Shimano Exage Rear drag

[JET01]

Has anyone out there recently used one? What did you think.

Looking for a reel to catch whiting on the flats. Using 3lb so don't need a lot of drag but it needs to be relatively smooth.

At the moment I'm using a normal spinning reel with the drag loosened right off so the fish can run with the bait a little. Almost like you'd use a bait runner,however I like to keep the bait moving slowly which would make a baitrunner annoying.

I haven't had a chance to pick a rear drag up physically yet. But from what I can gather on the net it looks as though I'd be able to go from loose to tightish drag with a quick flick of the knob. Almost having two preset drag settings.

Would like to hear from anyone with suggestions.

Edited December 11, 2015 by JET01

[rockfisherman]

I havnt got the exact, but I do have a Sedona rear drag, FA model, and there is a double adjustment for the drag which allows you to back it right off and come up in small increments.

[JET01]

First of all I want to say that I own 7 shimano reels and love them all dearly.

Went and bought an Exage 1000rc today. Went for a fish in some windy conditions. Initial thoughts. Garbage. Biggest waste of $100 I've had for a while. The whole idea behind buying one was to used it like a baitrunner but be able to keep the bait moving while waiting for a bite. In theory, these reels are perfect for this.

Unfortunately in practise they are not.

If you're looking for smooth drag, these reels are not for you.

Worst drag I've felt out of the box ever. feels really sticky. Takes a decent yank from the fish to get going. I know I'm used to a stradic ci4 drag, but I expected a little better than this. I started out fishing with a Sedona 2500 years ago ($90 reel) and it was far better than this.

There used to be some resident reel gurus on here that were very clued up about drags and carbon washers etc.

Wondering if it's worth upgrading the drag washers to see if that helps. Or is this a design flaw that will see me giving this reel to the Mrs for once a year holiday fishes.

Edited December 11, 2015 by JET01