TACKLE
By Paul Nixon
F
ISHING reels have come a long way over the years, starting off with very rudimentary workings and moving on to very high performance and fancy specimens indeed. Gone are the days of having to douse a reel in water to cool it down because of huge runs and reels overheating due to extreme drag pressure. As a result of the drag friction on those old reels, anglers sometimes had to deal with inconsistent drag performance. Before discussing the various materials used in modern fishing reels, let’s consider how drag washers function. Drag systems — through a series of disks and washers connected to the reel’s spool — rub (or drag) together, applying friction which creates drag or pressure to slow down the line as the fish pulls on hard runs. All this happens in a controlled manner so as not to create a sudden stop which might cause your line to part.
This Shimano Torium 50 has been cleaned and polished and is ready for the carbontex upgrade installment.
Standard drag washer from Shimano TLD Star 2040 and upgrade carbontex washer.
A big selection of carbontex washers.
This is a Shimano TLD Star 2040 showing the new carbontex washers and original washers.
SKI-BOAT May/June 2021 • 49
