Drag issues (yet again)

[jim m]

not to nock your tackle but it has always been my experience that the drag on the zebco is very inconsistant and sometimes reqires a hard pull to get it started. they are just not dependable for real lit line and will work much better with 8 or 10lb. when storing my reels between fishing trips I always back the drags off so they don't take a set. I know thats old school but it's what I have always done

[Fish24/7]

16 hours ago, Haris122 said:

 I never really "set" the hook with things such as roostertails

 

7 hours ago, Haris122 said:

As far as setting the hook, I just can't see how you set the hook with roostertails. Just about every time I really gave it a good "jab" all it did was rip the hook out and bye goes the fish.

 

3 hours ago, Haris122 said:

I have gotten to the point when fishing those, that I don't do a really sudden set because it rips the hooks out, so I've tried setting it a bit more gradually I guess you'd say.

set the hook when they bite, not after they are already hooked

with the rod and reel you have, a flick of the wrist is all you need to hook 'em

 

[Haris122]

Quote

set the hook when they bite, not after they are already hooked

with the rod and reel you have, a flick of the wrist is all you need to hook 'em

Dude, the way you phrase this I'm picturing you expecting me to anticipate the exact fractions of a second they initially hit, which I don't have the reflexes for.

In the past, it's not that I haven't tried setting it immediately when I felt the bite, but when they bite, and when they're already hooked are one and the same at that point. So that's when I've ripped them out of their mouths. Not long after they've been swimming with them stuck in their jaw.

[Al Agnew]

When you first feel the fish hit, set the hook, simple as that.  Set with a sweep while beginning to reel.

Your biggest problem is the drag on that reel is not going to be good enough to work with line that light.  You have zero margin for error with 2# or even 4# line...the least bit of "stickiness" in the drag with mean a broken line or a hook pulled out (though the hook pulling out is much more likely due to a poor hook set); with two pound line, your drag has to be set to slip at a bit less than two pounds of pressure, and if it sticks just a tiny bit, say a pound of stickiness, you've already broken the line.  A pound of stickiness with 8 pound line set to slip at six pounds with still mean it slips at 7 pounds, hence the margin of error.

A 13-14 inch trout or bass absolutely will make a properly set drag slip with 2# line.

To set the drag right, assuming you have a reel with a drag that CAN be set right with 2# line, tie the line to something solid after running it through the rod's line guides.  Back off a few feet, but not far.  LIft up on the rod to put a bend in it just like it would be bending if you were fighting a fish, and slowly walk backward.  The drag should slip steadily as you back up.  If it doesn't, start loosening the drag in very small increments until it does, but don't loosen it farther.   If it does slip when you first start walking backwards, tighten the drag in small increments until it stops slipping, then loosen it until it does again.  Then test it for hook sets by backing off 20 feet or so, and with it still tied to the solid object, set the hook just like you normally would.  The drag should still slip just slightly.

Also, keep in mind that when fighting a fish, if the fish is stripping line off the reel, don't reel.  Don't reel unless reeling will actually be bringing in line.  Reeling against a slipping drag will very quickly give you horrific line twist on anything other than a casting reel.  That's the big reason people fight fish by pumping the rod; you pull back on the rod without reeling to bring the fish your way a few feet, then reel as you lower the rod tip, then pull back on the rod again while not reeling.

[Haris122]

Al, I have adopted the pump rod, don't reel while high, then reel while dropping the rod technique, since the last time you mentioned it when I asked about the drag. I feel like I'm getting that part down pretty good. I did set the drag of this particular reel also the way you mentioned. The hookset I guess I just need to work more on. In the past the exaggerated sweeps have not worked for me, but if I end up with lost fish either way, I guess I really have nothing left to lose. I do realize I'm not fishing with high quality equipment here, and as jim said the drag seems to jam up sometime, but I figured they wouldn't call the things "micro" 33's if the drag on them didn't work for the poundage line they'd frequently be fished with and even come spooled with. The fish size is a good reference as to when I should expect the thing to work if it works properly.

Anyways, thanks everyone for the advice. I need to tune this reel's drag some more it seems. That and figure out the hookset part out.

[Quillback]

You might want to check the hook sharpness on those Rooster Tails.  I would check them right out of the package.  I would really consider getting rid of that Zebco 33 and getting a spinning set up.  And I would probably spool up with at least 4 lb. test if I was throwing a Rooster Tail.  What size (weight) Rooster are you throwing?

 

[Haris122]

I also have spinning setups that I frequently use. I just use the micro 33 in combination with them. Just kind of depends what lure I got on what reel, as far as which I use at what point. Though I frequently use some roostertail on that one. As far as size roostertails, it varies, but most frequently 1/24 and 1/16 single hook ones.

[Quillback]

Those are some tiny tails. 

[Haris122]

For whatever reason I seem to get trout to bite them more than the bigger ones. The bigger ones seem odd for me nowadays as much as I've used these.

[Fish24/7]

14 hours ago, Al Agnew said:

Your biggest problem is the drag on that reel is not going to be good enough to work with line that light

there you go Haris122, that's the answer

i'm sure you'll take all this great info and get it dialed in , good luck with the rooster toosters