Question About Reel Gears

[Eccs]

I picked up a 5.1:1 BB1 on this forum and it has 21" per turn, but i figured it might be too slow for some of the crankbaits I'm planning on using. My question is would I be able to order a gear from Lew's and change it to a 7:1 or would that be too difficult or no possible at all? 

 

Edit: I apologize for the post before using the search. I have found that DVT answered a similar question and said to phone Lew's and make sure you get the Main Gear and the Pinion, as well as specifing it is a LH Reel.

[Delaware Valley Tackle]

I don't recommend gear swaps unless a model is not available in a certain speed, like putting 7:1 Core gears in a 50E. In the case of the Lew's, I'd suggest just buying the faster reel. On top of that 21" IPT isn't all that slow for cranks. 

[kikstand454]

Yeah. .. I think that is fine fore Med/deep cranks. A little slow for me in the squarebill/lipless area- but doable.

I'm sure you could sell it on here and take that money and get a 6.x which will have more versatility.

I wouldn't bother trying to swap gears. You could probably get a whole other reel for not much more.

[Eccs]

I don't recommend gear swaps unless a model is not available in a certain speed, like putting 7:1 Core gears in a 50E. In the case of the Lew's, I'd suggest just buying the faster reel. On top of that 21" IPT isn't all that slow for cranks. 

I have hear that it is a good speed for deep cranking but the places I will be fishing are shallow and I will mostly be using squarebills. I was just wondering if I find it too slow if I would be able to make an inexpensive swap of gears so I can use it for techniques that require a faster reel. That way once I get more setups over the years I can change this reel back to the 5.1:1 and make it a dedicated deep cranking rod.

 

Yeah. .. I think that is fine fore Med/deep cranks. A little slow for me in the squarebill/lipless area- but doable.

I'm sure you could sell it on here and take that money and get a 6.x which will have more versatility.

I wouldn't bother trying to swap gears. You could probably get a whole other reel for not much more

I've heard that main gears and pinions can be about $20 for the most part so I'd rather not buy a whole new reel. Also it might be a little more difficult to sell as I am located in Canada

[gulfcaptain]

I use quite a few "slower" geared reels and I wouldn't get too worried.  One positive about the lower gears, you can wind faster, not feel worn out at the end of the day and honestly it can keep you from working your baits too fast.  I use the 5:1 on my umbrella rigs, medium swimbaits, and some squarebills and vibrating jigs.  Lets me fish a bit faster without having to worry about overworking the bait since turning the handle faster may speed it up some but you're still not overpowering the bait and worried about slowing your retrieve speed down.  Give it a try before you decide you don't like it and want to swap everything out.