I’ve been in the habit of backing off my drag and the cast control on bait casters when putting up my rods after each outing. The drag should be backed off, but is it necessary to back off the cast control too?

 

Joe

I dunno - but I do it too.

The spacers in a cast control are hard. I don’t see them being harmed.  As for drags I think it depends on the material. That mushy dartanium stuff shimano uses can mash down and stick. Carbontex won’t be hurt. Spring washers may be weakened if left compressed for long periods. Between trips I wouldn’t worry about it but for seasonal storage why not loosen things. 

I only back my drags off in winter when I'm not using my reels, whether it matters or not.

How about spinning drags? I’ve heard you don’t need to, but I do.

I haven't back off my drag in years in my Lews, can't see that it's had any effect.

That seems like a lot of work to do every trip.

 

40 minutes ago, jbsoonerfan said:

That seems like a lot of work to do every trip.

 

Right? And don't forget the additional work required to reset the drag when you go back out! 

 

I don't do either.  I also fish 12 months/year, so might be different if I had winters off.

 

Drag washers are a dime a dozen and take 15 seconds to change if they flatten out.

 

As for tension knobs: it depends.  All reels are different.  The spool can/will wear a little divot in whatever material it is pressed up against... some materials hold up better than others.  Again, if this becomes an issue, pretty easy to add a shim to correct for any loss of adjustability.

 

IMO, I'd rather fix mechanical problems as they arise vs. lose a fish because I forgot to reset things.

 

 

No reason to back off or change cast control when putting the reels away after a days fishing. I always back off my drag settings enough to pull line off the reel easily after cutting off the lures to make a slip knot loop that I put over the reel and snug it up, spin the line around the guides before putting on the expando sleeve rod cover.

I do this to check how smooth the drag is slipping and know I need to set it for the next trip. If you don't reset the drag it may stick and malfunction at a critical time loosing a bass if a lifetime.

Tom 

6 hours ago, WRB said:

No reason to back off or change cast control when putting the reels away after a days fishing. I always back off my drag settings enough to pull line off the reel easily after cutting off the lures to make a slip knot loop that I put over the reel and snug it up, spin the line around the guides before putting on the expando sleeve rod cover.

I do this to check how smooth the drag is slipping and know I need to set it for the next trip. If you don't reset the drag it may stick and malfunction at a critical time loosing a bass if a lifetime.

Tom 

Ditto 

 

 

 

 

 

Mike

I only loosen during winter

I fish multiple days a week year round and never back anything off. When I didn't fish as much I use to back drags off but after the second  time I forgot to set back that cost me a fish I said no more?

I back off the cast control knob at the end of the fishing season. It helps when I pass by my reels in the winter months and spin the handles...

I back off my brakes, drag and cast control knob for the winter when not using my reels. Once I get them setup, I largely leave them setup with the exception of spring when I get out their earlier than normal -- but sometimes don't get out for a couple more weeks.

I don't loosen the cast control cap and do flip the spacer at reel cleaning time.  Of course the cast control has to come off, but I just wait until the first outing before I set them again for the season.