The purpose of the drag

I spent about three hours at Legg Lake near Whittier, about 12 miles east of downtown Los Angeles. I caught a bluegill at the South Lake. Then moved to the North Lake at another spot. No bites there.

As I walked back toward the parking lot, I saw this man with four kids who were fishing. I said hello and asked if the kids had caught anything. Dad said, “No, not really.” It was just his second time taking the kids fishing, and they didn’t know much.

I heard the reel zizzing and zizzing as the oldest kid, Samantha, turned the handle on her reel. Her line wouldn’t reel in. I asked Samantha for her pole and noticed that all three of their poles had big plastic saltwater-type jigs. Samantha’s drag was too loose, which is why her line wouldn’t reel in.

I gathered all four kids around me and explained the purpose of the drag on the reel. I told the dad I could set up their lines for lake fishing. He said, “Seguro que sí.”

We sat at a table where I could re-tie all their lines. Then, instead of walking back to my truck, I walked them to the spot where I caught my fish earlier in the day.

They knew how to cast, which was funny to me.