John Baker 12 custom built

[SpecialK]

Just got off the phone with Matt from Charkbait.

After a few phone conversations with John Baker he had setup a reel for me to replace the one I sent back. The reel he is sending me apparently is going to have quite a bit more drag compared to the ones ordered through Charkbait.
It is the same body that MrBill ordered but John has made a special cam and put the heavier set of bellvilles in it. Matt told me they tested it last night and had it pushed to 58# at full and that they didnt push it farther than that, but they were sure it would do more. They were also sending me the regular cam and bellvilles to switch out if I wanted.
Apparently this reel with be overnighted and I should get it in tomorrow.
Needless to say I am a little anxious to test the drag on this reel. I am thinking that if it tests this high I probably do not want to fish 80# braid on it... I should probably go with 130# and lose a little capacity when I want to push the drag.
I will post some pictures when I get it.

[MrBill]

58 pounds is a lot of drag. I did a simple test on the standard Baker 12. I mounted it on a 130# class rod and lifted up weights and slowly dropped them till they hit the ground. With this simple test I thought 31 pounds was the reels maximum sustained drag.

I like the way Gunsmoke test drags. He finds a rig with a rope hanging off it and ties the line to the rope. He then takes off reaching about 15 knots while slowly moving the lever up to a point where it is coming off smooth without any chatter. All reels will chatter when pushed to much. Beyond the chatter, they just plain lock up and either your rod breaks or your line. Keep the rod in a rod holder when doing this test. I've seen people go overboard.

Once you find the point where it is still smooth before the chatter, this is the max the reel can handle. Don't move the lever. Pull out a drag scale and see what it reads. Write it down and just don't fish the reel with any more pressure than the scale read.

I'm going to keep my Baker 12 standard. I have plenty of other reels that can produce more drag than any human can handle. If you plan on using this reel with 30 to 40 pounds of drag, you better have a 100 to 130# class rod on it. I almost broke a 80# class rod last trip. I was using 32#s of drag and it was bent over real bad. I'm surprised it didn't snap.

Keep us posted on your reel. You might want to tie a line to a trailer hitch and have someone drive down the street. Put on your harness and plant your feet. I'd hate to see pictures of you with your face covered with asphalt burn marks.

[Gunsmoke]

Originally Posted by MrBill

Keep the rod in a rod holder when doing this test. I've seen people go overboard. :

That's no fun. I like seeing someones face smashed against the inside of the transom.

I'll never forget a couple of years ago, I had a fiberglass guy doing some work on my boat. I had some piling rub marks along with a bunch of bill marks on the outside of the cockpit. I remember the guy spotted a chip on the fiberglass on the inside of the transom. I told him not to fix it. It was a great memory from a guy that lost four teeth from trying to hold onto a reel testing 60 pounds of drag. He went flying into the transom mouth first.

To me it was like a scar. Every scar tells a story in your life. So, please don't use the rod holder, and be a man. Stand up and if your worried, put on a helmet.

[PurEvl]

lol, thats great

[Bret]

Lmao... again....

That Baker sounds like a tank of a reel.. dont forget to wear a helmet..

[crazyjigr]

I like Gunsmoke's way of thinking, If you gona talk high drag #'s put your butt in a harness and lock it down.Dont forget to have someone video so we can all learn and enjoy.
Oh ya dont forget your PFD and mouth piece.You may also want to take along an EPIRB.
Jim

[SpecialK]

I have a Shimano 130# that I am not worried about breaking. If the reel can handle the amount of drag that I have been told it tested to. I will probably only use that cam if going out on a sportifisher with a chair. If on a head boat I will most likely use the stock cam and the stock bellvilles. 35# is plenty of drag for stand up fishing for me.
I saw a guy go overboard from too much drag also. Bad part was it took him about 15 or so second to get the harness unhooked because the 400+# marlin kept running.
I like the sound of this reel mostly because I like things to be able to handle more than I can dish out. I will try a few tests and cut them together.

[MrBill]

I was going to make a comment on the thread "John Baker 12" that I started. Is there a reason why the thread is closed?

[txseadog]

None that I saw so I opened it back up.

Originally Posted by MrBill

. Is there a reason why the thread is closed?

[BretABaker]

Originally Posted by crazyjigr

I like Gunsmoke's way of thinking, If you gona talk high drag #'s put your butt in a harness and lock it down.Dont forget to have someone video so we can all learn and enjoy.
Oh ya dont forget your PFD and mouth piece.You may also want to take along an EPIRB.
Jim

You need to work your way up with it as well. If you've never used over 18 lbs - DO NOT put 40 on and think you'll be OK.