fishingrod Posted January 7, 2007 Share Posted January 7, 2007 Hi Guys Just want to get your thoughts on setting the level drag on my overheads for Kingfishing. Trying to target 70cm-110cm specimens Ive been fishing 10-20m of water for Kings out from Broken Bay. Been busted up (reefed) a few times on 10-15kg mono tackle. All good fun though ! I think (from memory) a typical drag setting is 1/3 the breaking strain. But on bigger kings I feel i need a bit more ? I was thinking of setting the preset on my lever drags to 1/2 breaking strain? Charter Special with 10kg mono set at 5-6 kg TLD20 with 15kg mono set to 7-8kg TLD25 with 24kg mono set at 12kg. I assume this is set when the reel just starts to slip and slowly click out line ? And say if fishing yakkas mid water, with the rod in the rod holder, what setting would you leave the drag on? I was thinking 1/3-1/2 of the way between freespool and my new preset gives the fish enough slack to run and take the bait .......then i can push it up to strike quickly before I get reefed? So far ive had little problems landing 70-75 cm fish .... but if i get another 10cm bigger is a heck of a lot fatter.. So i just want some advice for that day thanks Rod Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
namesay Posted January 8, 2007 Share Posted January 8, 2007 Setting your drag to 50% shouldn't be a problem but remember to back the drag off as you bring the fish to the boat. On my stella and torsa I rountinely run 10-12kg of drag at strike. I always back the drag off when the fish has come off the bottom. Just be careful with high drag setting as some of the plastic/graphite bodied reels can warp and distort. Better to use heavy drag settings on a high quality metal bodied reel. The distortion may start to warp the spindles, drags and gears so be wary. Cheers kelvin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fishingrod Posted January 9, 2007 Author Share Posted January 9, 2007 Thanks Kelvin. Im hoping not to get involved with a heavy duty fish on the smaller Charter Special ! Im going to get a set of scales this week and have a mess around with them. Ive been fishing for years but never really played with exact drag setting. Should be interesting to see what the load feels like. thanks, Rod Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
domza Posted January 9, 2007 Share Posted January 9, 2007 hi mate, i also fish with a charter special and i've set the drag at around 3kg (with the rod) on the scales for tomorows trip outside. i hope to have it in the water trolling a small skirt targeting kings, salmon, bonni's, tailor and stripeys along the cliffs, then reel it in and set the bigger reels in for marlin.. i have put 30lb braid on it which i think is maximum for this reel, as when i set it to 3kg today the drag was already sticky with a lot of pressure on the reel good luck and let us know how you go with your prefered set drag Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fishingrod Posted January 9, 2007 Author Share Posted January 9, 2007 i have put 30lb braid on it which i think is maximum for this reel, as when i set it to 3kg today the drag was already sticky with a lot of pressure on the reel 3kg doesnt sound like a lot. But ive never had scales to compare. Ive seen Kelvins other posts about people bdaly estimating their loads. Ill post again in a few days Rod Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
namesay Posted January 10, 2007 Share Posted January 10, 2007 UNless you are using scales, most people typically underset their drags by more than 50%!!!!! THis was research done by the reel companies on recfisher's drags. So if you THINK you have 6 kgs then in all probability you have set it to 3kg's. This drag setting thing really came home one day when I was fishing out of Pittwater. I got a strike from a good king on my 30lb braid and I got spooled!!! I went home and scratched my head and checked the drag for the first time on a set of scales and it was set at a totally inadequate 2kg'!!!! So now I set it with scales. It will open your eyes the first time you do it. CHeers Kelvin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
big_steve Posted January 10, 2007 Share Posted January 10, 2007 kelvin today i actually purchased a shimano 10kg scale spring with hook stainless steel blue 1 it that similar to what u use? i need to set my torsa and stella prply as talking to u and oz uve both made me get serious with these bloody kings so as soon as i get it all to a tee i should hopefully be right.. cheers steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
djmac Posted January 10, 2007 Share Posted January 10, 2007 for kings locked drag. my mate has a saying on his boat. if the fish is taking line you arent fishing hard enough. and he fishes in 80-100m with 500 gram jigs for the monsters Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
namesay Posted January 10, 2007 Share Posted January 10, 2007 (edited) kelvin today i actually purchased a shimano 10kg scale spring with hook stainless steel blue 1 it that similar to what u use? i need to set my torsa and stella prply as talking to u and oz uve both made me get serious with these bloody kings so as soon as i get it all to a tee i should hopefully be right.. cheers steve I got a set of scales from Berkely ( I think as the label is starting to rust) that goes to 25kg. When you set the drag with scales you can fish with confidence! It is as I mentioned previously an eye opening experience when you start to go heavy. 