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Home > Learn to Fish & Boat > How To Fish > How to Catch Fish
You’ve cast your line, lured in a fish, got a bite and set the hook. You’re now ready to reel the fish in. Learn how to set drag on conventional reels and on baitcaster reels.
You’ve cast your line, lured in a fish, got a bite and set the hook. You’re now ready to reel the fish in. The last thing you want to experience during this phase in learning how to fish is a broken line. Most breaks can be easily avoided while drag fishing by learning how to set drag on your fishing reel. What is drag fishing? Simply put, if you’re using a fishing rod and reel setup, as opposed to, say, pole fishing or trawling with a net, you will most likely adjust the drag at some point. The drag is simply a pair of friction plates inside of fishing reels. If the fish pulls on the line hard enough, the friction is overcome, and the reel rotates backwards, letting line out, preventing the line from breaking. You want to set the drag on a fishing reel before your first cast of the day. Adjusting it while fighting a fish can be difficult. Also, drag fishing gear is generally not designed to be adjusted while fishing, so doing so could cause damage.
Setting drag on baitcaster reels follows the same principals as setting drag on conventional reels. The only difference is the location of the drag adjustment mechanism.
Once you’ve learned how to set drag on a fishing reel, you’re ready to start casting. Visit here to learn more about how to cast.
The largemouth bass is the most popular freshwater game fish in the U.S. Learn more about how you can identify a largemouth bass, where to catch it and what bait and lures to use.
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