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OK, I was talking to someone today, and we were trying to figure out which one is REALLY better, a reel with a lever drag or a reel with the a star drag. Mechanically, I see no difference in the performance of the two. The only advantage of a lever drag that I can see is that once you find that "sweet spot" you like your drag at, you just slide that bad boy up there each time and it's on. With a star drag, you kinda have to set it each time, atleast I like to just to be safe. I own a few different lever drag reels, and then I have my trusty Penn Senators. I have to tell ya, I like the old Senator 2's, Besides the internationals, there's just something about the lever drag I don't like. Maybe i'm just stuck in the way I grew up doing it I guess.
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Hey there Tarpon4me,
I like the lever drag but it's not avaliable on the size reels I wish it were on for saltwater. I use Calcutta and Corsair 400's for everything I fish for here locally (white sea bass, barracuda, bass, tuna, etc.) on the big salty.
I know little about the actual mechanics of how the star drag makes contact with the drag washers but I imagine the lever drag has more contact and the drag '?washers?' can take more heat generated by wahoo and such.
The reels that have dual disk brakes (no kidding) use the lever drag mechnism to adjust pressure.
I got the bait casting reel I bought in Japan that is a star drag but has two settings! One setting for the strike and ................ one when you turn the handle twice! Acts kind of like the push button 2-speed gear clutches.
I hope us light tackle guys will get a lever drag small reel someday.
JapanRon
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I see what you're saying about the lever drag taking more heat. But, have you ever heard of a reel melting down because of a fish? I've heard of a single reel getting fried, and this is no lie, I saw the reel. A Mako hit a friend of mines reel and it basically "melted" it to the frame. He was using a Penn 4/0 size reel, it was unbelievable. That mako was going so fast, it basically boiled the damn outside frame to the reel. Undougtly, the drag got so hot it just seared it. He said he had it locked all the way down, I was just wondering what kind of line he had on it. [laugh] My thoughts are, if you have equipment to match the species of fish you're after, does it really matter? And, if a 4/0 size lever drag reel had been in place of that senator, do you think it would have held up any better? There is a little food for thought
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I have never used the lever drags myself but it sounds like you may have a quicker control and more precise. I have some of the older Penn 500s as well as newer Penn 501s, 545s, 555s and the 9M levelwind for realy light stuff.
I wasn't too long ago that I got a brand new drag replacement. That was do to hooking into a 150 Bat Ray that wouldn't slow down for anything. My reel was smoking something fierce. The only thing my son could do just before we cut the line was to poor the last of our 1gallon water bottle on it to try and keep it cool.
I ended up having to cut the line as I was just about to get spooled and the end was near. From there it would have been a tug of war with me and my 80lb braided line with doulble arbor knot against the Bat Ray from hell headed to the Museam at Catalina Island.[pirate]
I am glad that I use heavy freshwater hooks for my C&R fishing. At least the hooks will rust out within a short time.
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