Q After catching a nice fish, I laid my top-quality rod and reel in the water. When I hooked another fish, I found the drag did not work as it had before. I had to crank the drag almost all the way down, and it acted very inconsistent. Is this normal?
In your letter you said you were using one of the finest reels on the market when you had this problem. You are upset with the company and its product, but you should be upset with yourself. You misused the product.
When you placed the reel in the water, you soaked the drag, causing it to hydroplane. This would happen with almost any reel on the market. I sometimes see photos in magazines of a reel lying underwater while the angler holds the fish for a photo. That’s bad. The problem is not the reel; it’s excess water on the drag.
-Lefty
