okumasheffield Posted August 30, 2011 Report Share Posted August 30, 2011 Another newbie question, is it recommended to loosen drag & the spool tension before putting them away for storage? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
irishfield Posted August 30, 2011 Report Share Posted August 30, 2011 YES.. any reel, back off the drag when not in use. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kickingfrog Posted August 30, 2011 Report Share Posted August 30, 2011 Yep, I do it at the end of each day. Just make sure you also remember to reset them at the start of the next day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillM Posted August 30, 2011 Report Share Posted August 30, 2011 Yep, I do it at the end of each day. Just make sure you also remember to reset them at the start of the next day. I dunno how many times I've done this Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lew Posted August 30, 2011 Report Share Posted August 30, 2011 I dunno how many times I've done this Haven't we all Bill Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lunker777 Posted August 30, 2011 Report Share Posted August 30, 2011 really ???? you learn something new everyday I guess.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike rousseau Posted August 30, 2011 Report Share Posted August 30, 2011 (edited) Never backed off my drag... Haven't had a noticeable issue yet... But I have been told I should do it... Edited August 30, 2011 by Musky Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
okumasheffield Posted August 30, 2011 Author Report Share Posted August 30, 2011 seems there are two school of thoughts ... maybe it is just an urbanlegend? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike rousseau Posted August 30, 2011 Report Share Posted August 30, 2011 Then again... My family hasn't winterized any if our boats...ever... And no issues... I guess it depends how long your storing your stuff... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lew Posted August 30, 2011 Report Share Posted August 30, 2011 My family hasn't winterized any if our boats I hope your at least changing the lower unit oil Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike rousseau Posted August 30, 2011 Report Share Posted August 30, 2011 (edited) Yeah... All I do is start running stabilizer starting in mid November... And oil Edited August 30, 2011 by Musky Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigbuck Posted August 30, 2011 Report Share Posted August 30, 2011 There is no 'winterizing' for an outboard. If you had an I/O, then you would have to otherwise you'd crack the engine block and replace it yearly. As for backing off the drag, I have a couple of old spinning reels that have nice herky jerky drags cuz I never knew to back it off years ago. Do it and save a potential headache. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PainInTheBass Posted August 31, 2011 Report Share Posted August 31, 2011 The theory behind loosening the drag is that the fiber washers that are in the drag stack compress over time, reducing the effective drag range of your reel over time. I do it as a precaution. It doesn't hurt. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garry2Rs Posted August 31, 2011 Report Share Posted August 31, 2011 If you do not back the drag off it will, eventually, take a "set." I had this happen with a rod and reel that I didn't use for quite a long time, perhaps a couple of years...I still had it in the boat, but the rod was a little heavy and the reel was of lower quality than some others that I used regularly. I go south in the winter, so this rod didn't get an "end of season tune-up." It just rode along out-of-sight, out-of-mind. When I pulled it out to show it to someone I gave the line a tug...The drag had gone from perhaps 9 or 10 pound pressure before it slipped to who knows what? Perhaps as much as 20 or 30 pounds pressure. At some point it broke loose and acted normal. I pulled about 50 yards off against the drag at various settings and it seemed okay, but I'm sure this isn't something that you would want, so loosen the drag off between trips or at least at the end of the season. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danbouck Posted August 31, 2011 Report Share Posted August 31, 2011 learn something new every day Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fish_fishburn Posted September 1, 2011 Report Share Posted September 1, 2011 Ive been told this before and I plan on doing it but always forget... reels still work fine though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now