Please Help Choppy Drag Spinning Reel?

[Fredrick]

I have a number of spinning reels . Thought they are almost all new a few of them have choppy/chunky drag. Is their anyways to fix this or improve this. this drives me crazy.

[Wayne SW/MO]

That is often the result of quality. You don't say what brand or models of reels, but if they're fairly new it may be a quality issue. Lubrication, or the lack there of, can also cause it.

[Stoneroller]

most 'freshwater' spinning reels do not have a sealed drag system on them and most of the drags are made from cheap felt, which when dunked, absorb water and become choppy and sticky. Never dunk a reel on purpose, sealed drag system or not. Water cannot be compressed and when it gets inside the reel, it will displace grease in the gears and cause corrosion. i'd recommend buying some good quality 'saltwater' ready reels, or at least reels with sealed drag systems, the better seem to be carbon now.

at the start of every season or after an unplanned dunking, make sure to lubricate (and dry out) your reels with white lithium grease and a light machine oil. grease on the gears, be liberal but don't pack the frame with grease. and never, ever use wd-40 on a reel. it's full of solvents that turn grease into a runny puddle of snot and renders it useless. you can spray off sealed drag reels with low pressure water, like a hose, but don't blast them or submerge them and they'll last much longer. (as a rule, reels less than $50 typically are not very good quality, but it's not all about money, you don't need $300 shimanos or penns to catch fish or have a reliable reel)

personally I really like the pfluegar president xt model for low gear ration and the supreme xt for high gear ratio, both have sealed drags the supreme xt retails for around $150 and the president xt for around $90.