SHIMANO RAPID-FIRE DRAG CAMS

The amount of drag that is increased or decreased when the drag lever is moved can be easily described as the “drag curve.” Most drag curves throughout the fishing reel industry are very similar: a gradual increase in drag pressure from the freespool position to the full position.

While a standard curve is excellent for many mainstream fisheries, the shape of the curve is not adjustable (see Understanding Lever Drags, opposite). Therefore, in order to “fish outside of the box,” such as with light lines or to target specific fish, anglers were forced to evolve their techniques and style around the tackle available to them.

No longer!

With the new Rapid Fire Quick Change Drag Cam System found exclusively on Torsa reels, this versatile reel can change to cater to specific techniques. By simply putting the reel into freespool and backing off the preset knob, the angler removes the drag cam from the reel. Then, by inserting one of 9 available Rapid Fire drag cams, you completely change how the reel is set up to fish within a matter of seconds. No tools required, and no screws to fall onto the deck of the boat.

Below you will see these 9 different drag cams and the specific fisheries they are applicable to. From light line world record seekers, to braided line fanatics looking to tackle huge fish on small tackle, to the specific needs of chunk fishermen in the Northeast, Torsa can do it all.

Torsa reels come equipped with our L.R.S. (Long Range Special) Rapid Fire Drag Cam, which was made popular by reels in our Tiagra reel line. There are 8 other cams available at your Torsa retailer depending upon your target fisheries.

This cam comes standard on all sizes of Torsa reels. It is an “all-around” curve with many uses. The L.R.S. curve was originally designed for the Tiagra for anglers on the Long Range boats out of San Diego. These anglers required high maximum drag capabilities in smaller reels to catch large Yellowfin Tuna in standup situations. The result is a steep curve to allow use of heavy lines while maintaining Freespool.

This curve will be used in wreck or reef fishing situations where the angler is moving large fish away from structure. When fishing, the angler needs to place a tremendous amount of drag on the fish to move it away from the structure quickly. As soon as the angler moves the fish or turns its head, he will then quickly back off the drag to the Strike position at 1/3-1/2 the breaking strength of the line. From here until he lands the fish, he will fight it with a traditional drag range and not go back into the Full position again, unless the fish begins to run back into the structure. This cam allows a very high Full position setting, but quickly backs off to a safe area at the Strike setting so that the angler does not accidentally back off too much drag.

This is a shallow curve designed for Kingfish. Kingfishing involves light lines and light drag pressures so that the hooks do not rip from the fish’s mouth. It is a very gradual curve to give anglers extra adjustability with a target Strike drag of 4 pounds. The range of settings with this curve are from 3-5 pounds at Strike which is optimal for use with 10-20 pound test. There is also a large flat spot after warning to be used to aid the clicker when trolling and to allow the angler to quickly back off of the drag on a running fish without dropping into Freespool.

This cam will be used to drop back baits to White Marlin in the Mid-Atlantic to North East regions of the United States. The curve, when set at a target Strike drag of 8 pounds will provide 1/4 pound of drag from warning to the 1/2 position. This allows the angler to quickly drop the tension on a running fish while using light line. The fighting area of the curve is from 1/2 to Strike. The section of the curve from Strike to Full is very steep to provide a heavy drag setting of 15 pounds to quickly end the fight on a subdued fish for more successful releases.

This cam will be used when fishing for Tuna with chunk baits in the Northeastern United States. Chunk fishing typically is performed in
heavy currents. The slow ramp from Warning to 1/2 is designed to hold the float and chunk in the current. For small baits/floats in light current the Warning position is optimal. When baits are bigger or currents are stronger, the angler can move up to the 1/4 position to hold the bait in place. The sudden steep section allows the angler to quickly get enough drag for a solid hookset. Optimal Strike drag settings range from 5-7 pounds.