Not being a techno kind of guy I don't understand this.  Why is my Avet mxj with a max drag of 14#, that never has needed full drag to handle fish while my spinning reels (Penn, Shimano, Abu) with 28-32# max drags have been cranked down much more and still don't slow some of the same species I catch with the Avet.  To clarify, I have a little bit of an easier time handling the same fish on my conventional outfit, I do prefer the spinning.

the best answer is kind of confusing, but in plain terms the force required to pull out drag initially in a baitcaster is more than the rating on the reel. this is because the reel is rated for the force of the drag while it is already in motion. pull out the drag on your caster you will feel the drag be hard to pull then get easier as line comes out. in a spinning reel the force required to pull the drag is much less than on baitcasters, this is mainly because of the materials the two drag systems are made out of are very different. if you want to have a more technical ubnderstanding google the concepts "coefficient of static friction, and the coeficient of kinetic friction".  this will give you a better understanding of the issue you are having.

 

Mitch

BC has to go through the gears to work ..spinning reel the force is bam there spinning reel drags are way more powerful

How so are the drag materials different between styles of reels?  Besides shimano using felt, I think all other big names have evolved to carbon.  Each style uses stainless steel.

 

Snook have you scale tested your spinners drags.  Could they be contaminated with oil?

 

Snook have you scale tested your spinners drags.  Could they be contaminated with oil?

No testing, but I believe what I own works as it should, at the slightest "sniffle" they get professionally fixed or replaced.  Recently I had my Penn conquer 7000 and my Avet mxj serviced and my Soron 60 replaced with a new one.  I was only curious why my b/c has a lower poundage rating than my spinners, yet it can handle a larger fish.  A more extreme comparison would be landing an amberjack with my b/c 14# max drag( which I've done) yet trying to land that same fish with one of my soron 20 or a supreme 35 with 16# of drag would be near impossible, plus you know as well as I do locking that drag down all the way is instant disaster.

I'm actually thinking buying a Fin Nor marquesa to add to my offshore arsenal.