Understanding Fly Reel Drag Systems

Understanding the drag on a fly reel might seem like something that isn’t worth learning about, especially if you only fly fish for trout. Trout barely take the line off the reel, so why would you need a drag system?

Well, when that fish of a lifetime comes along, say a 16lb trout, or you’re fly fishing in saltwater for big fish like GT’s or even salmon in rivers, you’re going to need to know how to use your reel’s drag if you want to land a fish. Here is how fly reel drag systems are explained.

What is a drag on a fly reel?

Drag is the fly fishing term for brakes. The drag on a reel creates some resistance through friction against the rotation of the spool of the fly fishing reel, making it hard to pull the fly line off the reel.

The resistance to the spool’s rotation is the drag system. It’s the one part of your setup that will slow fish down and allow you to control them during a fight. Your fly rod does nothing when a fish pulls a line; it’s all about the drag system.

The drag also allows you to set the tension of the spool so it isn’t free and doesn’t cause backlashes and tangles when you pull the line off your fly fishing reel.

What are the different types of drag systems?

There are two different types of drag systems you’re likely to come across when looking at fly reels, and they are very different for various situations. You can find fly reels with a disc drag system or fly reels with a click and pawl drag system, also known as spring and pawl.

How does a click-and-pawl system work?

Click and pawl, or spring and pawl drag work by using a toothed gear that sits on the spool of the fly reel. There is then a pawl, a triangular piece of metal that is spring-loaded and sticks into the teeth of the gear. When the fly line is pulled off the fly reel, the spool and gear spin, and the pawl slows the spool down, creating some drag and making a sound.

Can you adjust the drag on click and pawl fly reels?

Yes, most click and pawl fly reels have a drag knob that allows anglers to increase or decrease the drag setting, but not by much. It does create enough pressure to be higher than the free spool. You can pull the line off the fly reel to cast without getting a tangle and letting a fish run.

To increase the drag, anglers can palm the reel with their hands to add more pressure when fighting a big fish, but it won’t be very smooth, and with one wrong slip, you might break your leader or tippet.

What species should you use click and pawl fly reels for?

Click and pawl fly reels are ideal for smaller freshwater fish species like trout and panfish as these fish barely take any line off fly reels, and you mainly use the rod to play them.

Do not fly fishing with a click-and-pawl fly reel for saltwater species or freshwater fish like bass, steelhead, or salmon, as you won’t be able to control them.

How does a disc drag system work?

Disc drags are made up of a series of washers that sit between the drag knob and the spool. The washers in a disc drag can be made of different materials such as Teflon or cork, and when you tighten the drag setting, the washers are pushed against the spool to slow it down when spinning and thus make it harder for your fly line to leave your fly reel.

Cork is probably the best material for disc drags as it smooths the drag start-up. One of the best things about a disc drag fly reel is the pressure you can put on fish when you want to.

You can also find a fly reel with a sealed disc drag or a non-sealed disc drag, which we’ll discuss later.

Is the drag or on-disc drag fly reels adjustable?

Disc drag fly reels are the most popular fly reels in the world because you can adjust from zero drag to full lock on some of the best quality fly reels, like Makos. All you have to do is slowly turn the know to adjust the drag and make it tighter and tighter, and thus more challenging for a fish to pull the line off the reel.

What species should you use disc drag fly reels for?

A disc drag fly reel is ideal for fly fishing for large saltwater and freshwater species. When it comes to fish like bass or steelhead, managing the fish during the fight and stopping them from going downriver or snagging your cover is imperative if you want to catch them.

When fly fishing in saltwater for anything from a bonefish to a sailfish, you will struggle and likely fail to win a fight or land any fish you hook unless you have a fly reel with a good disc drag.

Sailfish swim at 100km per hour and, without a good drag, will take all the fly line and back off your reel in 5 minutes.

What is a sealed drag?

Sealed drags are fully encased in a water-tight enclosure that stops any dirty, grimy stuff or salt from getting into the drag and causing it to fail. They were designed for saltwater and allow anglers to submerge their reel in the sea without worrying about the drag getting a bit of dirt, sand, or salt in there.

An un-sealed drag is open to the elements, meaning salt, dirt, and sand can find their way into the system.

Is a sealed drag better than an un-sealed drag?

Both of these drags are excellent in certain situations; depending on who you’re talking to, you will likely get a different answer. Having guided saltwater fly fishing in Seychelles for the last three years, I can tell you we only use un-sealed drags, but why?

Enclosed super high-quality drags seem to fail when put under too much pressure, in my experience, when fished on a 12 weight or above. They are great for a permit, bonefish, and other smaller salty fish.

But I have seen quality Hatch drag systems explode, Nautilus reels fail, Sage reels, Orvis reels, they have all come undone when the drag is set high against a GT or sailfish.

The issue isn’t just that they fail, it’s also that because the drag is enclosed, you can’t fix it, and have to send it back to the reels manufacturer, which is useless when you’re on an island in the middle of the Indian Ocean.

With an open drag, as you find on a Shilton fly reel, you can open it up and replace the parts and thus fix it with ease. Yes, it’s not meant to be submerged, but it only takes 5 mins to clean and service if it does. Also, I have never seen a Shilton fail in 3 years, and that’s with huge GTs, sailfish, and even marlin on the end of the fly line.

How do you set the right drag setting on a fly reel?

When you’re fishing for bigger fish, you need to pre-set your drag so the reel stops too much line running through the rod when you hook a fish, but make sure the drag is still light enough not to break your leader or tippet.

Drag pressure is measured in weight and in pounds like line and tippet, and you never want to be above 50% of the weight line in your setup during the fight. So, if you’re using a 100lb tippet for a GT, you should never set more than 50 lbs of pressure on the fish, or your line could break.

But it would be best if you started much lighter than that. When looking for fish, your drag should be set on lighter settings with enough pressure to stop the line from tangling and backlashing when the fish takes its first run.

Once the fish runs on the reel, you can go from a light drag up to around 1/3 of your breaking strain. So you can set 33 lbs of drag pressure when using a 100 lb line. You can then work your way up the settings to 50 lbs of pressure if you need to to control the fish.

Remember, your reel does all the work when fighting a large fish on a fly rod; the rod is pretty much useless. If you lift the rod during a fight, it just creates slack, and you’ll lose the fish. This is because the rod is light and made for casting, not fighting.

The above doesn’t apply when trout fishing, though, as the fish are so light and small they can be fought on the rod instead of on the reel.

How do you measure the drag settings on a reel?

It’s very easy, and all you need is a standard hook scale to weigh fish. First, set your drag on the reel, then put the rod at the angle it would be in a fight. Now, hook the scale through the line and pull until some line comes off the reel while checking the scale. Whatever LB it got to on the scale is your drag weight in pounds.

Conclusion

Understanding and properly utilizing the drag system on your fly reel is a vital skill for any serious angler, especially when targeting larger, more powerful fish. While trout fishing might not demand much from your drag, when you step up to larger species or venture into saltwater, your drag system becomes the key to landing your catch.

Whether you’re using a click-and-pawl system for smaller freshwater species or a disc drag system for big game fish, knowing how to set and adjust your drag can make all the difference in your success on the water. For more in-depth tips and advice on fly fishing gear and techniques, be sure to visit Fly Fisher Pro—your go-to resource for everything fly fishing.