[digiRAMbo]

I've had Abu Garcia Inshore Spinning Reel for a few months now, but used it only a handful of times. I bought it because of the light weight. It was intended to be used with lures and for the wife when she joins me on fishing outings.

Anyway, I used it over the weekend and realized that the line was letting out too easily. I just tested the drag with a digital scale and at the absolute max drag setting (to the point that the knob wouldn't turn anymore), the line started to let out at around 13 lbs. Once the line started to let out, it averaged between 11 - 12lbs. This is about 5-6 lbs less than the spec. I just started the warranty process with Abu Garcia. I am wondering if there's something that I can try before sending this back... I want to save on shipping if this is something I can easily fix at home.

I am thinking that maybe the Penn Reel Cleaner got into the drag system, but I doubt it.

Model: ORRA2INS40
Drag: 18 lbs

 

[surfchunker]

was that a straight pull in line with the guides or was the rod bent ?

 

[digiRAMbo]

i actually held the reel in my right hand, tied the braid line on the scale and pulled the scale away from the reel. No rod was used in testing. But I realized that the drag was weak while I was fishing.

 

[dawgfsh]

If any oil or cleaner got into the drag it will cause a loss of drag. Try cleaning the drag washers

13# should be enough for any inshore fish. I bring in 50" Red Drum with 7-8#'s.

 

[surfchunker]

drag is meant to be measured while on a rod ... 13 pound of drag with a bent rod is a lot of drag

 

[digiRAMbo]

Hmmm... Note taken. I will try cleaning the drag washers and re-measure with the reel on a rod. It sort of makes sense, since the bend on the rod would consume some energy, so according to what I learned in my high school physics class... Force at the rod tip = Reel drag force + Energy in the bend of the rod.

 

[Ronaulmtd]

13 pounds of drag on a light spinning reel is a lot of drag- Penn uses HT100 drag washers which normally are pretty smooth and dependable- get a big fish pulling 13 pounds of drag at the reel with 100 yards of line wet, you better have 30# line to prevent breakage- not only of the line but the hook- most folks aren't strong enough to hold 13 pounds of drag at the reel on a bent 7 foot rod-

 

[Ronaulmtd]

My bad- I see it is an Abu reel not a Penn

 

[AbuMike]

In a reel of that class I think you are just chasing Unicorns....

 

[digiRAMbo]

In a reel of that class I think you are just chasing Unicorns....

Lol, I will most likely not return it for sevice at this point. I'll just live wih the fact that the drag just doesn't tighten like the other reels I use (mostly Penn). With other reels, I don't have to tighten the drag too much to build up resistance. With this reel, I have to tighten it pretty good until I start to feel the drag, so fine adjustment isn't as easy.

I only own entry level reels ($150 down to $15 reels) but the drag on this seems weaker than the $15 Shimano reel.

 

[surfchunker]

if your not happy take it back

 

[digiRAMbo]

if your not happy take it back

It's been over 3 months since I bought it. Can't take it back. My next option is to get it serviced, but reading people's comments made me realize that there's not much that can be done and I would be wasting $ on shipping.

Thank you folks for the input. Learned a thing or two.

 

[js1172]

try some cals drag grease, perhaps add another drag washer. do you back the drag off after every trip?
js

 

[Mastrbaitr]

if you need more drag just touch the spool with your finger. The obvious downside to this is that you need a light touch when using 10-20 lb braid. You can easily overstress your shock leader knot since you can't gauge how much drag your finger will add. I use my opposite thumb or index finger. That way you can quickly grab the crank when you feel the fish give in. When they run just point your rod tip almost straight out and let the reel do its job with your thumb or finger give a light touch.

 

[digiRAMbo]

try some cals drag grease, perhaps add another drag washer. do you back the drag off after every trip?
js

Yup, I am a little OCD about backing off the drag and rinsing off & wiping down with Penn cleaner after each fish outing, since I mostly fish brackish/saltwater.

I'll make do with 10 lb drag and 20 lb braid line. I initially thought that drag was a lot lower than that, but realized that this reel needs to be tightened more than what I am used to.

 

[surfchunker]

so basically your saying it just has more threads and takes more turns before it starts applying pressure to the drag washers which isn't a problem, biggest thing with drags is that they are smooth and not herky jerky

 

[js1172]

not familiar with the reel but if it has room in the drag stack for 1 more keyed steel washer, that will take up room on the threads and add more drag, if that's not enough, another drag washer will take up more room on the threads and add more drag, I have reels that are supposed to produce 18# of drag that will make 40# due to drag upgrades.
RR

 

[Drumdum]

10lb of drag on 20lb line is TOO MUCH DRAG!! You really only need about a third of the line strength in drag from the reel.. If a fish makes a long run and gets you down on the spool you will actually need to loosen the drag to prevent breaking the line.. I have yet to figure out why folks think it is a great idea to have reels that have outrageous drag that they really do not need with the lines and rods they are using??

 

[Oldmulletbreath]

Bullseye.... Kenny

 

[digiRAMbo]

10lb of drag on 20lb line is TOO MUCH DRAG!! You really only need about a third of the line strength in drag from the reel.. If a fish makes a long run and gets you down on the spool you will actually need to loosen the drag to prevent breaking the line.. I have yet to figure out why folks think it is a great idea to have reels that have outrageous drag that they really do not need with the lines and rods they are using??

Agreed. I'm fairly new to fishing and logically, I am thinking that the line will hold fine with 10lb drag. Also, when I say 10lb drag, I don't mean exactly. I usually guesstimate the drag by pulling on the line and see if it lets out the line. I tighten it to the point where the line comes out slightly with firm pull. I would guess that it's less than 10lbs.

This was my thought process.
1. I fished this past weekend with the reel. I tightened the drag to the point that I had to apply decent amount of force to tighten it. I didn't tighten it beyond this point, because I don't tighten the drag all the way on any of my reels.
2. I came home, checked the max drag on the reel and thought that drag was really loose relative to the max drag spec.
3. I pulled my digital scale out to see what the max real world drag was. For the first time, I turned the dial all the way to the point that I couldn't turn it anymore.
4. To my surprise, drag maxed out at 13 lbs. Thought that the reel was faulty.
5. Learned that I didn't test the drag correctly.
6. Learned that for this reel, drag had to be tightened more than other reels to get decent drag on it.
7. Decided to not send it in for service, since there's really nothing that could be done, minus adding an extra drag washer.
8. Probably won't do anything for now. It's smooth and light and I am not trying to catch a shark with it, although that would be nice.