Hey guys .  I picked up a president 30 size today because of such popular demand on the Internet for best bang for your buck. 

 

When I got home I noticed it has a max drag of only 9lbs.  Would this be good enough if I hooked into a large largemouth 

Yes it's plenty good, you don't need a ton of drag unless your fishing in a lot of cover and slop and if you were doing that I  doubt you would be using a spinning reel.

some casting reel have between 8 -10,  that is plenty of drag

Thanks guys, trying to put a budget rod together for kayak.  I have a bunch of bait casters but wanted to throw a spinner in the mix. 

 

Now for a rod

Between my wife and I we fish with around 8 or 9 Presidents. Most in the 30,35 and 40 size. They have plenty of drag.  This spring we were fishing on Dale Hollow Lake which is the home  of some huge smallies.  We caught the big females just leaving the beds and  roaming in deep main lake grass flats. They were in a terribly bad mood. The best weapon all week was a 1/10 ounce mushroom head jig and a TRD body ( the Ned Rig from Z Man)  We fished them on a pair of G Loomis 6' light action rods (SJR 721s) with 30 size Presidents. She hooked and successfully landed a 6 1/2 pound monster catfish that ran her back and forth from the front deck to the back deck, while I was doubled over with laughter. She had 14 pound FireLine original and a 3 foot P Line CXX moss green 10 pound leader.  That rig certainly does not meet the definition of a "classic" catfish outfit. We regularly catch big blue and channel cats while striper fishing on the Chesapeake Bay using those spinning  reels. No worry at all.

Welcome aboard!

My favorite reels are 1000 size shimanos for
bass fishing. Smaller than a 30 President, and
with 7-9# max drag.

 

Have had ZERO issues with numerous bass 
over 6# and sometimes in thick slop. I love 
smaller reels. if your drag isn't enough then 
you simply use the palm of your hand to add
more. No big deal.

Have caught a lot of fish with one on my shaky head setup has never let me down.

They're awesome reels, own 2 or 3 ATM.

Not the prettiest imo but theyre awesome