15
RAP ON DRAGS
The relationship between drags and line is
a subject that is often shrouded in rumor
and confusion. In fact, the workings and
nature of drag mechanisms are difficult to
pinpoint. However, there are some
definite facts of which you should be
aware.
First of all, the amount of line on the spool
does affect the drag. How so? When the spool is full, the line will pull off the
edge of the spool. When the level of line is reduced,the "leverage" that the line
has on the spool is reduced. Therefore, the force that has to be applied to the
spool to release drag will be greater.
In many reels, heat buildup can cause a drag force increase. How? A strong,
hard running fish can pull off a lot of line in a hurry. That normally causes a lot of
heat, which, in turn can cause the drag mechanism parts to expand. The
expansion of the parts causes (again, in many other reels) the drag pressure to
increase.
The TLD 2 Speed reel's drag mechanism is designed so that heat generated by
the drag will not cause the drag pressure to increase. This is one problem you
won't have to worry about with these reels.
Extreme, sudden acceleration will sometimes cause the drag to increase as well.
For this reason, some expert anglers will drop the reel into free spool as soon as
they feel the fish about to take off. However, this is primarily a tactic to be used
when fishing very light line.
Shimano drags are engineered to be the smoothest, longest running drags in the
world. If you follow the drag setting guidelines in this manual and keep the above
points in mind, your Shimano reel should give you trouble-free performance for
many years.
＝ ,
therefore 2
×
force
required to move spool.
line level at full spool
line level at reduced spool
spool
a'
a
a
a'
1
2