Max drag setup

[weeksy]

I see lots of people losing fish and tackle because of line breaking, this can be eliminated easily by using a maximum drag setup.

The specifications that are given for a rod reel or line all have different meanings and can be used to make an unbreakeable set up.

line Test is the force at which the line will break.

max drag is the maximum force that a reel is designed to safely operate at.

Line weight is a recomended range to safely use on a rod.

The only one of these that is a set breaking point is the line so if reel is chosen with a maximum drag below this figure the line will not break even at max drag.select a rod that safely uses this line weigt and you have an unbreakeable setup. yay!!

Reality is that you dont use a 6lb set up fishing for 30lb fish as once he exerts a force greater than 6lb he will strip line off the reel and when you run out of line you will trash your reel.

So sensible setups at the bottom end of the scale for lone star would be,

 

SPINNING

Mono 6lb

callisto xs 1400 5.75lb max drag

Valuespin 6'3"

BOTTOM

Mono 6lb

callisto xs 1400 5.75lb max drag

Creek Pro 7'10"

FLOAT

Mono 6lb

callisto xs 1400 5.75lb max drag

Omnifloat 11'5"

Drag set at max

It can be alarming to see all the line, reel and rod level indicators solidly in the red but nothing will break.

I now use this method on all my setups so a 20lb spinning setup would be,

Mono 20lb

Big River 6500 19lb max drag

Thora 9'6"

Drag set at max

This rig I used to catch multiple christmas tarpon that all were in the 70lb region without a single breakage. (christmas challenge stipulated max  23lb setup otherwise I would have used something a bit beefier to cut down fish fighting times.)

The good thing about this setup is that you can't accidentally change your drag setting and break off your tackle as is so easy on PS4 as the Dpad has different functions picking up rods and during fishing.

 

So how do you break a reel? There is a challenge for this, let a fish run all your line off.

How do you break a rod?Maximum distance cast a lure or weight that is too heavy for your setup, it will warn you when you put on lure.

Hope this is of use,

Happy New Year To All

 

 

[KrazyKanuck01]

Interesting info! Just wish you were there when I'm staring at rods and reels for hours on end, trying to figure out what combination works. lol Seriously though, considering all the possible combinations of rod/reel/line/etc, FP really needs a virtual salesman to help us through these decisions.

[PokerXXL]

vor 2 Stunden schrieb KrazyKanuck01:

trying to figure out what combination works

Hi

Known problem I personally proceeded from this video.

A video of 7 combinations

Unfortunately it is in German, but you can also have it translated.

And the combination of rod, reel and line can be seen in the video.

These 7 combinations took me all the way to Alaska.

After Alaska, I looked for myself and combinations beyond that.

Maybe it will help you too.

And as weeksy wrote, the tackle is only part of what you need to land the fish.

A part that should not be underestimated imho is the personal way of the drill, the harder you go, the more stable the tackle has to be.

[weeksy]

Using the lightest practical rod with max drag setup so that you can trust it not to break will also gain you maximum Xp, just look at the Xp when you catch a fish and if you have red arrows after Xp you are fishing too heavy! Don't forget to add a titanium leader if you are fishing for pike, 7lb titanium leader on the 6lb set up is all you will ever need at Emerald lake and will earn you lots of cash and level you up faster.

Happy fishing.

[spincast1123]

As a basic set, this is true. However when you start trying to pull a submarine from the bottom of Saint Croix, or fighting a trophy Northern - Muskie you need to bring the big guns. I realize that XP max is part of the game, but landing one of those Blues or a Trophy, Unique Northern - Muskies takes skill and heavy gear. I have brought less than that and had poles break, lines break and been towed around like I was a small child (forgot to drop anchor) in a 2000+ lb boat. As it is, I usually bring along a few poles (X- Heavy) and reels  as well as line to take on these strong fish. In one trip I can wear out a pole, reel and lines (Less than 70% life left) after tangling with a trophy Northern or a 30+ Blue Cat.... The same applies to messing with some of the fish in California or Florida. I also should add that there is no need for a leader when using a lure (spinner, crank or other hard lure), with a soft lure I would recommend using a titanium leader.

As I said, I agree with most of what you say, but when it comes to messing with the Big Boys and Girls.... Heavy putts them in the boat and a broken piece after a 30 min fight is quite disappointing. 

Tight lines for all.

Edited January 26, 2021 by spincast1123

[weeksy]

True big guns for big fish but the principle of max drag still stands and eliminates the chance of tackle breakage. Only listed the setup for the lightest and cheapest equipment as this is what is available to newcomers to the game as they are the players that struggle with this issue.

