, "limpness" and a few other factors that can contribute to the frustration you are experiencing.
Finding the right line is an eternal quest among fishermen. It's kinda like the makeup thing with the ladies. Drawers full of stuff we never use anymore...but was once the ultimate solution to all our problems.
I have gone through "field testing" (water testing) just about every kind of line you can think of. Depending on the kind of fishing you prefer, you might want to go more for limpness and castability. If you fish in heavy snags, or for fish with line-abrading teeth, you might want to sacrifice some of the softness for better abrasion resistance. It is rare to find THE ONE TRUE LINE that solves all problems and is still affordable.
If I give up on a line, I do not throw it out. I keep it for "spool fillers". In fresh water it is extremely rare that you will actively fish a whole spool of line. Only if you are fishing for big fish that can make long runs, should you worry about filling your whole reel with the high priced top quality stuff. In most cases, you will not regularly use more than sixty yards of line. That means you can build up the spool with line that is GOOD...but not the line you have found to be better.
Using your preferred line as the last 60 to 100 yards on your spool is known as "top shotting". It is a way to save money, by not spooling the whole reel with a more costly line, and it is also good insurance that you will replace the working portion of your line more frequently. Man. I have been fishing with guys who BRAGGED that they hadn't respooled in years. They were often the same ones who cried when they lost the big fish of the day to bad line.
You should know how to tie a good blood knot if you are going to top shot. That is the best knot for joining two lengths of monofilament of simiar size. I like to make the line ahead of the top shot about one size larger than the working line. In other words, I spool up with six pound, before topping off the last part with 4 #. If you tie a good knot, and a big fish runs you into your "backing", you can feel more confident than if it was the same line test, but with inferior line.
There is another thing that comes to mind too. The newer designs in reels, with the "long cast feature...with longer spools...seems to help reduce line twist and boiloff by winding the line in a criss-cross manner, rather than in tight coils, closely wrapped on top of each other. My opinion.
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On a rear drag system, you have to open the casing of the reel, and you will usually find the drag assembly right at the bottom of the reel, around the shaft. If you use oil lubricants, instead of the silicone gels, the lube tends to flow down into the drag washers and you have to clean them up more often.
On the line twist, PM me with the brand and size line you are buying. That may be a consideration. There is a balance between spool size, line size, "limpness" and a few other factors that can contribute to the frustration you are experiencing.
Finding the right line is an eternal quest among fishermen. It's kinda like the makeup thing with the ladies. Drawers full of stuff we never use anymore...but was once the ultimate solution to all our problems.
I have gone through "field testing" (water testing) just about every kind of line you can think of. Depending on the kind of fishing you prefer, you might want to go more for limpness and castability. If you fish in heavy snags, or for fish with line-abrading teeth, you might want to sacrifice some of the softness for better abrasion resistance. It is rare to find THE ONE TRUE LINE that solves all problems and is still affordable.
If I give up on a line, I do not throw it out. I keep it for "spool fillers". In fresh water it is extremely rare that you will actively fish a whole spool of line. Only if you are fishing for big fish that can make long runs, should you worry about filling your whole reel with the high priced top quality stuff. In most cases, you will not regularly use more than sixty yards of line. That means you can build up the spool with line that is GOOD...but not the line you have found to be better.
Using your preferred line as the last 60 to 100 yards on your spool is known as "top shotting". It is a way to save money, by not spooling the whole reel with a more costly line, and it is also good insurance that you will replace the working portion of your line more frequently. Man. I have been fishing with guys who BRAGGED that they hadn't respooled in years. They were often the same ones who cried when they lost the big fish of the day to bad line.
You should know how to tie a good blood knot if you are going to top shot. That is the best knot for joining two lengths of monofilament of simiar size. I like to make the line ahead of the top shot about one size larger than the working line. In other words, I spool up with six pound, before topping off the last part with 4 #. If you tie a good knot, and a big fish runs you into your "backing", you can feel more confident than if it was the same line test, but with inferior line.
There is another thing that comes to mind too. The newer designs in reels, with the "long cast feature...with longer spools...seems to help reduce line twist and boiloff by winding the line in a criss-cross manner, rather than in tight coils, closely wrapped on top of each other. My opinion.
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