Fishing for Sturgeon on the magnificent Fraser River is definitely not like Bass fishing on a small lake.
One thing we noticed is that all of the baitcasting reels that our “Numero Uno” guide Vic Carrao has on his boat have lever drag systems as opposed to star drag systems. We talked about star drags on a previous ‘Tools of the Trade’ segment, so let’s look at this lever drag system.
On the outside, this system uses a sliding lever mounted on the top side of the reel to make drag adjustments. The location of this lever is often preferred by anglers over the star drag design because it’s really easy to get to. It’s also a favourite of big game anglers because the reel doesn’t heat up like it does on a star system. This makes for a longer lasting reel.
On the inside is where these reels differ dramatically. A lever drag has one big fibre washer. It’s as big as the spool and sits right up against it. Pressure of the washer against the spool creates the drag.
A star drag, remember, has several smaller washers that sit inside the main gear. When a big fish makes a run, all those smaller surfaces rubbing together generate a tremendous amount of heat. With one big washer right up against the spool, the lever drag creates much less heat and more efficient drag.
It’s something to think about if you want to hunt the big boys.
