Hello, Does anyone know of or had this happen. I just received a new spinning reel from NAFC. I put 8lb fire wire crystal on it, and set my drag accordingly.  On my third cast I felt a clunk on the reel, the drag feels really tight, on retrieve the drag will will click and sound like it's being pulled out. I also need to adjust the drag so tight just to reel up the line. Is there a fix for this. Or is the reel junk. Thanks

Welcome aboard.

Well, if you are sure the line isn't wrapped around the bail or a line guide or in any way tagled, twisted or knotted.

There is a lot of missing information to be able to blame the reel and without knowing your skill level I don't want to offend you.

 Is the reel a front or rear drag? Spools on the spinning reels I am aware of are not gear driven, they ride on an oscillating shaft and drag doesn't really play into the retrieve. If you were using a bait that overpowered the outfit or you were hung up the drag may slip. Again I don't mean to offend but the more I think about the more confused I get, are you sure the reel isn't a spincast reel?

If it really is a spinning reel and you are sure the line isn't tangled, I would suggest taking the line off the reel and give it a few cranks to see if the reel still does it.

Is the Fireline tied directly to the reel spool? Many superlines slip on a spool and cause problems that seem like faulty drags. If it is directly tied, attach some mono backing to the spool and attach the Fireline to the mono and see if that solves the problem.

Marty got it.

You didn't back the braid with a mono backing or even a tape backing and the line is slipping around the spool.