No - well not for me. I guess it depends on what rig you intend to use. When I'm using pulley rigs I leave the reels in gear and a decent amount of drag on. If a fish takes your bait its going to come up against the weight of the sinker way before any line is pulled from the reel. It will know something is up, and either hook itself against the weight of the sinker or drop the bait. Leaving the reel out of gear would be a waste of time. Look at how much strain or bend you need to put on a rod just to cause a 6oz breakout sinker to release from the sand. Any fish that moves that sinker is already hooked or will drop the bait.