Will YOU Back OFF?

There are things that I do in the surf that are purely second nature. They’re part of my routine, or I’ve been doing them intermittently for so long they’re automatic. Yet, when I fish with someone else- even someone I’ve fished with dozens or even hundreds of times- there are often little eccentricities that are integrated into my nights in the surf that either surprise them, or they’ve simply never thought of. And this is true in the other direction too- I’ve learned a lot of little things from other anglers “on the fly” as well- and Toby specifically has shown me things he thought everyone just did all the time, that I had never even heard of.

Anyways, one night recently I was gearing down and I started loosening my drag until the spool essentially spun freely. The guy I was with asked me if I was tangled or something, and I replied that I was not, but after a night in the surf where the drag gets used repeatedly and gets wet, I always back off. He had never even thought of that. When he asked a little about why, I said that 1) I felt it preserved the washers in the drag, particularly as everything dried and 2) if I got the drag knob really loose some fresh water could actually get under it and rinse the reel more thoroughly (nooks and crannies sort-of-deal).

Not that I’m so meticulous about rinsing. But let’s just move past that- ha!

I’ve never had anyone actually provide me with hard data showing this “full back off” indeed does anything, but I’m convinced it’s a very low effort routine that could yield meaningful results. I use my reels incredibly hard, and every little bit helps- maybe it even compensates for those nights I forget to rinse and it sits in the sun baking for a couple days on a night off. Plus, Toby does it every night, and he was the one that convinced me to start trying it. That’s enough of an endorsement for me.

Still using and loving my SaltX II reel as well. You can hear some of my thoughts about it in the Gear We Use episode– season 2, episode 51.