Is A Higher Gear Ratio Better Than Others?

[TidePride37]

I was looking at the Shimano Citica gear ratios and i was considering whether to get the 7.1.1 or the 6.5.1. Any suggestions?

[johnnytoxin]

Depends what you wanna do with it. For a more all around reel I would take the 6. For plastics, jigs, and other baits you move with the rod go with the 7.

[Delaware Valley Tackle]

This is much debated, for the most part it's personal preference. Keep in mind that IPT (inches per Turn of the crank handle) is the real measurement and may not correlate directly to ratio. You can't go too far wrong with either of the choices in the OP

[J Francho]

Between those two, it doesn't matter.

[Stasher1]

This is much debated, for the most part it's personal preference. Keep in mind that IPT (inches per Turn of the crank handle) is the real measurement and may not correlate directly to ratio. You can't go too far wrong with either of the choices in the OP

This^^^^

I look for 29"-33" IPT, regardless whether it's spinning or casting. So, if I were in the OP's situation, I'd opt for the 7.1:1

[Osprey39]

The only thing I really get picky about gear ratio on is my crankbait reels. I like to have something 5.0:1 or slower for crankbaits because it is harder, for me anyway, to reel a high gear ratio reel slower than it is to reel a low ratio faster. In other words, when I want to fish a crankbait slowly it is much easier to do that by using a lower gear ratio with a normal retrieve than trying to go extra slow with a higher gear ratio. For all other lures, 6:1 or 7:1 suffices.

edit: I have a question for the guys using inches per turn as a measuring stick. Isn't that going to vary by how much line you have out? For instance, one revolution of the spool is going to take up more line when the spool is full than it is when the spool is nearly empty. Seems that way to me at least.

[iceintheveins]

The 6 range is best for all around use like plastics, jigs, and carolina rigs. It's fast enough for buzzbaits too. The only thing I use a 7 for is buzzbaits or rage shads, and it works very well.

But for crankbait and most spinnerbait use, go with something in the 5 range. If you need a faster retrieve on spinnerbaits, the other two will work best.

[Deleted account]

I like 6.3 for most things, but that's probably because that's what I'm used to, I have a couple of 4.7s and 5.3s which I use sometimes for cranking and slow rolling. As mentioned above if you are using different reels, check the IPT or spool diameter to make sure you've got apples all around.