I think this is the fish gods way of telling you to keep it simple....and don't be so concerned with your guest's knuckles.
had someone look at it today quickly , its got a few things that need replacing Scott ,
also picked up a new one and played with it , feels pretty solid and smooth , so i bought a new one ,
, im a believer in Karma , i will take it to Country Rod Crafting , have it brought back to life for you ,
i will fire it back to you in about 6-8 weeks Scott , there swamped ,
thx again
Felix
Felix - there is a knob on the side of the lever that helps fine tune the drag...try pulling the lever back to free spool and turning the knob forward in the opposite direction to make the drag stronger. Then move the lever forward to the various positions and test the strength. Make fine tune adjustments until you are happy. If that doesn't work then the reel needs servicing.