front drag reel

Y

yoggy

Guest
Surprisingly i"ve never used or owned a front drag reel,like most anglers i do like to try things out,so iv"e decided to buy one,I"ve heard that these reels have a better clutch system than most rear models,is this true?,if so why do most anglers use rear drag?,the reel will be used from float fishing for Tench to Barbel and Chub,any advice on make ,model etc.....thanks in advance.
 
chavender

chavender

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the new mitchell's the 300x or 400x have a
extreamly good clutes ,i had one of the new
300x pro's thats got all the gold trim and
a extra ball bearing and the only criticism
i had was it was too pretty and found i was
being over careful with it as i didn't want
to get it dirty or scratched which i don't
normaly think about when scrambling under
fences or putting them down on concrete etc
i swapped mine for a nice reel of a freind.
the 300x comes in black and the 400 comes in matellic blue colour and are a strong
reel with a smooth action.
 
R

Ron 'The Hat' Clay

Guest
When they came out with rear drag reels such as the ABU Cardinals (superb reels), I though this was a great advance in technology.

The Shimano rear drags on the Stradics are as smooth as any front drag in my opinion.

By returning to front drag reel in some makes, I can't help but wonder if this is not a retrograde step!
 
W

Wolfman Woody

Guest
"I've heard that these reels have a better clutch system than most rear models, is this true?"

It used to be, many years ago. Even the early Cardinals that Ron refers to went from full on to full off in a quarter of a turn on the rear drag. Like he says again though, the new Shimanos and most other reels are incredibly smooth these days.

A front drag reel isn't as convenient when it comes to removing the spool. Bear that in mind.
 
Peter Jacobs

Peter Jacobs

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I think that both Ron and Jeff are right. The first models sporting a rear drag were pretty poor pieces of engineering, although with the advent of better design technology andmaterials the rear drag on today's reels takes a lot of beating.

Personally I've never liked front drag reels as they just seemed to be too 'fiddly' to me.

ron, I was cleaning out the tackle room last weekend and came across two of the old Aby Cardinals. Still cannot find the pair of Cardinal 55's I first started my Carp fishing with - I am sure they will turn up though.
 
J

Jeremy Airey

Guest
Hi Yoggy
Better is a very comparative thing. The clutches on the first '55s' were so much better than the old 300s that they seemed a dream. However compared to modern reels they are pretty rubbish.
I have and happily use a pair of Stradic rear drag GTM4000s(?) and the clutch is very good but not quite as smooth as any of my front drag reels costing a lot less or more for that matter. I am however very critical when judging clutch performance as The GTMs are more than adequate but have just a tiny bit of 'stick' at startup compared to some omy front drag reels.
If you NEED a good clutch for fast running fish or lighter line work go for a front drag reel of reputable make otherwise a rear drag is more than adequate 90% of the time.
Good makes well Shimano leads the herd here with Daiwa a close second especially there new 'hardbodyz' Theory reel.
As for as front drags being more fiddly than rear drags I really don't think so.
regards
Jeremy
 
R

Ron 'The Hat' Clay

Guest
Jeff is quite correcxt. Front drag reels are fiddly to change and you can lose the screw on arrangement.

I really hope all the reel manufacturers dont go front drag. The only reason I see for this is that it may be cheaper to make.

Try adjusting a front drag when you are in the middle of playing a big fish.

The old Mitchell 300 series had the best front drag arrangement even though the drag was not all that smooth.

A push button system that didn't need a separate locking nut.

I hate to see engineering go backwards.
 
J

Jeremy Airey

Guest
Hello Ron
I rarely change drag settings when playing fish just using a well worn finger or cup the spool with my hand for more pressure, more sensitive. Although if you need to do so the Shimano fighting drag is about as good as it gets - shame that no one took up Mitchells idea of a 'drag lever' on a front drag reel and ran with it although Shimano did have a go at this in the 1980/90s on some of the early baitrunner reels.
I always thought that front drags were more sound because you get better heat dissapation (not a problem in the UK i'll admit) and you could use larger and more washers as space is not at so much of a premium. Also without getting out of my depth technically I believe front and rear drags 'work' differently.
That aside you are well right about the old Mitchell push-button spools - ah those good old days. Personally I wish I could use 'pins' or multipliers for everything LOL.
regards
Jeremy
 
S

sash

Guest
Hmmmm, not sure about some of the comments here. I use a mixture. Some of the rear drag reels such as the Shimano Baitrunner (Aero model) I find to be very poor and prone to sticking, others such as the Stradic or GTM or the original salt resistant gearing Baitrunner are excellent. The LongCast Big Pit Baitrunner front drag is superb as are some of the tiny spinning reels such as the Technium series and I really don't find them awkward to adjust when playing fish if it's required.

For your requirements I would suggest a rear drag though, possibly with Fighting Drag though I often do tend to backwind when floatfishing, especially with the lighter tackle usually used.
 
R

Ron 'The Hat' Clay

Guest
The reason I like the Fightin' Drag system of the Shimano reels is that I can use it like a baitrunner.

I also use finger pressure on the spool but with certain species - especially barbel, I like to slacken off the drag setting quickly when I have the fish under the rod tip.

Barbel ar notorious for giving sudden plunges when you think you have them beaten.
 
Y

yoggy

Guest
Very grateful for all your comments,i actually have the chance to buy a 2nd hand front drag stradic 4000 off a bloke at work he"s letting me have it for a good price so i reckon i"ll go for it.I have 2 stradics one 2500 and one 4000 both rear drag as ron says these have a super clutch,i suppose if the truth was know i really dont need a front drag,i"m just a sucker for trying different things out!!!!thanks again.
 
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