Question...

[MAHAT]

im a newb to opencast reels, and im not sure what ratio is...this one reel i picked up ran me 30 bucks, its a Shimano IX4000R and has a gear ratio of 4.2.1, my friend bought a shakespeare baitcasting reel for 40 and his was 3.1...i figured mine was better...can anyone explain to me waht gear ratio is? whats good and whats bad?

[BaSsFiShEr20]

Ok. Ratio is the amount of times the spool revolves per handle turn.

4.2:1 means that for every 1 complete turn of the handle, the spool revolves 4.2 times.
A 3.1:1 means 3.1 revolutions of the spool for every 1 complete turn of the handle.

As far as which is better, That is purely personal preferance, but generally, the slower the ratio, the more cranking power. A 3.1:1 ratio cranks harder, but is also slower on the retrieve than say a 5.1:1

Also, generally, the cost of a reel has less to do with ratio, and more to do with the amount of bearings it has.

I have ratios from 4.4:1 for my crankbaits, all the way to 6.3: for my spinnerbaits. yours will be a great all around ratio. Fast enough to work most baits, but with enough power to get the big one in.

Charles

[jglassguy]

Alot of times the number of ball bearings in a reel makes the dif. in how smooth it feels and hence added cost

[madmarty]

But because some reels have different size spools two reels with the same gear ratio may still have different retrieve speeds because one has a larger spool.

When fishing a jerkbait choose a high speed reel to prevent wearing yourself out reeling in slack line in between jerks. But slow presentation lures such as jig require a slower speed reel.