So today I pre set my drags at the house before heading to the lake. After fishing a bit I tested the drags again on both of my spinning rods and the drags were considerably tighter than when i had set them earlier. Does cold weather have an effect on spinning reel drags?

I've never noticed a difference, but It's possible depending on the individual model I guess.

How cold is cold? 

 

I'm a back reeler, so my drag sticking isn't a huge concern, but I've noticed in extreme cold they'll either slip or seem to tighten at times. I assume this is from moisture getting inside the reel and expanding. Seems to really be an issue once the air temps are below about 25*

I suppose it could be an issue if you use a reel with greased drag discs.

 

oe

15 hours ago, JustinJ said:

Does cold weather have an effect on spinning reel drags?

I find that it does.  In freezing temps, they can get stuck, if they're not a sealed drag.  All my sub freezing set ups use a dry Carbontex set up.  This ensures the drags operate smoothly, regardless of temps.

Interesting, I've never noticed this, probably will now though...lol

Some greases get thicker in the cold, and sometimes water gets in there and freezes.