Lever drags for Tog... Yay or Nay?

[Water Dog]

I‘m on a quest to go lighter with my tog gear. Looking at conventional reels, the smallest star drags seem to come in at a minimum of 15 - 16 ounces. There are the Maxel Hybrids which are certainly lighter, but I’m not sold on their long term reliability based on reported issues with the thumbar clutch when dropping heavy lead.

This leads me into the smaller conventional lever drag reels. Lever drags like the Accurate BV-300, Seigler SGN and the Avet SXJ G2. They come in at in at 10, 12 and 13 oz respectively. The fact that these are all American made reels is also a huge plus as well. The rod I hope to pair it with is the Jigging World Night Ranger 7’6” H that comes in at a mere 6.7 oz.

There seems to be a contingent of tog fisherman who are adamantly against using lever drags when fishing for tog. I have never used a lever drag and have always been a star drag guy. For the experienced toggers, what are your thoughts on using lever drag reels?

 

[yourinmyspot]

Lever drags are fine. I just like to adjust them to the point where I dont put the lever all the way to strike unless i want to button the drag down. That way i have some room without going all the way to full if the fish tries to pull me back down.
That said, for the night ranger, if you are fishing somewhat shallow you may consider a tranx 300 or if you want to go even lighter a diawa blast, the lower profile on that night ranger works really nicely and those reels have plenty of balls.

 

[chunkster]

Getting hung up on the piece and dropping into full to break off is ideal.
Dropping back to strike can be an immediate drag adjustment and save
accuracy time on drag setting. I find it to be beneficial that way. It's a
personal preference.
What's wrong with my reel?

 

[Togilator]

I generally use what most consider Light tackle for tog and stick with star drag reels.Except when I head to Delware,Maryland and Virginia in search of true Giants which I do quite often from December into February.I use a pair of OKUMA Andros 5NII-A reels,they come in at 15 oz so they would not suit you.I have them spooled with 65 lb braid and I keep them in low gear 3:8:1 and almost never put then in high.Didn't want 2 speed but I couldn't find the gears I wanted in a single speed.They have performed perfectly with no issues and I have yet to service them.Once you use one it wil take less then a couple of trips up and down to get used to them.I like to back off on the drag on a really big fish once I have the battle won and is more then 1/2 way up.The lever drag allows me to go back to the same exact setting every time.Yes you can do this with a star drag by counting the clicks.Its also very convenient to throw the lever all the way forward take a few cranks and pop out of a snag.Some of the better star drags have spool lock which is an even better feature.

I really like my lever drag reels for what I use them for and have done so since 2015.The little accurate BV-300 IS a sweet reel,I own one with the 5:1 gears and togged with it a few times and enjoyed it.My go to light tackle togger when not jigging is a ABU GARCIA GEN 3 REVO WINCH star drag with a single power handle,ITS UNDER 7 OUNCES and a lot of fun to use..It has thumb bar release and has held up since 2012 or so.I really never put more then 6 ounces on that set up though and understand you concerns if dealing with heavy lead.I have had no issues using a lever drag for tog so I SAY GO FOR IT AND GIVE IT A TRY.

 

[Water Dog]

Thanks for the insight guys... keep ‘em coming! I already have a low profile baitcaster, an Okuma Komodo 364P paired with a Nexus XH that I’m very happy with. The rod can definitely handle the heavier sinker weights. However, I‘m a little sketchy with using the low profile baitcaster for the heavier weights. Hence my search of a lightweight conventional reel.

 

[yourinmyspot]

The Tranx 300 in the low gear 5:8 to 1 is a beast of a reel. You can get it with the power handle or paddle handle. It weighs less than 12oz also and can handle the heavier weights.

 

[Leprechaun]

I have friends that love their LD tog reels and some that would never consider using one. I have used my AVET SXJ and found it just fine. I just prefer a star drag reel for this fishing, though I actually would be hard-pressed to give a cogent reason. Maybe because I like to build and fish my own custom reels. As good a reason as any, I guess.

One of my buddies loves his little Accurate Valiant for blackfish. Now that 's one teeny, tiny piece of righteous Amurican engineering right there. Priced like its aerospace-grade - because it probably is.

 

[captmike28]

My personal Blackfish set up is a CTS BS 703 paired with an Avet SXJ that I have fished hard for over 8 years now. Taken Tog up to 14# on this set up and never felt out gunned. Fishing the Eastern LI Sound I often have to deal with swift currents and sinker sizes upwards of 14 oz. The Avet/CTS combo handles it with ease.

As has been mentioned by others, I also like the fact that once I preset the maximum amount of drag I want to apply it is simple to back off and re apply more drag, when necessary, without fear of accidentally adding too much drag and possibly losing a lightly hooked large fish. The overall outfit is very light and well balanced. A real pleasure to fish with all day long.

 

[flounderjoe]

My penn 501 and 146 have a little lever on them down freespool up locked

 

[Togilator]

After reading all the posts the bottom line is its personal preference jut like the Pizza pie I order may be totally different from what you like.
Water dog I don't know you but you seem like a good egg,I have a Valiant 300 low gear if you want to come buy and take it fishing for a few trips I would be glad to let you have it for a while.I have no shortage of rods and reels to use.I live in Nesconset if Interested send me a PM and it would be my pleasure to lend a helping hand.Who knows you may love or totally hate it.You won't know until giving a LD reel a work out.

 

[Water Dog]

Wow, that’s a wonderfully generous offer... thank you so much. Unfortunately, I’m up in CT, but if I’m ever in the area, I’ll be sure to shoot you a PM. After reading all of these responses, I think I just may end up giving a light weight lever drag a try. I do appreciate everyone’s input on the matter.

 

[Rodprof]

My heavy tog reels include a Saltiga 10 star and an Avet SXJ G-2. Both have performed well. My lighter set up has a Tranx 300.

 

[DocNY]

I'm a big fan of the Seigler SG for big tog. They do have a special edition that is a couple of ounces lighter if you don't mind spending a few more dollars. BUT I also use some other stuff baitcasters - a calcutta 400, or the Daiwa Coastal TWS when I'm fishing shallow along with a medium heavy fast action stick.

 

[Water Dog]

The more I look into Seigler reels, the more impressed I am. The precision machining and the ability to service them myself due to their simplicity definitely has me leaning towards picking one up.

 

[DocNY]

The more I look into Seigler reels, the more impressed I am. The precision machining and the ability to service them myself due to their simplicity definitely has me leaning towards picking one up.

Well I haven't regretted it. Was thinking of getting another one myself

 

[quiknet]

One of my buddies loves his little Accurate Valiant for blackfish.

Me?

 

[Leprechaun]

Buddy? Meh, barely an acquaintance. . .

 

[quiknet]

I do love that accurate for togging. BV-300 is the model. What I like about it is that it's got free spool like a star drag, a silky smooth drag and is very light. I looked at a number of star drag reels like the torium and the saltiga but found them to be unbalanced on my rod. It seemed that all the weight of the reel was on the handle side and caused the rod to want to lay over to one side in my hand unless I kept a tight grip on it. I like having a nice relaxed grip on the rod so I found that imbalance in the reel annoying.

On my 3rd or 4th season with the valiant. It's held up nicely and caught some decent fish

 

[Water Dog]

Question... when you say it has a freespool like a star drag, does that mean there a spool tension adjustment on it or something? Thanks for your input.

 

[quiknet]

Question... when you say it has a freespool like a star drag, does that mean there a spool tension adjustment on it or something? Thanks for your input.

No tension adjustment, but there's a detent that the lever goes into for free spool and in that position there is almost zero tension on the spool.