8kg of drag is a fair amount of drag. 10-12 kg is an awful LOT of drag. Most people will think at 10-12kgs the drag is locked but a good reel like a Torsa or stella will handle it with ease. The Drag will remain chatter free and absolutely smooth at these settings. You won't get the excess heat build up at these settings like inferior reels. These things can hold 20kgs! You can measure the drag by 2 methods and both work. Either you can measure it straight off the reel or mount the reel on a rod and then measure it. I prefer the latter as I can also gauge the performance of the rod as well. Just don't high stick it as most rods even when rated for 24kgs will bend down to the butt with 10-12kg of drag.!! You'll be surprised how much pressure this is. I find going higher than 12kg is useless as you just rip the hooks out of the fish. A fish's mouth is a biological organ and too much pressure will start to pull the hooks out and tear the flesh. That is the main reason I back off the drag as the fish nears the boat. Others may have different opinions but with me, the first couple of runs from a king on a downrigger are when they are nearest to the bottom. A downrigger gives the kings are HUGE head start compared to every other form of fishing for them. A downrigger gets the bait deep on a right angle which produces lots of slack line so the kings are on top. They already have their heads turned when you register a strike on your rod so they have the momentum! Get their heads turned and coming your way and you got them won! Cheers Kelvin PS Remeber to back the drag off when you store them as it will warp the washers eventually. WIth the torsa it is easy, just put it in or near free spool but on the stella you will have to reset the drag before your next trip! Edited January 10, 2007 by namesay Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
djmac Posted January 10, 2007 Share Posted January 10, 2007 think you will find the best and most accurate way to test drag is walking pace from the rod tip. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fishingrod Posted January 14, 2007 Author Share Posted January 14, 2007 (edited) Thanks guys. I bought myself a set of Shimano 22kg spring scales on the weekend. (about $40) It was very interesting. As namesay predicted I was well and truely under estimating my settings. 50% of line capacity is a heck of a lot of drag ! Ive set them for 60% line capacity on max drag. This makes the preset stopper about 30-40%. I dont remember the exact figures now. This was set with the scale attached to the balcony railing, taking a few steps back and loading the rod up with a curve. I havent been for a fish yet. So will be trail and error the next few trips. Just need something 70cm plus to try them out on ! I think with 60% on max i can safely say I wont snap the line (using normal mono) as long as my knots hold up ? Rod Edited January 14, 2007 by fishingrod Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
netic Posted January 16, 2007 Share Posted January 16, 2007 One thing aswell to remember guys is that the drag pressure will change once it has warmed up. So when your setting your drag give it a few runs so you can warm the drag up and then take the reading. Much more accurate. kelvintoday i actually purchased a shimano 10kg scale spring with hook stainless steel blue 1 it that similar to what u use? i need to set my torsa and stella prply as talking to u and oz uve both made me get serious with these bloody kings so as soon as i get it all to a tee i should hopefully be right.. Steve you will probably have to get some heavier scales, you will be very surprised at how much the torsa can pull. We tested Sal's Torsa the other day and we got over 24kg of drag....the line snapped before the reel gave us any...so god knows how much more we could have got. My upgraded spheros pushed out 20.5kg ...but it was a bit jerky at that setting Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
big_steve Posted January 16, 2007 Share Posted January 16, 2007 yea after reading this i will have to grab a bigger set of scales for sure.. thanks for the info guys steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martin Posted January 16, 2007 Share Posted January 16, 2007 Rule of thumb I have applied for years is to set my fighting drag at 1/3 of the line class. To check drag i connect a snap swivel to a set of spring scales and pull line from the tip of the rod. Cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
netic Posted January 16, 2007 Share Posted January 16, 2007 yea after reading this i will have to grab a bigger set of scales for sure.. thanks for the info guys steve If you want drop round one day and use my scales...save yourself the money.....with the torsa you only need to set it once and check it now and then Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
namesay Posted January 17, 2007 Share Posted January 17, 2007 Yep that is the real advantage of a lever drag. I find that with the Torsa and stella, the drags don't heat up too much and don't change much at all. But as the line melts off the spool, the drag automatically increases as the diameter of the line left on the spool diminishes. Kingies won't empty your spool but it can play a part. That is why I stick with setting the strike drag at 50% of the line strength. If you are into fishing for those hot runners like marlin, yellowfin, BIG mackeral then 30% should be your strike drag. It compensates for the loss of line but with kings.... a different story. If you don't stop him from getting back to his snag, it is all over! SO 50% is a good rule of thumb .From time to time you will need FULL LOCK UP as well so bear that in mind. CHeers Kelvin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Piss'n'Broke Posted January 17, 2007 Share Posted January 17, 2007 (edited) Hey kevin I will remind greg about scales an setting his drag, was playin with his know o/h an had a metre kingy verified by kingrule onboard, an click the drag way too high,,,, pulled the hooks, an hearly the head of the kingy! ROFLMAO! Dan Edited January 17, 2007 by Dan and Greg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
namesay Posted January 17, 2007 Share Posted January 17, 2007 Yep scales are a definite must have piece of equipment . Cheers kelvin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fishingrod Posted February 21, 2007 Author Share Posted February 21, 2007 (edited) Well Ive done a few trips now since setting the drags. Landed a few fish up to 73cm....... and ive been smoked by bigger fish on 24kg mono. I was fishing on my own. I think the fish got a head start as Namesay said. I had a smaller job on another rod distracting me. Had to reach across to the rod in the rod holder as the was line heading for NZ... hit the preset strike drag (about 12kg) on found it was still swimming fast... and then reached across about 15 sec later to give it max drag (about 16kg) .... the spool was still rotating . Then i got reefed about 20 sec after that. Grr Grrr. Moral of the story is maybe only use one line when fishing one-up ? Edited February 21, 2007 by fishingrod Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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