Why do we need drag on fishing reel

 Drag is the resistance in reel which make it’s hard for the fish to pull the line. It can be adjusted. There is star or lever type drag on overhead reels.

When you jig or cast, and the fish takes the bait it starts running to save its life. If we do not put some resistance, they can pull all the line we have on reel. Large predator fish can easily overpower us. So, we need to tire them quickly to get them to the boat. The drag assists us to tire the fish.

Say for example I can run at speed of 8 kilometer for 10 minutes continuously. But if I carry a 5-kilo bag, I may not be able to run 10 minutes. I will tire soon probably I may run 5 minutes if I am strong. Same principle applies to fishing. When we set the drag to at 30% of the line strength that means when the fish runs it carries so much weight. A 15 kg strength line we will set 5 kg drag. Every time fish takes line it is carrying 5 kgs. So, they get tired fast. When we reel after they get tired and follow the line easily. Usually, they start fighting more when they see the boat. Such sudden impact on the line can snap the line. so, as you get the fish closer to the boat, we need to reduce the drag. It is heartbreaking to lose the fish when you’re almost landing the fish.

The drag helps us fight and land large fish very effectively