Setting your drag for saltwater gamefish means using a hand scale to set the drag to about 20 percent of your line's breaking strength when you pull straight against it, which becomes roughly 25 percent once you raise the rod to a fighting angle. I sat down with legendary Miami captain Bouncer Smith, who has done this for over fifty years, and he walked me through the exact method he teaches his customers. In this How 2 Tuesday Bouncer breaks down the hand-scale technique, when to back off the drag, and the open-bail trick that turns a running fish around.
Listen now: press play in the player above and follow along.
Bouncer Smith sets drag with a hand scale. Fasten the scale to your fishing line with the line running through the rod guides, point the rod straight at the scale, and tighten the drag until the line slips at 20 percent of the line's breaking strength. With 20-pound test that is four pounds of drag. As you raise the rod toward a 45-degree fighting angle, friction over the guides and the bend of the rod push that to about 25 percent, or six pounds on 20-pound test.
About 20 percent of the line's breaking strength when you pull straight against the scale, and about 25 percent when the rod is raised to a fighting angle. For fish you want to stop quickly, like snook in the mangroves or grouper on a wreck, Bouncer bumps it to 25 percent straight, which approaches 30 percent when the rod is up. The exact number depends on whether the fish makes long runs or needs to be stopped fast.
Point the rod straight at the fish. When the rod is straight, you are only applying about 20 percent drag, the lowest pressure, which is what you want when a fish is running hard and you do not want to break it off. With a lever-drag reel you can back it off a couple of clicks, especially as you get low on line. With a spinning reel, loosen the spool knob about three clicks during the run, then tighten it back as you regain line.
For snook in the mangroves or grouper on a wreck, set the drag to about 25 percent of the line strength pulling straight away, close to 30 percent when you raise the rod. That heavier pressure does not work for a long blistering run, but it is very effective at stopping a fish before it reaches structure. The goal is to turn the fish's head before it buries you in cover.
When a fish is running for cover and you cannot stop it, open your bail or free-spool the reel. The fish is fighting the tension of the line, so when the tension disappears it thinks it got away, turns around, and swims back out. Bouncer even uses this when he hooks too many billfish at once and is getting low on line: opening the bail stops the fish from peeling line so fast because it is no longer fighting the pull.
Bouncer hooks a snap swivel onto a chain-link fence, which has give like a fish, sets the drag to 20 to 25 percent, and has someone raise the rod until the drag slips at a 45-degree angle. That teaches you what the rod looks like when it is bent under the right amount of drag. Then on the water, if a friend's rod is bent too much you tell them to back off, and if it is not bent enough you tell them to take it up a couple clicks so they are fighting enough drag to land the fish in reasonable time.
Here is the hand-scale method Bouncer Smith taught me, step by step.
I walk through each of these in detail in the episode. Press play in the player above.
I was sitting with Bouncer Smith in his Miami apartment overlooking the city and the ocean, and he made the case that has guided his fishing for over fifty years: do not guess at your drag, measure it. A hand scale takes the mystery out of it. Twenty percent of your line strength pulling straight, about twenty-five percent with the rod raised. I get into why that consistency catches more fish in the episode, so press play in the player above.
Bouncer fishes one drag setting for gamefish that make long runs, sailfish, bonefish, and other open-water fish, and a heavier setting for fish he needs to stop fast, like snook in the mangroves and grouper on a wreck. The open-water fish get 20 to 25 percent so they can run without breaking off. The cover fish get 25 to 30 percent to turn their heads before they reach structure. He explains the difference in the episode.
This was my favorite part. When a fish is running for cover and you simply cannot stop it, Bouncer opens the bail or free-spools the reel. The fish has been fighting the tension of the line, and the instant that tension is gone it thinks it escaped, turns, and swims back out. He even uses it on billfish when he is hooked up to too many at once and running low on line. Press play in the player above to hear exactly how he does it.
Bouncer hooks a snap swivel to a chain-link fence, sets his drag, and has someone raise the rod until it slips at a 45-degree angle so they learn what a properly loaded rod looks like. Then when he is coaching a kid, a spouse, or a friend during a fight, he can tell at a glance whether their rod is bent too much, back off, or not enough, take it up a couple clicks. I love this as a teaching tool, and he walks through it in the episode.
Fifty-two years of fishing taught Bouncer Smith to set drag with a scale, not a guess, and after sitting with him I do the same. Get a hand scale, learn the 20 and 25 percent numbers, and practice on a fence so you know what the rod should look like. Do that and you will land more of the fish you hook. Press play in the player above.
Bouncer Smith · Miami · hand scale · drag setting · 20-pound test · spinning reel · lever drag reel · sailfish · snook · grouper · billfish · open bail technique · Florida Keys · How 2 Tuesday · Saltwater Experience
How 2 Tuesday is my weekly series where I break down one fishing skill at a time, from knots and casting to gear, tactics, and the habits that make you a better angler. Watch and listen to every How 2 Tuesday episode from Tom Rowland.
I'm Tom Rowland, a professional fishing guide based in the Florida Keys, host of the Tom Rowland Podcast, and the longtime host of the Saltwater Experience television show. On the podcast's How 2 Tuesday series I break down one practical skill or lesson at a time, from fishing technique and gear to the habits that make you a better angler, in short, focused episodes you can put to use right away.
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