Conference wahoo::fishing-v2

    Hey Doc,
    I've used those Downeast holders for years in my canoe as well as on
    my SeaNymph.  I have fixed holders on the 'Nymph, but the Downeasters
    allow me to stick a holder here or there as required.
    
    Couple hints.  Keep the clamp screws lightly oiled.  They are made with
    a fairly cheap metal alloy and can get corroded fairly easily.  They
    they bind and are a bear to screw/unscrew.
    
    For clamping them to something thin, like the thinckness of the canoe
    hull, you might want to cut a couple strips of wood to place between
    the hull and the clamps.
    
    Those Downeasters are great for the money.  They can be adjusted to
    have the rod in about any position you want and also get the rod tip
    the maximum distance from the boat/canoe.
    
    Properly fastened, I've never had one come even the slightest bit loose
    from the boat.  It's nice to be able to swap them from boat to canoe
    and back again in a couple minutes too.  Good choice.
    
    Pete  (moosehead lake in 26 days!  Come on ice-out!)

    
    I'll second the use and excellent quality of the "DownEast" rod
    holders. I've been using them for about 6 years now and have no
    complaints. I've seen them in a lot of stores but Zyla's in Merrimack
    seemed to have the best price.
    
    
                                                    Guy
    
    

    re: base note
    
    You will not have to worry about losing everything when the big fish
    takes the lure as long as the drag is set properly. 
    
                                 Jeff (Captain)
                                 Team Starcraft

    Jeff ---
    
    How does one set the drag "properly?"
    
    I normally catch just bass, perch, pickerel, and the occasional
    oversized shiner, so I have never had the drag come into use with one
    of those. The one time I hooked a lake trout, the drag did come into
    use, but that was because I had set it too light as an experiment. (I
    reset the drag while the fish was hooked by opening the spool and
    letting the fish run. I happened to know the bottom right there and
    knew there was nothing for the fish to wrap the line around.) 
    
    So, how does one go about setting the drag correctly?
    
    Thanks.
    
    John H-C

    It basically depends on the size of the line your using.
    
    You might have just bought a $15 Zebco that came pre-spooled with
    12 pound test. Setting the drag properly is probably not real important
    in this case if you are catching fish in the 1-3 pound category. With
    12 pound test you can just about "winch in" anything that comes along.
    
    Now, if you are loaded up with say, 4 or 6 pound test and a 5 pound
    smallmouth takes your bait, this is where your drag comes into play.
    If it's set too tight (meaning the line is extremely hard to pull out
    of the reel) and that smallie decides to take a run, there is a good
    chance of a break-off (meaning you never see your lure again). If it's
    set too loose then you won't be able to get a good hook-set and/or
    you won't be able to reel it in. 
    
    In the case in point, you want to set your drag so when the fish grabs
    your lure and decides to take a "run" he will pull line out of your
    reel instead of pulling your rod,reel, and rod holder off the side of
    your boat. It would be better to have your drag too loose than too
    tight. 
    
    The term "screaming drag" simply means that the fish is pulling line
    out of your reel at a healthy rate.
    
    One more thing:: Testing has shown that ordinary drags "peak" just
    before they release line on the initial strike. Although this peak
    lasts only for a fraction of a second, the stress applied can be almost 
    double the actual drag setting.
    
    Hope this helps...
    
                                       Jeff (Captain)
                                       Team Starcraft
    
    

>    You will not have to worry about losing everything when the big fish
>    takes the lure as long as the drag is set properly. 

 That was only an issue when I didn't have any rod holder at all and just laid
the rod against the gunwale.

 I used the rod holder yesterday. It works really well, and I think it was
worth every penny.

 The Doctah

My experience is more tilted to the salt, but should apply also to sweet water.
The drag should be set about 1/3 of the unknotted line strength.  Now, when
fishing for bass, the following is not that significant.  However, for big game
fish (which tend to pull LOTS of line off the reel) it is:  Be aware that the
more line that is out, the more drag is put on the fish.  If the fish has 100
yards of line, the fish is pulling that line through the water, which has a
pretty good amount of drag independent of the reel.

Tim

    
    Always mesure the drag setting at the rod tip (use a scale, put rod in
    holder and pull line, read scale) not at the reel.
    
    Bruce