SECRET TO SETTING DRAG ON A REEL

John Crews is a veteran pro bass angler and has been teaching anglers how to fish for decades. In this video, he show the secret to set the drag on your reels no matter what the setup. It is very simple so pay attention.
#bassfishing #reeldrag #learntofish

[@mcdrmtt]

GAME CHANGER!!! Best explanation I've seen yet.

[@erhembayarganbaatar1402]

*I love it **enjoyable.fishing** recommend I’m using it for my 1.0 Crankbaits and small Jerkbait. Paired with my Assassin. Works great, feels great. Would definitely recommend this setup.*

[@jimboslice7389]

Probably the best video on setting the drag.

[@JohnCrews]

Thanks James

[@jackchristensen7725]

I’ve been fishing for 40+ years and have NEVER heard of this before! Awesome tip. Thanks man...

[@Notorious_Nate]

Dude, that was a *SUPER* useful tip! I've always just done the pull the line with my dang hand technique, but this makes so much sense! Good stuff, keep it up.

[@JohnCrews]

Thanks man

[@isaaclam9248]

Yes! exactly , the drag is used to protect your rod and line. Otherwise , you just need a full locked wheel .

[@TheLordtaiko]

I'm new to fishing and still waiting on my rod. I have watched so many videos on drag!! this was the best!! Not only did it demonstrate how but why? So many people keep spitting out the same stuff and recommendations but few explain why? The visual helped a lot. I just hope I don't break my new rod trying to do this.

[@JohnCrews]

If you break it, your drag is too tight. Start loose and then tighten until right. Thanks man!

[@bkbaitsal4389]

I came here because yesterday I hooked a monster on my flipping rod but I was just Texas Rigged throwing in some rocks, I always kept my drag locked on my flipping stick, well I hooked a monster on straight 40 pound braid, fought for ten minutes until my line broke! Never got to see what I hooked is the worse, if my drag was set right I would of landed that fish. It was pulling me around on the bank, I couldn't even reel, both hands on the rod, I was holding on to keep it from taking my rod out of my hands, never ever had anything that big and I've landed many 10 pound bass. Well even having the drag locked down he still pulled line out. Thanks I'll try your technique. I think it was a Striper or big Cat. That lake is known for both. Caught 15 bass large and smallies over 5 pounds yesterday. Caught walleye, 2 cats, white bass, and crappie. Thanks so much.

[@timperry6095]

Thank you! This is something that I’ve seen either super dumbed down (just lock the drag down as tight as it will go) or overly complex (using math formulas and weights to determine how to set a reel). This method is practical and quick, meaning folks can and will use it.

[@TN-Vols-Fan]

John, Thanks for the great information! Good luck this coming season.

[@robertonstott6264]

Great insight ... thanks John!

[@andreww5086]

Super great tip can't wait to apply this to my reels! 👍

[@wilmerpruitt6324]

Excellent presentation John

[@purewaterswva.5409]

Fantastic Tip John. Never heard this before incredibly informative.. thanks for the share

[@Soupy_loopy]

This is the best channel I've seen. Great advice, clear and concise. Subscribed!

[@philtarbox8256]

Great info John... I always went "by feel" before... this really gives me a standard to set my reels right... thanks

[@andrewwilson1299]

Nice vid to share some knowledge! Love that Cashion and Tatula combo!!

[@audijohns9187]

Thanks John, great video

[@erth2ingrid]

Golden. Thank you for this very clear description

[@Desconhecido1975]

Good job ! You're the first that takes the rods action into account, when adjusting the reels drag. The secret to a correct confiiguration also is, to hold the rod in a 45 degree angle, before starting to adjust the drag. You've shown it correctly, my friend, but forgot to mention it. Why 45 degree ? Well, that's the angle at which the rod developes its full power.

[@JohnCrews]

Bingo! Thanks man

[@miketadlock4150]

Great explaination John!

[@MaximilianTheBassFisherman]

Great tip! Never heard this one and I’m sure it’ll help my game!

[@tylerduke7562]

Love your videos man keep on

[@JimmyBraswell]

Always had a question on that! Thanks man!

[@chrissawyers8147]

Great explanation brother!!

[@brianperry4521]

Good video John. I like the way you showed the drag working.

[@JohnCrews]

Thanks

[@brucebroadwater8198]

Great tip, thank you.

[@bcallisjr]

Great tip!!

[@ivanradi4275]

Good one, I found after looking for this aspect online and makes more sense the way you did.

[@JohnCrews]

Thanks

[@MC-cv6vc]

awesome tip!!

