Nobody likes a “jerky” bait caster drag! You know, one that randomly pukes out line in pulses instead of being smooth like a Cuban cigar! Or what about a drag that you have to crank down with a cheater-bar just to get it to hold; worn and tired out for sure? Then there’s the drag you can’t trust, one that won’t play line when you know you’ll need it; probably contaminated with oil, dirt or debris.  And last but not least, the worst of the worst; how about the Hot N’ Cold drag!  One minute its working fine and then the next it won’t hold – someone call the doctor, got a case of drag bi-polar …it just might be the Phantom Drag!

Wait a minute, Phantom Drag? You’re new to bait casters and haven’t heard of that one before? Phantom Drag really isn’t a drag problem at all – it only gives the appearance or symptoms of one.  It actually occurs from either of two entirely different situations that I’ll get to later; yet has stumped many bait cast reel owners and an unsuspecting reel tech from time to time! If you’ve followed many forums you may have even heard it called a ghost drag, shadow drag, false drag or even a four-letter web explicative.

Symptoms of Phantom Drag

The best way to describe symptoms of Phantom Drag is to give you a few examples.  Although each example can seem similar, conditions can unfold or sneak-up on you differently, since there are so many variables involved. In addition, it’s not uncommon to even have a couple of these examples occur on the same reel over a short period of time:

• You’re on the water and eventually notice that the drag gradually plays-out line on its own when it shouldn’t (even though you hadn’t changed the setting).  So you tighten it a bit, and make a few more casts; and it still does it. You finally realize that the drag knob doesn’t make much difference at all, since you’ve just about tightened it all the way down!

• You notice that it takes a lot more cranking to retrieve your lure, than it did a while ago.  (Maybe it even gets to the point that line doesn’t come in at all when you try to retrieve a big crank or drag a lure through the weeds.)  Hey, it was working fine 5 minutes ago, but now it isn’t!
  .
  You tighten the drag and it makes no difference, so you set the reel aside and don’t use it for a while.  But when you try it again later at the house it works fine; only to start all over again after you make a few casts on the water! [Hot N’ Cold is right!]  You eventually determine the problem is somehow related to using the reel on the water, and conclude that water must be affecting the drag.

• You set the hook on a nice fish and loose it! Hmmm, you thought the drag was set….  So you crank it down a bit and keep on working the shoreline; only to have the same thing happen again. You know you had a good drag setting and decent hook set this last time; so what the heck?  You begin to wonder if line stretch, dull hooks or a rod with insufficient backbone is the problem.  You eventually zero in on the drag when you happen to see that line moves excessively from the spool during the hook set.  A-ha! The drag isn’t working!

• You’re adjusting the drag and find that the drag no longer holds when you pull on the line above a certain force – and no matter how far you crank down the drag knob, it just won’t go above that point.  Drag discs, friction washers, contaminated drag stack, etc. all become suspect; but what is really weird is that it almost seems to be related to outside temperature!  What’s up with that!?? A Tip: Resist the urge to dunk the reel in the water in this situation; it will only make things worse!
• You just rebuilt your reel and put that new braid you’ve wanted to try on the spool, so you can make a few casts.  But you notice that the drag doesn’t work the way it did before you worked on the reel. You begin to wonder if you didn’t make an error somewhere
• Or worse yet, what if you rebuilt the reel because of the previous drag problem – only to find that things are the same!  Duh?

Braided line accounts for the vast majority of cases where line slips on the spool.

Most Common Cause

So, what is a likely and most common cause of the previous problem(s) if it isn’t the drag itself?  Simply put, line is slipping on the spool and is a direct result of insufficient friction between the line and the spool. The lack of friction allows the line to turn and come off the spool when under pull or during a hook set. Trust me when I say it can happen – and when you least expect it.  A few things which can contribute to the problem include:

1. Chances are you are using braided line, and you didn’t wrap a good backup layer of mono-filament on the spool before you added the braid.  Trivia: Braid accounts for the vast majority of cases where line slips on the spool.
2. The problem can also occur with other types of line.  I’ve personally had Phantom Drag on my trolling rods that were spooled with Dacron coated lead-core line.  They worked fine until the first time I reeled in some line that had been in the water; which caused the rest of the line on the spool to get wet and slip on the spool. But wait… I thought Dacron wasn’t supposed to do that?
3. It has also reportedly occurred on a few finely-finished fluorocarbon lines that were tied on the spool.  Warmth from direct sunlight would supposedly cause the line to slip on the spool, even when it wasn’t wet.
4. Some sprays, waxes, solvents or oil that inadvertently find their way into the line can aggravate the situation – especially on stiffer-larger diameter lines or highly polished spools.