Lacazadora 11'1" ,Torbellino 11000, with 73lb mono, can be set to max drag without fear of breakage and as they are balanced they will wear more evenly and the only way to break a rod or reel is to run out of line. Being a fisherman I've always stuck to using Titanium leaders when fishing for toothy critters and not chanced losing lures but knowing that they are not needed will make more room in the tackle bag, always welcome.

 

 

[PH_Carpman99]

Many an angler has mourned the sad day they lost their prized Golem lure (or any other rare lure) for want of a Titanium leader .

[jimkaf]

1 hour ago, PH_Carpman99 said:

Many an angler has mourned the sad day they lost their prized Golem lure (or any other rare lure) for want of a Titanium leader .

I'll join in mourning. At least mine were two xs walkers and I managed to get em back, still got the golem lure

[spincast1123]

I keep Golem at home now that I have caught it after a long fight.... and wore out both pole and reel... As for breakage of rods and reels, I had a fish hit while in Florida and I set the hook and the pole broke immediately. I didn't even have a chance to fight. There are just some fish that are too strong for the rod. Reels do wear out after a time.... which seems strange to me as I have several reels (and poles) I have used for more than 30 years without breakage. I fish for Salmon in Lake Michigan, Northern Pike in Canada, Bass and Walleyes  as well as Big Cats in the Illinois and Mississippi Rivers. The most maintenance I usually do is wipe them down, give a shot of lube and put them in the rack until the next time.  

[weeksy]

1 hour ago, spincast1123 said:

I keep Golem at home now that I have caught it after a long fight.... and wore out both pole and reel... As for breakage of rods and reels, I had a fish hit while in Florida and I set the hook and the pole broke immediately. I didn't even have a chance to fight. There are just some fish that are too strong for the rod. Reels do wear out after a time.... which seems strange to me as I have several reels (and poles) I have used for more than 30 years without breakage. I fish for Salmon in Lake Michigan, Northern Pike in Canada, Bass and Walleyes  as well as Big Cats in the Illinois and Mississippi Rivers. The most maintenance I usually do is wipe them down, give a shot of lube and put them in the rack until the next time.  

Yep swill in clean water to remove salt and a quick spray and they last forever. Still enjoy pulling them to bits every couple of years for a proper job, satisfying

[Gaboywilliam]

Thank you so very much, thanks to you explaining  how to max drag I went an bought  an have in my inventory  all of em.i have not lost any fish. I bought  the congo pack.an struggling  to max drag the dlc rod n reels. If you don't  mind.

Could you please help me with what I need to do in order to max drag  them.pls an ty.

[Saberneko]

There are some great videos on Youtube on Max Drag.

The general rule I follow is for your lines or leader not breaking are:

Leader Max Weight >  Line Max Weight

Line Max Weight > Reel Max Weight

In order for your poles to not break, don't max drag using higher level reels and lines.  For example, don't max drag 88lbs with your 77lb pole.  You can still use the higher level reels and lines, but be sure to adjust it your reel-in strengths.  For example, for your 77lb pole and 88lb reel and line, you need to tune down the reel strength a couple of notches so it's only pulling at 77lb or below.  This may not give you max drag, but at least you can use a different reel in case you need to (like when your old reels get worn out in the middle of the trip).

For beginners who may not money or access to higher leveled equipment, I think best practice is Pole Weight > Line Weight > Leader Weight.  This is the opposite of max drag, but at least it increases the durability of your equipment and reduce cost of repairs.

[gunnies799]

This also helped me greatly. Since I changed all my inventory correctly (I have about 15 different combo's for different weight classes) I have never lost a fish again. Cost me a bit of money but no accidents happen any more.

It's actually quite easy. The reel can never break, it just has max drag (which I never knew) so it must always be the weakest link. Take this for example:

Rod:    Heavy Chaser 310 (27 Kg)
Reel:    ExcelSpinner 5000 (26.5 Kg)
Line:    Blue Braid 0.30 mm (28 Kg)
Lead:   Titanium 0.40 mm (31.6 Kg)

Because the reel starts losing line when it gets to 26.5Kg, nothing can break (unless the fish takes all the line), because the rod can handle 27Kg and the Line 28Kg. So when the fish pulls harder than that, it will just take line but nothing breaks. Ideally you would want all the breaking points to be as close to each other as possible. Technically the ideal setup is when all ratings are exactly the same. This is another unbreakable setup of mine.

Rod:    Nero 450 (6 Kg)
Reel:    EspiraML 3500 (6 Kg)
Line:    Blue Braid 0.15 mm (6 Kg)
Lead:    Flouro 0.35 mm (6.8 Kg)

It might seem that because they are all at 6Kg, there is a chance of the rod breaking, but it doesn't work like that in the game. It's not real life after all. Even if all the line gets taken by the fish, technically the line will then break, but nothing else.

