Drag setting for big bara?

[Marc350]

G'day Ausfishers

The girlfriend and I are heading over to Tinaroo from the 26th for a week.

We've got pretty much everything sorted - guide for the 1st day, accomodation and all of our fishing gear and anything else we're likely to need.

One question though, I did a search but couldn't pin an answer down, how do you guys set your drag - what I mean is do you set it at 1/3 the breaking strain of your line or just under the breaking strain or........ any other way??? Depend what rod your using???

My guess would be just below breaking strain but can anyone give me some advise/pros & cons?

Thanks
Marc

P.S. Hows the weather/conditions over there and have the fish been playing lately?

P.P.S. If anyone needs a deckie or two feel free to contact me.

[Dick Pasfield]

G'day Marc

The answer to that has been embedded on a number of threads before. I'll summarise as best I can. I'm sure others will add.

It depends on a number of things, one being line size. For 30lb braid I use between 3 and 5 kgs of drag off the rod depending on terrain. However I use hard body lure that almost always remain outside the barra's gob on a hook up and the leader remains mostly undamaged in the fight. Plastics can go down a long way and a high drag setting with a fish jumping and shaking its head can equal a lost fish through abrasion on the line rather quickly.

Secondly your hooks, what sort of strain will they handle? Some like Owners and the VMCs on classics are not too bad on the higher settings but poor old standard Mustads get knocked around something fierce.

Terrain is important, clear water let the fish have its head a bit, not so it's near dead then it comes in but so it comes in in good condition. Screwing up the drag can really embed a hook into a fish and tear flesh.

Heavy terrain and this depends on how heavy my answer is not to give the fish anything except a lot of stick, make it jump and keep it tethered until it can be led to the boat for release. If it runs and builds up speed tightening from that point is risky business.

Most times the above works for me:)

[Tropicaltrout]

Yaeh go with what dick said, pretty much the stratargy I use aswell, most reels these days a re at around 4 to 5 kgs of drag locked so a barra has no trouble in taking line so its all in the thumbs there are up grades though....

Have a great trip mate hope you both nail a ig one, then all you have to worry about is that obsessive compulsive drive to catch more!!!!

Nath

[NAGG]

Dick has pretty well summed it up

I'll add that it also depends on the rod you are using .......... & short broomstick type of rod can be a disaster when a locked up drag meets a surging run or jump ( Hooks get opened & lines can pop) A softer / longer rod (6'6"- 7'2") can be more forgiving as the rod absorbs that shock/ jolt .

Anyhow ..... I hope you guys have a great trip- Tinaroo is an awesome place

Cheers

Chris

[Whitto]

It's better to have to increase your drag if need be than have it locked up.....if the bite is hot the Barra will take care of attaching itself to your lure one way or another....Of course the next part of the battle depends where you are Eg: In timber out in the open or casing to points and weedbeds.......Whitto

[Sniper]

Ditto to all the above. The harder you pull, the harder they pull. Depends on locations as to the drag and like Nagg said also the rods.

On the note of hooks, most people use Owner ST66 trebles. If you are finding that you aren't getting good hookup rates, try the ST56's. Slightly lighter gauge but still strong. The lighter gauge penetrates better. The only time that you would straighten these hooks is with really excessive drag pressure or the hook hasn't penertated into the gape of the hook. Same with most hooks really. The strongest part of the hook is the gap.

Try tying different hooks onto a hight breaking stain line and connect the other end to a scale and place the hook around something strong and find when the hook will straighten. You would be supprised how much pressure they can take.

[Barraboss]

Marc,

Ian will give you any answers to any questions you have... I have been out with him after fishing the dam myself a fair few times (going to similiar/same places that I had already been). I wasn't after locations to fish, but knowledge on anything from how to cast right through to netting the fish. This is when you tell a good guide from a bad one. Anyone could catch a fish but showing/explaining the whole process is the tricky bit and adjusting it to suit the customers personal style and requirements. Ian will do this without a doubt, and you will receive more infrmation than what you could off the net.

Like I said, give me a bell beforehand and I will be up there on the weekends, so am happy to go with you or take you both for a look-see. I am also sure that Theo will be cruising around not too far away either.

Fish are certainly around, I will do another report in the Freshwater reports section tonight I hope from weekend just gone (plus others from previous trips are there). For the time I was actually fishing and not helping my mates wife to get into the swing of things the results I was quite happy with. Stay tuned......Its just like shooting fish in a barrel :) :)

Catch you soon

Matt

[Barraboss]

Just a quick double post.....

The hooks are generally straightened by excessive drag pressure (more so on single hooks) as Sniper mentioned but on trebles they are straightened (IMO)via the amazing jaw pressure that the barra posseses when one hook is caught on lower jaw and other is on top jaw....Just my thoughts

Cheers
Matt

[Sniper]

Matt, I totally agree with you on that as well. If one treble is hooked in the bottom and the other in the top then any hook could straighten. However I wasn't refering to this senario. I personally have never had this issue but I've heard of it happening. I don't think even ST77's would be strong enough to withstand that sort of pressure from a barra's jaw.

[Marc350]

Apreciate all your comments guys.

Thanks Dick, I think we'll start on 3kg - using 20lb sunline super pe so should be okay.
Would like to have a good go at the timber but we'll see how sneaky the houseboat is::)

Rods are 7"6 long so a bit of extra shock absorbment to give us an extra hand.

Dick & Sniper we'll be throwing both soft plastics and hardbody lures and all the hooks have been upgraded to owner ST66s, with owner hyperwire rings, middle hooks removed and pimped up with tungsten sticky weight for varying rates of suspend/slow float. 8-) Tested the lures in a freshwater fishtank (for suspension rate) but have not tested the actions yet however I don't know if that will have much bearing as I'm under the impression that if the lure stays in the strikezone - in the bara's face - long enough then it will probably just get slammed!!!

Whitto, sounds like the consensus mate 1st hook em then adjust the drag if needed. Cheers

Thanks Chris & Nath for the good wishes, yeah don't worry guys 1 decent fish and I'll be the next IBD victim for sure

Hey Matt Ian's not gunna know what hit him, I've got a list as long as my arm of questions to ask him but then again he probably gets that all the time!

Yeah definately love to catchup with you for a fish mate I'll be in touch. Thanks for the invite.8-)

And I'll be hitting Theo up for a ride as well.;D

Thanks again gents.

Regards
Marc