Check for line that is slipping on the spool.

A Tip: An easy way to tell if you have line slipping on the spool is to increase the drag setting with the adjustment knob toward the high end of the range.  Then restrain the line firmly with one hand and slowly crank the reel with the other, while carefully observing an edge of the spool:

• If the spool turns with a few of cranks, then you have line slipping on the spool; or

• If the spool does not turn, then you have a normally operating drag or the second cause for Phantom Drag! [So read on!]

Another Tip: Sometimes you might be able to put a thumb on the side of the spool to secure it, to see if line can be pulled from the spool.

Preventing Line Slip

If you are using braid or similar super-line, the easiest way to prevent line from slipping on the spool is to put a layer of mono on first, before layering the braid.  The base of mono will also provide a firmer foundation for the braid, and will allow it lay better as line is cranked back onto the spool. Just use a Double Uni-knot between the mono and braid.

Should you need to spool a lot of braid or braid-coated line, you can put a couple layers of electrical tape on the bottom of the spool to hold the line. For other lines, you can tape the end of the line directly onto the spool with electrical tape, or run the end of the line through the holes in a ported spool before tying it to the spool.

I dealt with my lead core line problem by coating the bottom of the spools with a thin layer of Plasti Dip. (I wanted a more-permanent fix since the rods weren’t used that often, and the smaller spools needed to be filled with as much lead core as possible.)  Once dry, the layer provided sufficient friction to keep the line from slipping on the spool when wet or dry, hot and cold, etc.  [Plasti Dip is a coating material used to rubberize handles on pliers, screw drivers, etc. It can be found at Home Depot, Lowes, Menards and other hardware stores. A Tip: To get the best coating make sure what ever you put it on is free of any moisture, wax, oil and debris. I cleaned the bottom of the spool with a rag that I had dipped in a solvent, and let it dry before brushing on the Plasti Dip.]

You can search Google for more information, ideas and tips for Plasti Dip or go to the website:   http://www.plastidip.com/home_solutions/Plasti_Dip

Some manufacturers have recognized the potential for line to slip on the spool and they have dealt with it “head on”.  Rubber or other tacky material may be laid onto the spool, the bottom may be dimpled or grooved, or a line groove with a knot stop may be included on some models.

Daiwa spool with line groove and knot stop will prevent line from slipping on the spool.

The Other Cause Of Phantom Drag

The second cause for Phantom Drag is a problem with the spool itself, and is not nearly as easy to detect as line simply slipping on the spool. [Yet it can have similar symptoms and unfold or sneak-up on you the same way.] The bad news is, when the spool is the problem it can drive you totally ‘crazy’ until you finally figure it out, based on my own personal experience!  The official diagnosis: Spool Shaft Slipto’-facto or a spool that slips on its shaft. If it’s any consolation; the good news is that it is quite rare and not nearly as common as it was 10 or 15 years ago.

[A Note: A spool that slips on its shaft is so rare that I seriously considered not even mentioning it in this blog. However it does occur and I put it in at the last minute, in case someone encounters Phantom Drag and can't figure it out!]

When I say it can be difficult to diagnose I mean it’s not uncommon to: 1) End up disassembling the reel to inspect drag components a few different times before you finally figure it out; 2) Have serious doubts about the reel itself; and 3) Not even suspect the problem is related to the connection between the spool and spool shaft. Needless to say if you find yourself going down this road, it may be prudent to check for a spool that is slipping on the spool shaft, before you get too far along. [I’ll tell you how at the end of this blog.]

Many bait cast spools are often made from a lighter material (e.g. aluminum alloy or carbon); while the spool shaft is made from a more durable and stronger metal (e.g. stainless steel).  The mechanical joint between the two can be press-fit, keyed, slotted, pinned, splined, collared, crimped, spindled, pin-tailed, brazed, soldered, cemented, welded, and so on (you get the picture).  Some spools may even employ combinations of the previous configurations in their design, to improve the strength and durability of the connection. Lastly, a few manufacturers have even gone to a one-piece spool on some models.  The bottom line is; the spool should never turn independently from the spool shaft unless you want a reel that has 2 or more separate clutch or drag systems!

So, the spool is no longer firmly attached to the spool shaft, and the lack of friction allows the spool to turn and line to come off under pull or during a hook set. Drag discs, friction washers, anti-reverse bearing, etc. are working fine in this case, and the spool shaft remains stationary.