[@tranger4579]

Great info thanks 👍

[@mattwest6669]

Thanks I never heard of doing it that way.

[@5.7.0bassin2]

Ill have to try this because i have always wondered ya know the usual grab the line above the reel pull to where you feel is good but when you catch one or even tie it to something like you did its not actually set like it should be so i will be trying this tonight lol

[@emilianobanzi9432]

Good suggestion, I usually do that but just to be on the safe side I put the drag setting a little bit lighter and in case I need to put more pressure I'll use my thumb to contrast the fish

[@lman2677]

thank you. Is stiff braked drag the reason I lost my bass last weekend in the lilys?

[@macktidwell494]

BOAT POSITIONING AND ANGLES TIPS

[@JohnCrews]

Great idea! Just need some warmer weather to get out.

[@johnholt6667]

Thank you so much

[@derrickhouse7063]

Your boat is looking like sweet candy in the background!

[@richardcranium5839]

i always run my hook to the bottom eyelet cranked down the drag and reeled till the pole bends. then back off the drag slowly til the pole straightens out. pretty much getting the same results as you. let the pole do some and the drag do some at maxed out

[@JohnCrews]

You got it 👊🏼

[@mrstackracks1189]

Best one yet I have a better understanding

[@BassinTTV]

Some video ideas for this spring would be how to position the boat when fishing beds, how to fish/find fish with rising water level and temps (creek points, main lake cut backs, etc) and how to fish timber/brush piles) just some ideas on some stuff I’ve been asked about before.

[@JohnCrews]

Good ideas! Thanks man

[@jacobanderson4101]

Good stuff. Not sure I agree with any slip on flipping up North where 8lbers are giant... but I could see that fishing Southern water

[@stevea924]

can i do that with any kind or type of rod, reel combo? just asking, wondering at the sametime

[@stepheneurosailor1623]

Helpful for me.

[@slknic7]

Would this technic also work for a kayak fisherman? Excellent explanation on how to set the drag for every rod and reel! Thank you for sharing!

[@JohnCrews]

Absolutely

[@dmillz23]

Adding to this, you can perform this drag set technique, once you have it set just right, pull the drag with your hand a bunch of times to get some memory and you'll be good to go. Won't be perfect but you'll be really close

[@MF-Rell]

Thanks bro! This is a lot better technique than I used when I caught a 5lber on a UL rod and 6lb test mono. I was working the drag like a clutch to keep him from breaking my rod. 😂😂😂

[@atamagashock]

Can’t wait to go home and rest my settings this way… what a great tip

[@markmiller9217]

I've seen the same theory, but a fish scale was used with some goofy math. Your method seems right and it's Simple!

[@hzporpo2652]

Hi oldman. Nice tip.

[@007Elvisofnazareth]

Subscribed

[@midwestbassslayingwithscot7944]

I was worried I was missing something 😕. Turns out I'm understanding the physics just fine. Great exp.

[@MannyG3rd]

Does it matter the lb test of my line? Does this work for 6 lb to 20 lb?

[@HookLife]

I like this video John. I have a few questions. 1. Does hook gauge play a factor in the drag setting? Big fish surging at the boat on a light gauge hook could bend or pull? 2. Do you loosen your drag on reels when not fishing? I have heard that is good to do to extend drag life? Thanks for what you do 🤜🏼🤛🏼

[@JohnCrews]

Good questions. 1. The hook power should match the rod and line. 2. On certain drag materials it can depress. Correct

[@MJ_Bass]

Dude, been debating how to set my drag for a long time. I used to screw with setting it tight for hookset, then loosen during the fight to not make too big a hole. After using your method to set it, I think my drag was just way too tight. Surprised my “hand pull setting” was way past the loaded point of my rod.

[@jaasaiwilliam466]

How to choose reel according to Drag? should be high or low?

[@luster5497]

I only wish they would make 1model of baitcaster reel to have it's drag-system "zing" like a spinner reel. -something about the "zinging sound" of a spinner reel sound so good to hear. -it's fishing arsm at its best.

[@randyeggleston7138]

A good tip, but every time I’m done with my rod and reels for the day I loosen my drag, I do this to keep the springs in my reels from wearing out and leaving that drag set will do that. So in my case I would have to do that every morning to each of my rods so Ive had pretty good luck just loading my rod up by hand and just doing it that way. But you have explained that the rod needs to be part of setting the drag and not to just set it right out of the reel itself. Most people are not showing that on utube.

