What type of spinning reel drag do you prefer?
What are the advantages to each style?

I like rear drag as it's more convenient to adjust it.

i like the front drag setup they are a lot smoother.the rear drags seem a little jerky

I like front drag, smoother and more surface area.

Sincerely,
Roger

I think the poll results say it all ... for bigger fish ... front drag, much more reliable!

I owned a rear drag once, never again, they are a pain.

I will only use front drag, smoother and easier for me to adjust.

The only rear drag I know is,how mines feeling after a full days fishing. Then my rear really drags.
Otherwise front drags the only way to go.

I've had 1 rear drag spinning reel that was as smooth as silk. An ABU Cardinal Dragmaster, about the size of a Shimano 4000. It could tame the hottest coho or steelie, never did but I'm sure it could have taken a King to 25-30 lbs. Areel strange one that abu, counter-clockwise rotating spool..........

Found the box thou the reel is gone, gave it to a friend who couldn't get the bait-caster thing down. Abu Garcia Dragmaster DM 64- ratio 4.9 to 1- holds 8/230 or 12/160. And best of all its got that Lightweight, Graphtanium Construction we all look for........

One thing about rear drags is that they are attached directly to the main shaft and if you get just the slightest bend(wobbly spool syndrome) the drag is useless. Rare but it does happen from regular use. Though i have had it happen only once, but you guessed it, it happened when i really needed it. I took the whole system appart and cleaned and reoiled it. But it still didn't work. Then i noticed the shaft just barely off center. But it was enough to ruin it.

If you bend the shaft on a front drag system it doesn't matter cuz the spool and drag are one working unit and you almost never bend the very top of the shaft.

Anyone have comments about the Abu Garcia center drag reels? They claim double the drag suface as a front drag and four times that of a rear drag.