An Aside: What can really mess with your mind during use is the spool slip can be affected by fretting corrosion. The softer aluminum wears the harder stainless steel and results in an intermittent connection that becomes affected by reel use, temperature changes, water or oil getting in the connection, etc. – making it appear that the problem is drag-related.  For example, it can hold firmly for a while, only to gradually fade during use; can work fine for normal situations but won’t hold at all under the impulse-torque from a hook set; or can completely fail and never hold. [The reason for the Hot N' Cold!]

A few things that may initially cause or contribute to the problem include:

1. The design of the spool and configuration of the mechanical connection(s).
2. Using heavy strength or braided line at extremely high drag settings. The force on the spool from the hook set and fighting larger fish can eventually affect the mechanical connection between the spool and spool shaft, and it will slip.  A Rule: A good rule of thumb is to set the drag at approximately 25-33% of the line rating! It is so much better for the gears, anti-reverse bearing, clutch components, etc.
3. Pulling a snag free with the reel while spooled with heavy strength line at extremely high drag settings.  The force from the pull on the line is directly transferred from the outer diameter of the spool to the mechanical joint at the spool shaft – and it gets multiplied because the diameter is significantly smaller! A Tip: Doing this is also hard on the anti-reverse bearing, level wind pawl/worm, drag components, spool shaft and gears.  Always avoid using the reel to pull a snag free!
4. Inadvertently having the reel reengage during a cast while using heavy line and a heavy lure.  Any damage will typically be limited to gears, bearings and clutch components; but the connection between the spool and spool shaft can also be affected, especially if it occurred during the initial part of the cast.
5. Forgetting to disengage the reel when making a cast while using heavier line and a heavy lure. Most of the time the drag will slip in this instance and will limit the effect on the spool connection. However, if the drag is set extremely high, the energy from the lure combined with the loading of the rod can be directly transmitted to the mechanical connection!

Alpaha ito spool that slipped on its spool shaft!

The previous picture shows the inside end of an Alphas ito spool that was sent to me by a forum member. It had been used for ripping bulky crank baits through weeds, with 50# braided line for about 2 months before a problem finally occurred. The faint mark match mark on the collar is no longer aligned with the rest of the mark on the spool shaft (not visible in the picture), and the red arrow shows the area where the slipping actually occurred.  I checked the spool and consistent slipping occurred at ~12# pull on the line, and was random below that.

The forces acting on the spool connection can be fairly significant given its relatively small size. So, it is almost impossible to repair a connection between the spool and spool shaft when it no longer holds – unless the spool is made to be disassembled and you can get replacement parts. Unfortunately most bass bait cast spools can’t be disassembled, so you’ll need a new spool.

For example, 10# radial force acting on the outside of a 35 mm diameter spool will result in ~70# of force at the connection on a 5 mm diameter spool shaft.  When you consider that the impulse-torque from a moderate hook set with a tighter drag and no line stretch can peak at up to 3 times higher; it’s no wonder you never hear of anyone who has successfully made a permanent repair.

If you follow many forums, you’ll seldom hear about spools that ended up slipping on their spool shafts. However, I recall a few reports on initial TD-X and S, Pixy and other spools over the years.

A Testimonial: I had some early TD-X/S reels with spools that slipped. I purchased a whole box of them for parts from a repair shop at a good price.  I tried a few different ways to repair the spools, since they were otherwise in good shape, but finally gave up.

A Tip: So, what’s an easy way to tell if your spool is slipping on the spool shaft?  Follow these steps:

1. Remove the spool.
2. Use a permanent marking pen to put a thin line across the connection(s) between the spool and the spool shaft (more than one actual connection can exist in the case of a crimp/compression collar).
3. Reinstall the spool in the frame.
4. Tighten the drag toward the higher-end of the drag range.
5. Pull some line with the reel engaged; verify that the spool is turning as line is being pulled. (If it is not turning, then you have the first cause for Phantom Drag.)
6. Remove the spool and observe your line. If the line is no longer aligned across the mechanical joint(s), then the spool has slipped on the spool shaft and the spool is damaged. (If the line is still aligned across the joint(s), then you have a slipping drag.)

If you are new to bait casters keep an eye out for Phantom Drag, because someday you may encounter it.  Hopefully, it will only be the line slipping on the spool!

-dModder

Tags: bait casters, Daiwa, Drag, Maintenance, Reels

This entry was posted on Tuesday, September 22nd, 2009 at 6:38 am and is filed under Bass Fishing, Fishing, Maintenance, Reels. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.