Help With Figuring Out Drag And How It Affects The Fight

[MOPanfisher]

I generally set my reels so that with a good hard hook set the drag will slip a little. When a bigger fish begins to strip line I can quickly and easily lay a finger on the side of a spinning reel or thumb on the line of a casting reel. I use braid, since it doesn't stretch it needs to have something that give a little big, especially when crappie fishing. But yeah there are lots of reasons fish get off, sometimes they are just lucky. Although small hooks in a large mouth (like a bass) make for often poor hook-ups.

[rps]

A good "hook set" is important, but a word of caution > few things are funnier than the man who sets his hook so well that he falls out of the boat when nothing is there. I once spent nearly a year not talking to a law school class mate because I laughed when he fell out of my boat on a "hook set."

As a positive suggestion, try this: Take your tackle box into the house with a good file and sharpen every barb on every lure into a triangular cutting point. You will be surprised how much this increases your hook up and hold.