[@JohnCrews]

Your way is best for reel life. Good work. Thanks

[@randyeggleston7138]

Thanks and good luck with you tournaments. You are a lucky person if you’re able to fish for a living, I was able to do the same as a guide in AK and at home, I was building clients up and then I got hurt very bad on my mon-fri job and causing me to have to sell my driftboat. No drift boat, no clients. And the rogue river in southern Oregon is in our back yard. Well, all the best in your tournaments. Thanks, Randy

[@randyeggleston7138]

@@JohnCrews I’m not sure if my other text got to you. I just wanted to say I enjoyed your segment. And it all must be working for you cause you get to have the best job in the world. I had that to but in AK as a guide, then I was also building up clients at home on the upper rogue river in southern Oregon until an accident on my day job caused me to sell my drift boat, mr. crews, I cried that day. Well I wish you all the luck, and we hope to see you on tv. Take care. Thanks, Randy

[@ARCSTREAMS]

springs? it's done to save the life of the drag washers especially if they made of felt or non metallic materials ,by loosening the drag the washers are no longer being squeezed and still stay springy ,perhaps thats what you meant

[@ARCSTREAMS]

@@randyeggleston7138 so you are hurt so bad you can no longer use a boat or fish?

[@andreww5086]

Hey John, I just got a Daiwa Tatula CT and compared to my Lews reel it seems like I cant cast far at all. Do you have any idea what i'm doing wrong?

[@JohnCrews]

Probably the settings. Loosen the magnetic brake on side opposite of handle

[@dudemcgee256]

Daiwa makes a great reel. That being said, even cheap Lews reels are really good. Just seems like they're easy to use.

[@andreww5086]

@@JohnCrews Thanks for the advice.👍

[@raymondsteele4223]

I like that, but wondering how really light line say 4lb would work if someone was perhaps using a medium or Med/hvy on spinning tackle I’m guilty of it I only use 12 spinning rods a medium light and a medium that honestly seems to fish as a Med heavy any advice

[@JohnCrews]

If your rod is too stiff, you will break the line

[@raymondsteele4223]

@@JohnCrews makes sense, I have got to say now that everything is braid to leader it makes it really nice being able to only keep two spinning setups in boat leaves more room for the well to me the fun stuff!! Lol but it’s always those finicky highly pressured fish that leave me no option! Would love to see some info on the Spro hunter 65 I noticed it’s a very affordable square bill but can’t really find any info on it would love to see underwater footage of all Spro and right many missle baits! I absolutely love the mini flip jig!! Thanks for great content and I look forward to watching, I am glad you are in and around VA that definitely helps being I live in VA! Thanks again

[@JohnCrews]

@@raymondsteele4223 I’ll try to to a test on the Hunter 👍🏼

[@raymondsteele4223]

@@JohnCrews that would be great I know Spro makes amazing baits! I mean the little John has put more fish on scales for me than anything and I’m seeing that the Hunter can be bought for I think $7.99!!! Spro offering the quality that goes in all other Spro hard baits sub $10 I’m definitely interested! Thanks for responding, look forward to seeing a video on the Hunter! Thanks again John

[@ARCSTREAMS]

i think you are doing it right, i see some ppl talking about rule of thumb percentages like 20% of the line capacity on line that is 30 lb test or less etc ,i think this is wrong because these light to medium action rods despite them being carbon fibre and tough etc etc seem to be bad at lifting dead weight or flipping fish even less than a pound , i was barely able to dead lift 3/4lbs on a light rod 5'6" using 4lb test line and this comes to 18.75% and i would not feel comfortable lifting or flipping a fish more than 1/2 lb and that comes to 12.5% of line capacity so much less than the 20% rule of thumb and i tried lifting the same weight on a medium action 6'6" rod and it was loading just as drastically as my light action rod with a very uncomfortable bend ,so in the end i would forget about the numbers and do it your way and set the drag to a point of rod loading that i feel comfortable with but does it not make a difference on how far away you attach your line to do this? because when i set my drag by hand feel and i set into a fish that is far away i feel the drag peel some line when im setting that hook in the fish ,maybe this is ok or maybe it's not depending on if im still feeling that line peeling during the fight with that small pan fish so even though i thought it was a tightly set drag by hand it turns out it still gave way on a small pan fish when setting the hook further away , if you set the hook closer you might not feel any line peel, so i think the further you are the more force might be loading on your line and rod

[@JohnCrews]

Good input. Thanks

[@ARCSTREAMS]

@@JohnCrews yw and ty

[@mikegaston3170]

Do you set your drags befor each outing or keep them like that for long periods of time ? Cuz ive always been told to free up your drag after each day of fishing... its bad for the reel if the drag is set all the time ? Any truth to that ?

