Gear Ratios

[Kpinckley14]

I am looking for a couple of new reels. I am curious about gear ratios. I know what is but I do not know what is a good gear ratio I need for different techniques. I am looking for a reel for worm/jig fishing and another one for crank-bait fishing. Any advice is helpful.

[BassBandit]

High gear ratio for worm/jigs. And cranking in gin clear water except less gear ratio for stained/murky water. Just my preference.

[bamabassman]

6:3:1 is what I usually used for general techinics. But bassbandit is right, high speed for worm/jigs and such. Low gears for other things like cranks especially is what I use.

[keithdog]

For jig/worm fishing I'd go with a 7:1 ratio. For crankbaits, I'd go with around a 5.4:1 or so. But pay attention to how much any given reel retrieve per turn of the handle. One reel's 7:1 may be 31 inches line recovery while another may be only 28 inches.

[IowaBasser]

Personally I've come to feel that gear-ratios are over-rated. They are usually the last thing I look at when considering a new reel. Anything around 5:1 or 6:1 works for me.

I used to want the fastest gear ratio I could find; I figured I could always reel slower if I wanted to slow bait down. Then I realized I was unconsciously retrieving too fast when finesse fishing, so for awhile I bought reels with slower gear ratios just for that finesse baits.

I've come to realize that when I've got 4 or more rod/reel combinations lying on the casting deck and I want to fish a specific technique, I grab a rod based on it's length, action, and the type of line that is spooled on the reel. I couldn't even tell you what the gear ratios most of my reels have - though I do know that some of them are slower and some are faster. It only takes one cast to figure out how fast I should be turning the handle to get the desired lure speed. I'm sure the guys casting with a 7.1:1 gear ratio can get their lure through "dead water" and back to the boat faster than me, but I'm not that concerned with saving fractions of seconds on every cast. Now I just stick with middle of the road gear ratios - I've found that they're more versatile than super fast reels or super slow reels.

Maybe there is something else I'm missing with gear ratios? It's just not that big of deal for me. Why do you guys feel that gear ratios are so important for different types of fishing?

[carolina-rig-01]

I like higher speed ratios like a 7.1:1 for things like spinnerbaits, buzzbaits,and flipping. The higher speed reel will allow you to catch up with a fish a lot easier if it should knock slack in your line and swim right at you. Also it allows you to get a buzzbait up on the surface sooner which can be really important if you are fishing a buzzbait around very shallow cover.


A 6.4:1 is probably the most versatile reel speed there is. It's a very good all around ratio. This ratio will also work well for jigs, texas rigs, carolina rigs, shallow crankbaits, and spinnerbaits as well as a lot of other techniques.

Slower ratios like 5.4:1 are perfect for deep diving crankbaits. This slower ratio will not only help you get maximum depth out of your crankbait but it will also keep you from getting worn out from dragging those things around all day long.

[dave0943]

Most of my reels are in the 6. range. I do have a 7.1 PQ I have been spending quite a bit of time with. I've got a few Abus in the 5. range for cranks. I have been also using the 6. ratios for shallow to med depths. I use the slower Abus for deep cranking. I feel I could use the 6.3 for deeper cranking if I'm paying attention to detail on retrieve.

[keithdog]

Just a couple things I want to mention. The choice of a slow ratio reel such as a 4.7-1 for large deep cranks will really take a heck of a lot of work out of the job of cranking the lure back in and save your arms and wrists to no end. And a hi9gh speed 7:1 reel is very helpful for pitchin and flippin when you pick up a strike and have some slack in the line. You can recover the excess line and get that hook set before the bass drops the lure.

[Tavery5]

I think of the two working together to tell me how the reel is going to feel for different applications. I.P.T or inches per turn uses the gear ratio plus the spool diameter to tell me how much line the reel is going to pick up on each full revolution of the handle. Gear Ratio is what I look at to tell me how much torque the reel is going to produce, and how easily it is going to move line. The other thing I look at is handle length, while it has no bearing on how much line the reel is going to pick up on each revolution, it does play a part in the torque game.

[HarveysMinnow]

Originally Posted by IowaBasser

Personally I've come to feel that gear-ratios are over-rated. They are usually the last thing I look at when considering a new reel. Anything around 5:1or 6:1 works for me.

