Star Drag
From The Angler's Dictionary — your encyclopedia of fishing rods, reels, and tackle
A star drag is a drag adjustment mechanism found on baitcasting and some conventional reels. It uses a star-shaped wheel located between the reel handle and the reel body. Turning the star wheel clockwise increases drag pressure (tighter), and counterclockwise decreases it (looser). The star shape provides intuitive adjustment — you can feel and turn it without looking at the reel.
Inside the reel, the star drag compresses a stack of alternating friction washers (typically carbon fiber or felt) and metal plates against the main gear. More compression means more friction, which translates to more resistance when a fish pulls line. Star drags offer smooth, reliable performance for most freshwater and light saltwater applications.
One limitation of star drag systems is that the setting is not repeatable — unlike lever drag reels that have detented positions, a star drag has no markings to tell you the exact pound setting. If you loosen it during a fight and want to return to your original setting, you have to feel your way back. To work around this, many anglers set their drag before fishing using a hand scale, then avoid adjusting during the fight unless absolutely necessary. Star drag reels are the standard on all freshwater baitcasters and many medium-duty saltwater conventional reels.