Star drags vs. lever drags

nmbrinkman · Nov-28-2006, 02:42 PM

Curious to know what you guys think about the two(specifically, regarding yak fishing). I've heard from some experienced folks that lever drags have a tendency to be more susceptable to water intrusion than star drags and then I've also heard that lever drags are just as good. I own two avets (mx/lx) and I like em. I've had problems with salt intrusion but in their defense, I did dump the kayak and submerged em in the drink twice....I kinda wanna shy away from using the LX too much since I have found it's a little overkill for LJ. I like my MXL but I've also briefly conversed via pms to Alan Tani and he recommended a jigmaster I wouldn't mind giving it a try as well. What do you guys think?

Stanley · Nov-28-2006, 02:48 PM

I'd do what Alan says and use the 500s on a yak. Worst case scenario...you're out $50. (Plus, they'll catch just about everything you'll run across on a yak.)

screaming_spool · Nov-28-2006, 02:52 PM

daiwa sealines are great on the yak. Hold up well

sealskinner · Nov-28-2006, 02:59 PM

Shim 15/30. Nice an narrow. Great outta the box.

nmbrinkman · Nov-28-2006, 03:01 PM

what about the lever vs star?

sealskinner · Nov-28-2006, 03:06 PM

Lever drags sure are purdy. But I don't think you really need it in LJ.

KC Kevin · Nov-28-2006, 03:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sealskinner

Shim 15/30. Nice an narrow. Great outta the box.

I have heard this recommendation from more than one yakker. TLD 15/30 or 20/40S. Better castability than a jigmaster IMO and the spool tolerance isn't an issue.

Weazel · Nov-28-2006, 03:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sealskinner

Shim 15/30. Nice an narrow. Great outta the box.

Mikes right. They're great reals right out of the box and they don't cost an arm and a leg. Plus, you don't have to worry about scratching it up or all the corrosion problems of aluminum frames. I've got one and it's always on the boat. My brother caught a 30 pound bluefin on it over the summer. Suckers still nice and smooth.

Iceman · Nov-28-2006, 05:03 PM

the first decent saltwater reel I bought was a star 15/30, still have it. If I can ever get that corroded crank side bearing off it will rise again. The pair of Speedmasters I use more than anything are the same size as the 20/40s, just a higher gearing and a spool bearing instead of a bushing. I have thrown away more than a few 500s, I think they suck for the yak.

The only time I like the lever over the star is when you are using a big fiesty bait or a fair amount of lead on the line, using it like a variable clicker.

madscientist · Nov-28-2006, 05:12 PM

High end lever drags seem to be too delicate for the yak lifestyle, but the cheaper ones seem to hold up okay. I like my levers for the reasons Andy mentioned but they all end up getting sticky after a few trips. Everyone I know with Avets on the yak has issues pretty quick. For that reason I'm back to stars almost exclusively. My trinidads and saltigas take a beating and just keep going. Wouldn't fish anything else at this point. Variable clicker drag on the trinidad is a great feature that allows you to optimize for bait/lead weights like a lever drag.

Tyler T · Nov-28-2006, 08:18 PM

My limited experience so far:
Avets take a beating on the kayak, never even dunked one and they get sticky in less than one month.

My penn 500 and my old penn 149 didn't like salty air too well either. They lasted about a 10 trips before starting to go bad, then they got dunked and went bad fast.

My old style shimano calcutta 700 binds up after a month or so even without getting dunked.

My most bullet proof, and cheapest, reel so far is a shimano corsair 400 I use on the sabiki stick. Over 1 year with multiple dunkings when I started and no service at all.

My shimano pair of TLD 15 lever drags are still going strong, no sticking. This is after about ~65 trips. I have had them for about 5 months. Haven't dumped them yet though. I really like the lever drag for the big baits and heavy weights as everyone else pointed out. I also like being able to fuck with the drag and still know where the limits are during the fight, button down the drag when a fish runs for some structure, loosen the drag at color when the fish sees the boat and flips out. At some point I will be getting trini's becuase of the adjustable clicker tension.

Whatever reel you use keep them out of the water. When I launch/land I keep all rigs upright behind me to keep them drier. When in the flushmounts behind me in the trolling position they can get submerged in the surf even if I don't dump it.

nmbrinkman · Nov-28-2006, 08:53 PM

Thanks for the input guys....