front drag v rear drag

[carl heaton]

help me out here guys i am looking at buying a shimano stradic,but dont know whether to go for a front or rear drag,whats everyones preference.

cheers guys

[mick57]

HI Carl its really going to come down to personal preference,after years of using rear drag,i noticed the trend with some match anglers changing to front drag so bought one and was converted.If you are not into backwinding then i would recommend a quality front drag.

I have shimano and Diawa both are great IMO.But my advice would be if you have not used front drag before try and borrow and fish with one of simular quality to that which you are thinking of buying.

One thing i have learnt is that its a false economy to skimp on reels a quality reel can transform a rod.

[connor]

I dont have a reel with a rear drag but i really do think it would be easier to have it on the back

[mick57]

I dont have a reel with a rear drag but i really do think it would be easier to have it on the back

Again i think a lot depends on how you want to play fish,when using the drag on the quality reels now available i find that if you set it to the line you are using then you dont have to adjust while playing.

If the above is your preference then front drag will be more responsive,my fav reel is a Diawa airty 3000 and the drag is so smooth that you can set it to put a lot of pressure on a bigger fish without fear of being snapped.

[carl heaton]

HI Carl its really going to come down to personal preference,after years of using rear drag,i noticed the trend with some match anglers changing to front drag so bought one and was converted.If you are not into backwinding then i would recommend a quality front drag.

I have shimano and Diawa both are great IMO.But my advice would be if you have not used front drag before try and borrow and fish with one of simular quality to that which you are thinking of buying.

One thing i have learnt is that its a false economy to skimp on reels a quality reel can transform a rod.

thanks mick,i do have reels with front drag my pxr 4000 which i think is underated granted it doesnt fit properly on the mini range of rods preston do but apart from that i rate it,also i have a diawa whisker which i dont rate,in rear drag reels i own i have a cheap drennan reel which for the money is a good piece of kit,also i have just bought a shimano super 3000sgt-rc not used it yet though.

The thing is i do like both front and rear,so i want to make sure i buy the right stradic ! i have noticed there is a big price difference with the stradic up to £150 on the front drag and the rear drag can be picked up for less than £100,does that say the front drag is far superier than the rear on this model,i am a little confused on the price difference.

[mick57]

The thing is i do like both front and rear,so i want to make sure i buy the right stradic ! i have noticed there is a big price difference with the stradic up to £150 on the front drag and the rear drag can be picked up for less than £100,does that say the front drag is far superier than the rear on this model,i am a little confused on the price difference.

Hi carl your above an interesting point and i dont no why hopefully another member will reply as i would like to no.I bought shimano's for years still use a technician magnesium great reel with the preston mini rods, but i am now sold on daiwa reels.

[NathanWatson]

thanks mick,i do have reels with front drag my pxr 4000 which i think is underated granted it doesnt fit properly on the mini range of rods preston do but apart from that i rate it,also i have a diawa whisker which i dont rate,in rear drag reels i own i have a cheap drennan reel which for the money is a good piece of kit,also i have just bought a shimano super 3000sgt-rc not used it yet though.

The thing is i do like both front and rear,so i want to make sure i buy the right stradic ! i have noticed there is a big price difference with the stradic up to £150 on the front drag and the rear drag can be picked up for less than £100,does that say the front drag is far superier than the rear on this model,i am a little confused on the price difference.

Doesn't fit on their rods???!!! Surely you're entitled to a refund? Personally I prefer never to use a drag so go for cheaper rear drag reels and just tighten it up as far as it will go. If I were you I'd get all reels the same that you're happy with and sell the others. I also think the ratio on Stradics is too fast.

[carl heaton]

lets hope somebody can tell us mick before i go out and splash the cash ! why such a big price difference

[NathanWatson]

I guess the front drag models involve more sophisticated engineering and time to make?

[carl heaton]

Doesn't fit on their rods???!!! Surely you're entitled to a refund? Personally I prefer never to use a drag so go for cheaper rear drag reels and just tighten it up as far as it will go. If I were you I'd get all reels the same that you're happy with and sell the others. I also think the ratio on Stradics is too fast.

hi nathen nice to talk to you and thanks for the advice,on the preston mini rods you have to take the reel seat right of the threads then put the pxr on and push the reel seat back on and tighten up,the problem being the foot plate is to big ! they have done away with the reel now and are fetching a new one out were you wont have problems seating it.