Why does the drag stick or jerk instead of running smoothly?
Dry or contaminated drag washers (carbon or felt), a spool that was stored with the drag cranked down, or a rusted drag spring. Open the drag knob, wipe the washers, re-grease carbon washers with drag grease (never oil on felt), and store the reel with the drag backed off. A drag that sticks on a 6 lb leader is a lost fish.
The full story
This answer is one piece of a longer lesson — setups, diagrams and the reasoning behind it.
More questions about Spinning Reel
- Why does my line twist into coils after half an hour on a spinning reel?
- Can I fill a spinning reel with fluorocarbon or nylon as the main line?
- Shallow, standard or deep spool — which one should I buy?
- 2500 or 3000 for bass?
- What do the S, SS, M, D, C, HG, XG, PG letters mean?
- Gear ratio: high speed or low speed?
- How full should I load the spool?
- Why does braid slip and spin on the spool under drag?
- What are wind knots and how do I stop them?
- Should I close the bail by hand or with the handle?
- Does a bigger spool really cast farther?
- Left-hand or right-hand retrieve?
- Can I use a spinning reel in salt water?
- The reel grinds or feels rough — what is worn?
- How do I match the reel to the rod?
- Why is the line piling up at one end of the spool?
- Does the reel's weight matter?