Slower Gear Ratio

[Netfish and Chill]

Lemme pick y'all's brains about something really quickly. So in the past decade (-ish), I've noticed gear ratios getting higher and higher. I'm a simple man. I like dark haired women, food, and slow gear ratios, and these faster and faster gear ratios are a bit confusing. I'm not talking about the 7:1 or 8:1 ratios because I understand their purpose in flipping and pitching or frogging. I'm talking about the 6.4:1 and higher for crankbaits. I'm not bagging on anyone who does this I'm simply looming for an explanation. Are the fish getting faster paced and more aggressive? I'm on my way to get the Lew's BB1Z: a nice 5.1:1 gear ratio. Maybe it's my style, but I'm just wondering if the higher speed is a trend or if it's based off of new bass behavior. If any of you guys have any books or sites that explain this, please holler at me. Again, I want to reitterate that I have no prejudice against people who use these higher speend ratios, I'm just wondering what the cause of this trend is. I just find this slower ratio is easier to handle the fish with. Ahhh maybe it's just preference, but nevertheless I find it interesting!

Tight Lines Brothers,

~ Mr. Netfish and Chill 

[HookdUP]

I catch way more and way bigger fish burning crankbaits .. Especially square bills ... I just cannot fish a reel that slow anymore ... Not even for swimbaits ... But the reason I sped up was because I heard Aaron and Tak and Brent all say they did it . 

[Catt]

Mark Davis, David Fritts, & Paul Elias all use 5.1:1!

Works for me!

[bigturtle]

i use 7.3:1 and 9.1:1 for everything.

2oz+ swimabits, 15ft+ deep diving cranks, 1oz colorado spinnerbaits, it all goes on the 7.3:1, simply because they can't be fished fast, whether its ineffective, or the bait just dont run properly at high speeds.

Everything else goes on the 9.1:1. A lot of people I fish with say that high gear ratio dont have any power or torque for baits like spinners, cranks or swimbaits, but I honestly dont notice too much lacking in power compared to my 7:1.

I will never buy a reel slower than 7:1, simply because I have no need for it. Its always easier for me to slow down a 7:1/9:1 to match the speed of a 6:1/5:1, but I can never speed up a 5:1/6:1 to match a 7:1/9:1. I also dont need crazy amount of power/torque for baits that resist HUGE amounts of water, like extra deep cranks and big colorado spinners,  because I dont fish them at all, or not often enough to warrant another reel.

[Fishin' Fool]

I have nothing to add to the conversation. Clever screen name though. Good luck with the information you seek

[WRB]

I have a few Shimano older reels Calcutta 250 with 5:8-1 ratio used for swimbaits and started using one of them crankbait fishing a few years ago and good reel for that application.

Also have several Daiwa Tatula 8:1 size 100 reels that are used for both jigs and worms and good reels for those applications. 

Pick a reel you like and use it.

Tom

 

[0119]

All this stuff is trends, thats all.  They have to sell more so things are made either more expense and or with planned obsolescence.  Rods made with techniques written on them and marketers telling gullible consumers that they need several to do what one or two used to do.  Reels in different gears for the same reason.  Grandpa with his metal 4ft. rod and wood one colored plug never really caught fish.......absolutely never big ones or world records!  Nobody believes George Perry could have caught the record without a sub 5oz. 12 b.b. reel made out of unobtanium on a 7ft.3 and 3/16th.'s inch long rod in matching colors.   6 years from now when they need to make even more money they will tell their "pro's" to start using 5'6" pistol grip rods and proclaim them essential for skipping spybait worm hybrid lures with blue hooks.

[cottny27]

I bought a 5.4 reel last year for cranks and big spinnerbaits. It just feels like you're doing less work than the higher ratio reels imo.  Gears feel smoother and I can feel the bait more with less resistance. It's what I've noticed anyway. 

[burrows]

I like 541 even for square bills. 

[tander]

I like 5.1:1 for crankbaits, always have. Anything else is 6.8:1, then again I like 6'6" rods.

[fishballer06]

5 hours ago, Netfish and Chill said:

I'm a simple man. I like dark haired women, food, and slow gear ratios

One of the better posts I've seen on here in a while!

 

 

4 hours ago, bigturtle said:

Everything else goes on the 9.1:1. A lot of people I fish with say that high gear ratio dont have any power or torque for baits like spinners, cranks or swimbaits, but I honestly dont notice too much lacking in power compared to my 7:1.

I'm calling BS on this one. Go throw a DT14/DD22 for an hour on your 7:1, and then go put a 5:1 on that same rod and throw those same baits for an hour. I'd bet the farm that you will be able to tell a world of difference. 