[@JohnCrews]

For some drags, you are correct. Depends on the material

[@fishncoach8699]

The rod is gonna load at the same point no matter what pound test you have.. So by using this method wouldn't you have the same drag setting with different lb test lines?? Wouldn't think that would be ideal

[@JohnCrews]

Not all rods have the same power. If you used the same rod, you’d be correct. This method will prevent broken lime or broken rod.

[@fishncoach8699]

@@JohnCrews agree, I'm not always using the same line on 1 rod...I have to switch them out.. I wish I could have a dedicated combo for everything, but not an option for me... Unless missle baits is looking to hire a good worker for a good salary!? 😁

[@reidnishikawa1186]

That is true that the rod would load the same independent of the line. I use this method to effectively fight the fish but protect the rod. When the rod is bending at the base, you are close to the maximum drag setting for the rod. When the drag releases, you can also tell if your washers need to be replaced. If the drag washers are toast, there is variable drag power and may place your rod at risk of breaking.

[@fartsniffer5043]

​​@@fishncoach8699 people usually match thier lines to the rod as well your not gonna use 30lb braid on a light medium rod as you would with a heavy medium since with a light medium your usually targeting fish under 15 pounds you wouldnt need more then 10lb test if that on a medium heavy i wouldnt use less then 20lb test

[@fishncoach8699]

@@fartsniffer5043 ha.. Nah, we match lines to rods and presentations

[@jberg3256]

Good explanation. Agree with setting the drag to the rod strength, however, I think the line plays more of a factor. Especially if we're talking about fluorocarbon or mono. I would allow the drag to start slipping under max rod pressure with the objective of being easier on the line and the rod. As long as it is tight enough for a good hook set and tight enough for the rod to bend enough to do the work of fighting the fish I think you're good. Better to be a little loose than too tight in my opinion. There is nothing worse than a big fish snapping your line!

[@Stinkybeard]

This method works perfectly, set your drag like this and you wont have fish breaking you off. If I am using 8lb I will set it this way and have NEVER had an issue. I watched this video almost 2 years ago and been setting my drag according to the rod ever since. My hand pull method actually had me running the drag significantly tighter than doing it this way. This takes into account the entire system and really utilizes the rod.

[@dcrane4]

What braid is that on your spinning reel?

[@JohnCrews]

Sunline X-Plasma

[@robbaize4193]

Thanks, too loose drag for me on chatterbait rod. Probably why my hook up loss was been 30 percent

[@robynmcdonald3942]

SO FREAKING EASY, Thank you, NOW, talk about how to prevent backlash. I'm having a hard time with this on a new spinning reel

[@locoshaggy]

This setting works fine for a snakehead fishing?

[@JohnCrews]

I think it would

[@petergardner4266]

When are we going to see the new electronics on the new boat?

[@JohnCrews]

Still rigging! Waiting on one more mount 😩

[@tramccoy2490]

Why am I just seeing this 😊

[@rafabonati7757]

I have never seen anyone present this information before. I never searched for it, but it just never comes up in anyone’s presentation. It’s always just pulling some line out with a hand, which seems too loose according to what you are saying. I know this is for bass fishing, but do you think it would be different for trout, walleye, salmon, or lake trout? Or the same?

[@JohnCrews]

Pretty much the same. Matching rod power to drag

[@rafabonati7757]

@@JohnCrews thanks! I will set up my equipment this way. Still a long wait in Northern NY.

[@jimmcculloch5825]

How do you know when a rod is fully loaded?

[@JohnCrews]

When it won’t bend any more

[@jimmcculloch5825]

@@JohnCrews So just before it breaks.

[@Soupy_loopy]

I like secrets

[@therealpatrickstar1]

I set my drag by the power of the line

[@JohnCrews]

I used to until I figured this out

[@MF-Rell]

Subbed!! 🫡

[@Spaceshuttlegunner]

Yeah no one has ever talked about this that I have seen. Wouldn’t different angles play with the amount of drag that is needed.

[@mbarnhill86]

O I am flipping 20lb test I am going to crank it all the way down………….Whoa 🤚 Whoa 🤚 just whoa! Lmao 🤣

[@rickjames6948]

Has nothing to do with a rod bending. It's about a simple drag SETTING and your rated line strength.

[@nunyabusiness102]

You need to show your Elite field this video. It's annoying watching the pros have a smallmouth peel 100 yards of line off and reeling while the drag is ripping. See it all the time in the Elite smallmouth tournies.