Tibor's Ted Juracsik, an acknowledged guru of cork-reel design, explains cork's low startup inertia like this: "Cork drag is made of granules, and there are voids between them. Unlike with Rulon or other synthetics, which are solid, [the voids] give the cork somewhere to go when you apply pressure. If you set ten pounds of drag, and the fish hits the reel running, with synthetic he is immediately going to encounter ten pounds of drag — the full setting. With a cork drag, there is a period of 'ramp up' when he'll initially only get five pounds of drag, then seven, then ten, because the cork granules compress into the voids under the initial load, then return to their full size [and drag strength]."

A solution many manufacturers have hit on is to use both cork and synthetic together. Lepage explains, "Our V02 reel has a cork disc and a Rulon disc, which gives you the smoothness and lubrication of the synthetic along with the low startup inertia and heat dissipation of cork."

Springs are very important in maintaining drag tension, and not just with synthetics. Cork drags have springs, too, because the cork itself isn't thick enough to give a wide range of drag settings under its own compression. On many reels (both cork and synthetic), these springs take the form of Belleville washers, little cup-shaped discs that face each other and can be compressed with tension. Other designs use conventional springs under the drag knob. "When you've coaxed out your washer or spring tension and pressed them about flat," explains Lepage, "cork gives you just a little more compressibility, so you get a wider range of drags, although not much." Synthetics can't do that, because they aren't themselves compressible like cork.

So which is better, cork or synthetic? After all, some of what are widely acknowledged to be fine reels, made by the likes of Tibor and Abel, get by without synthetics. The answer is: it depends on how much you're willing to put into the reel. "To get the most out of cork," says Albright's Jim Murphy, "it's all about lubrication. With ideal lubrication, I don't think you can get better performance out of a drag than with cork." To get ideal lubrication, however, you've got to put in the maintenance time. Because not every angler wants to become a shade-tree reel mechanic, the per-fish performance level maybe better for the average angler with synthetics such as Rulon or carbon, because they are zero-maintenance.

Reel-Life Needs

So far, most of the discussion has been about the high-end stuff — reels designed to withstand the blitz of a running tuna or marlin at 50 miles and many thousands of rotations an hour. Even under those conditions, reel designers today admit their products are often overengineered. "Honestly, you could hook a car to one of these and you'd have to have like eight thousand yards of backing to kill it," says Nautilus's Kristen Mustad.

What about your average trout or bass angler? Do they need these high-end drags? "Well, disc drags are really smooth," says Orvis's Lepage, "and anglers have almost unanimously voted for them at this point by buying them." However, disc drags on trout reels aren't usually as robust as those on saltwater, and almost no trout reels use cork. "Why would you want to stop a train with a cork drag while you're trout fishing?" asks Ted Juracsik. How then are most trout drags designed?

Many trout-sized disc drag reels sacrifice overall drag surface — a consequence of being smaller to begin with. That's okay, because you don't need as much braking power for trout, but manufacturers still like to achieve noticeable drag levels. Kurt Van Wyck of Sage explains, "With trout reels, you don't need as much drag, but you also aren't subject to as much speed. That means you can use carbon fiber for a brake without worrying so much about heat, thus getting back some of the stopping power you lose when you cut the pad size." Sage's 2500 Series reels use small, stacked carbon and steel plates, rather than one big donut, to fit a larger drag surface in a small reel frame. "When you increase the tension, those plates are crushed together, increasing friction."

The draw-bar design is another feature you won't see as much on trout reels. "Draw-bar drags are heavy," says Albright's Jim Murphy, "and while you can work around that, there are lighter — and cheaper — ways to design a trout reel." Cost is a major factor here. One option is the smaller drum drag, where the brake pads are sealed under the arbor rather than between frame and spool. Another category of drags — the gear drag — is often employed in trout reels. These provide plenty of stopping power for trout, and since their parts can be stamped out en masse, the reel is less expensive. Gear-drag reels usually feature a smaller set of disc-brake pads, but instead of being around the arbor, you'll find them out to the side, under the tension lever you adjust on the outside of the frame. You can spot such drag systems by that lever out of line with the arbor, or by the toothed gear-wheel on the inside of the spool. It is this gear-wheel, which fits into a matching gear attached to the drag lever, that slows the spool down.

Thus, to clear up a common misconception, both gear-drag and draw-bar/drum-drag designs are "disc" drags. The draw-bar's disc brake is visible as the large donut around the arbor or, on the drum design, as a noticeably oversized cylinder you cover with the spool, but the gear-drag's disc brake is usually smaller, hidden behind the lever mechanism. Because of their smaller surface area, gear drags usually are not as strong as draw-bar or drum drags.

Some manufacturers, such as Sage, are pushing the limits of traditional gear-drag design, turning the spool itself into a gear with the addition of machined teeth. Coupled with the use of carbon fiber discs, this design allows a light, open large-arbor reel to still have a strong drag.

And, let's be honest, there is still a place in today's world for the traditional click-and-pawl reel. Hardy's Lightweight series has been going strong since the middle of the last century. Its standardized parts, simple structure, and ease-of-repair have made it a perennial favorite with small-rod aficionados, especially since its lack of a heavy disc drag keeps the weight down.

How do you tell these reels apart just by looking at them in the shop? It's easier than you think. A draw-bar reel will have the drag knob dead-centered. If you pop the spool off, you'll see either a cork or synthetic brake pad, or the back of the sealed drag. A gear-drag reel is easy to spot because of its off-center drag adjuster, usually a knob or lever near the bottom of the frame. Open one up to find gear teeth attached to the spool (or machined right in). Finally, the spring-and-pawl drag is conspicuous for its clicker (and lack of anything else) inside the frame.

Whether you're looking for the perfect fly reel, an heirloom to be treasured, or a beater to take out with those grand-kids, it's in your best interest to know a little about the designs on the market. Perhaps more than with any other fly-fishing products, reels are subject to a cost-benefit analysis, and it pays to be honest with yourself. Do you need a saltwater "stop a train" drag for trout fishing? Probably not, but then again, some day you might. Is it really worth saving an extra 50 bucks to buy an el cheapo saltwater reel that might fail you at the worst time? Maybe — depends on whether you're feeling lucky. For myself, I buy the best reels I can afford for the tasks I plan to give them. And if I overkill a little, well, that's part of fishing too; the surest sign of the ever-optimistic angler is usually right there at the base of the rod.