I used to want the fastest gear ratio I could find; I figured I could always reel slower if I wanted to slow bait down. Then I realized I was unconsciously retrieving too fast when I finesse fishing, so for awhile I bought reel with slower gear ratios just for that finesse baits.

Amen to that, IowaBasser! Gear ratio is certainly not something I agonize over when I decide to buy another reel. I have reels with a variety of G/R's and to tell the truth, I can't sense that much difference in them. I suppose if I could somehow use two rod/reel combos at the same time (which I believe would require having four arms), I might see a difference in the retrieval speeds. However, being the casual fisherman that I am, and one who rarely fishes more than 4 hours at a time, I just don't think it matters that much.

/

[IowaBasser]

I guess I should mention that I fish primarily spinning gear. Because of their design, spinning reels inherently do not have as much torque as bait-casters and have lower gear ratios to compensate. I checked the gear-ratios on 5 of my reels:

4.1:1
4.1:1
5.1:1
5.2:1
5.3:1

(The reels with a 4.1:1 gear ratio are cheap entry level reels.)

[BigBassin144]

The problem with spinning reels is it all depend on the size of the spool.

A 2000 size reel with a 5.1:1 gear ratio and a 4000 size reel with the same gear ratio will retrieve much more line. Also, spinning reels gear ratios are not comparable to casting reels.

Generally, for casting reels, I use less than a 6:1 for cranks, a 6:1 for general purpose, and a 7:1 for jigs, flipping, anything in cover. The 6:1 and 7:1 are interchangeable for those purposes.

BB

[Cavs1123]

Hey man I've got a Abu Garcia Black Max for sale. Its brand new and has a 6.3:1 gear ratio. I'll sell it to ya for $35 shipped TYD.

[pro reel]

With so many ratios to pick from now, it can be hard to tell the difference. 30 years ago a 5.1.1 ratio was considered high speed. I have a bunch of old Abu 5000 reels with 3.1.1 ratios and the 5.1.1 reels are labled as high speed. Back then, overworking a lure was not posible. There are some techniques today that require a fast reel such as burning a spinner bait or lipless cranks. Most users get a high speed reel for worms and jigs simply to save a few seconds of cranking time when burning it back to the boat for another cast. The 6.1.1 or 6.4.1 ratios reels work good for most baits. I wouldn't want to use anything faster than a 5.1.1 for big crankbaits or slow rolling spinner baits.

[DVT Mike]

It's easy to get hung up on certain hot topics. A standard 6.3:1 baitcaster will allow you to catch fish wth pretty much any technique. If you're a tackle enthusiast or want to fine tune a certain presentation, the main areas gearing can help in are deep cranking and jig/worm fishing. A 5:1 reel can make deep cranking all day a little less of a chore and keep the bait in the strike zone hair longer. A 7:1 takes up line quickly to help keep fish from digging in and to get a good hookset when they pick up a bait and swim right at you.

[keithdog]

Originally Posted by pro reel

With so many ratios to pick from now, it can be hard to tell the difference. 30 years ago a 5.1.1 ratio was considered high speed. I have a bunch of old Abu 5000 reels with 3.1.1 ratios and the 5.1.1 reels are labled as high speed.

Your showing your age pal, hahaha. But I remember when 5.1:1 reels were a reel burner. How things have changed. I do love my 7.0:1 reels, but mainly to take up line quickly after detecting a hit when pitchin a jig or soft plastic so I can get that hook set ASAP.

[bamabassman]

I too have some OLD reels, got 3 or 4 that are 5:2:1 and 1 that is 3:2:1. You can find thse old reels at yard sales and such. I found some of mine at the longest yard sale which is held twice yearly here.

[keithdog]

If I remember correctly, I think the old Daiwa Millionaire reel offered the first 5:1 ratio?

[bamabassman]

Keith, my OLD abu garcia is a 5:2:1, got 3 of them now. Plus the garcia 3:2:1. I don't know who came out with the first ones. But i bought my first garcia WAAYYYY back in 1980. First mag force reel that i know of. Meaning the first reel with maginet dial on the side. At least i was told that.