Just make sure you use the correct leader for the occasion. If you use flouro or mono leader to catch Pike or Tiger (ie. fish with sharp teeth) it can be bitten through and you can lose the fish, but nothing can break. You can crank up the drag to the max setting all the time. So from weakest to strongest.

1. Reel
2. Line
3. Rod
Leader is irrelevant, as long as it is stronger than the line, or at least the same.

 

Edited May 17, 2022 by gunnies799

[gunnies799]

And to answer your question about the Congo pack. I also purchased it and used it this way for max drag.

Rod:    Mokonzi 390 SE (37 Kg)
Reel:    Fileur 11000 SE (36 Kg)
Line:    Fluoro .033" (0.85 mm) (36 kg)

and

Rod:    EquatorMatch 260 SE (38 Kg)
Reel:    L'impulsion 12000 SE (37 Kg)
Line:    Mono .033" (0.85 mm) (38 kg)

There is one problem with the Congo DLC. They don't provide titanium leaders. So I lost 3-4 fish with the leader bitten through, probably Unique Tigers.

Grinding the Congo will help you to level up VERY rapidly, so AS SOON as you unlock the Titanium 0.45 mm (37.0 Kg) Leader, buy that and use it on both rods. Then once you unlock the Blue Braid 0.36 mm (40Kg) I suggest you upgrade to that on both setups, as it is half as thick as the mono and fluoro provided, which means you get double the distance onto your reels. Also, as an added bonus, you can sell the unused line you got with the DLC for baitcoins. Don't worry about the fact that it has a breaking point of 40Kg (stronger than the rod). I have never had any fish take 150m of line at max drag. Not even close, even a 190Kg Nile Perch will get to 80-90m before it gets tired.

Edited May 17, 2022 by gunnies799

[weeksy]

Glad it was of help. The main thing with max drag is that you are using the full potential of the rod and reel, so having the heaviest gear is not always the best if you can't match it to a suitable line and leader, as soon as you have to adjust your drag down from max you are losing the advantage of that heavy gear. The important thing with max drag is the MAXIMUM REEL DRAG as that determines the maximum force on all the equipment without destroying itself or any of the rest of the tackle, think of it as a safety valve that releases the pressure at that set force so as long as all the gear is of a higher value than the maximum reel drag it cannot break.

 

At the Congo I am using

BOTTOM GEAR

Mokonzi 11'10"  86lb

L'Impulsion 1300 86lb

Braid 0.0145     88lb

Titanium leader  0.0185 87lb

CASTING

Tropicana 7'10"   83.7lb

Bailarina 7500   83.7

Braid 0.0145     88lb

Titanium leader 0.0185  87lb

 

as you can see you wont break the rod braid or leader as you never "EXCEED" their max rating.

Always use max amount of line on reel as running out will destroy your reel.

It may look scary with all the indicators hard up in the red zone but it wont break.

For a lower level set up for spinning level 63 unless you use baitcoins for braid.

I am using (and still am for fun with the Tigerfish)

Agurarayo 6'10"  76lb

Fileur 12000     74.9lb

Braid 0.014      76.5lb

Titanium 0.018  81.5lb

and you are using almost all the power of the rod.

Also the Texas,Carolina and Three way Rigs even though they are not Titanium seem to be bite proof most of the time.

Buzzbait with X Series nymph(fished minimum speed across surface)is magic for Tigerfish as is X Series medium spoon.

Hope this is of use to somebody.

[Gaboywilliam]

16 hours ago, Saberneko said:

There are some great videos on Youtube on Max Drag.

The general rule I follow is for your lines or leader not breaking are:

Leader Max Weight >  Line Max Weight

Line Max Weight > Reel Max Weight

In order for your poles to not break, don't max drag using higher level reels and lines.  For example, don't max drag 88lbs with your 77lb pole.  You can still use the higher level reels and lines, but be sure to adjust it your reel-in strengths.  For example, for your 77lb pole and 88lb reel and line, you need to tune down the reel strength a couple of notches so it's only pulling at 77lb or below.  This may not give you max drag, but at least you can use a different reel in case you need to (like when your old reels get worn out in the middle of the trip).

For beginners who may not money or access to higher leveled equipment, I think best practice is Pole Weight > Line Weight > Leader Weight.  This is the opposite of max drag, but at least it increases the durability of your equipment and reduce cost of repairs.

Ty, so much . about to get on fishing planet  an take with me the advice.

may you have a great day