For many of us, we fish for smaller fish as is often said the reel is nothing more than a storage place for the fly line. This implies the reel’s drag really won’t be used by those 6″-12″ trout.

So, assuming you infrequently catch fish that will pull line from your reel to test the drag…that is all the more reason to test a few things about your drag: how is the drag set now? too tight…too loose? You will usually know this as you strip line from the reel to make that ever longer cast. Which way do you turn the drag knob to loosen or tighten the drag? It is good to know this before you are stumbling about playing a large fish.

Also, develop the habit of reeling line up onto the reel in a somewhat uniform manner.  Loops and loose coils on the reel will potentially cause a problem when the large fish (yes this is that fish of the season for many of us) makes its run. The line is streaming off the reel, the drag is working and then you come to a loose loop, coil or tangle. The reel can hesitate, or shoot line out too quickly (when a loop of line shoots off the reel) or come to a complete halt. All these create jolting forces that make the line/rod tip move about with a movement that is not smooth and threatens to snap the tippet. Smooth and consistent is the goal.

So, periodically check that spool. Is the fly line a jumbled mess? Strip out the tangles, loose coils and loops and reel the line back on nice and neat. Also, have some familiarity with that drag knob…in advance of that big one.