Anybody have a preferred technique for testing reel drag other than on a fish? What I mean is a realistic way, not by pulling on the line or hanging a weight. For example-flying a kite. I know lots of folks at the coast and in parks fly kites with conventional gear and I have flown a big box kite on my Tuna Stick and Penn 4/0 reel to test both rod and reel out which were new a the time and 125 miles away from any denizens of the deep. Having access to a variety of animals and kids, I’m thinking I could safely and humanely attach 5 pound tippet to one of my kids or dog …or a chicken with 2 pound tippet or a sheep and have them take off running with the reel drag set loose then crank it down til the tippet pops. With the wife’s permission of course! or maybe she’ll do it???
Anybody try anything similar? How about to a vehicle? Not wanting to bust anything more than tippet but wanting to get a feel for the drag in action on the rod with line running out at the speed of a carp or salmon.
I fish, therefore I swam.
With the car, kid, dog or wife…I was more thinking of just seeing how the drag feels in relation to the rod bend which I’m familiar with. My test would be pretty much me controlling when the light tippet pops through tightening the drag knob. Not really wanting to stop the puller nor fry my drag via some ultra long smoking run. Hence the use of the light tippet …maybe 2 pound or sewing thread would be better. That’s why I thought a slow vehicle could also work from 0-20mph and tighten drag to pop the tippet. Some fish certainly swim faster than 20 mph when hooked and a 12 pound salmon goes like a rocket. Maybe my boy on his training wheeled bicycle would be fun for both of us. Ready son? GO!
ZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzt…POP!
Steve
Don’t know if this works or is good or bad but many moons ago when I bought my Olig Hart, mainly because of the drag, it was claimed that they would do a demo where the line was attached to a bicycle which would go down the sidewalk [with a person pedaling of course] and they would turn the drag down until it brought the bike to a stop…and smoothly.
[This message has been edited by ducksterman (edited 06 December 2005).]