I had your mindset about tightening the drag and just owning the bass no matter how big she was, but I found out quickly with 25 lb test and an almost 8 foot broomstick that isn't always possible. It depends on the fish, and how the fish was hooked, but some pull extremely hard even on that heavy tackle and will either snap your bait off, rip the hooks out of her mouth, or most likely bend your hooks. For me a happy medium has served me well. I have a shimano Corvalus which has a good drag and I find a setting where it will go out if a fish makes a strong run, but won't budge when I'm setting the hook. Worst comes to worst, I bend my knees and put the rod in the water if my drag isn't going out the way it should. I use #1 hooks on most of my big baits because I don't like to over power the bait with 2/0's. So #1's will definitely bend if you put too much pressure. Bottomline, have a good reel with a good drag and take the time to find the right drag setting before making a cast. That's my motto.

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