 

I can't even stand to throw a DT10  on a 6:1 because of the lack of power and the strain it puts on me, and I use all high end Shimano/Diawa reels, so it's not a matter of reel quality. 

[bigturtle]

37 minutes ago, fishballer06 said:

I'm calling BS on this one. Go throw a DT14/DD22 for an hour on your 7:1, and then go put a 5:1 on that same rod and throw those same baits for an hour. I'd bet the farm that you will be able to tell a world of difference. 

 

I can't even stand to throw a DT10  on a 6:1 because of the lack of power and the strain it puts on me, and I use all high end Shimano/Diawa reels, so it's not a matter of reel quality. 

Just because you cant do it doesnt mean others cant. As far as me not using a 5:1, go read the last part of my post you seem to have missed.

[Cam Steele]

In all honesty, you should fish with whatever gear ratio your comfortable with. That being said, as far as my understanding is concerned, you want a 6:4:1 gear ratio for square bill crankbaits, because you want the extra speed to burn them back to the boat. Conversely so, you want a slower, 5:3:1 gear ratio for deep cranking, because your want more torque and power, opposed to speed. If your like me, and don't have unlimited money to buy three different cranking setups. I would recommend going with the 5:3:1 gear ratio. It will work good for all your square bills, and great for all your deep divers. I hope this helps,

Cam   

[Netfish and Chill]

15 minutes ago, Cam Steele said:

In all honesty, you should fish with whatever gear ratio your comfortable with.

Completely agreed! I simply think it's interesting to hear the preferences of other fishermen and compare my opinion to theirs. In the end no one is right or wrong, it's just preference and what's easier for that person.

~ Mr. Netfish and Chill

[tbone1993]

I'm somewhat of a purist for gear ratios. I like to have each reel for a specific purpose. That being said I'm not opposed to bumping up to a 7.1 to fish a squarebill. There isn't enough bill to necessitate a low gear ratio. I like being able to keep my crankbaits in the strike zone longer churning the bottom and if that means going with a 5:4.1 with less IPT then that is what I do. I have nothing but good things to say about my bb1pro ps1 and the same with my gen 2 revo winch. If you can find an old gen 2 revo scoop it up and replace the bearings. I'm changing mine if I ever take the time to buy the spool tool. 

[Netfish and Chill]

6 hours ago, tbone1993 said:

I'm somewhat of a purist for gear ratios. I like to have each reel for a specific purpose.

I 100% agree. I don't want you guys to think I'm taking my Lew's frog fishing with me! If I'm pitching, flipping, or frogging, I'm speeding up big time. But like you said, I like to keep my crankbaits in the strike zone for as long as possible and I feel that a lower gear ratio is best at doing that. I'm a very in-depth person and I think that by going in and dissecting an area, you can catch far more bass in one slew than quickly covering water and jumping around from one to another. To each his own. I just found this topic very interesting. 

It really does seem like the ratio-norm is getting higher though doesn't it? 

~ Mr. Netfish and Chill

[Bluebasser86]

I have different reel speeds for different baits, but I really prefer the faster speeds if I can get away with them since it's easier for me to speed up than it is to slow down. I have reels down to a 4.9:1 (deep cranking), up to an 8.2:1 on my finesse jig rod and 8.1 on my frog rod. 

That doesn't mean you can't use slower reels if they work for you. I had an old 3.8:1 Lew's (it was even touted as being high speed on the side of the reel). I caught a lot of fish on a T rig with that reel. I can also remember cranking like a mad man and still having a huge bow in my line when a fish decided to swim straight at me. 

If it works for you and you're happy with the results, roll with it. 

[roadwarrior]

Fast reels for most applications, but if you do a lot of deep cranking you REALLY need a slow reel with lots of torque.

 

[Silas]

Sometimes we pay too much attention to what others think.  We seem to be losing the art of thinking for ourselves. 

     You are a unique individual and therefore your capabilities and skills differ from everyone else. 

    Consider making your own conclusions more often than accepting others. 

In the end you will become wiser and be able to make better decisions. 

consider and weigh others thoughts; but make your own decisions .

 

YOU decide which ratio works best for you  

 

[Netfish and Chill]

3 hours ago, Silas said:

Sometimes we pay too much attention to what others think.  We seem to be losing the art of thinking for ourselves. 

     You are a unique individual and therefore your capabilities and skills differ from everyone else. 

    Consider making your own conclusions more often than accepting others. 

In the end you will become wiser and be able to make better decisions. 

consider and weigh others thoughts; but make your own decisions .

 

YOU decide which ratio works best for you  

 

I agree. We make our own choices. I simply find it interesting to see the views of others on ideas where preference and opinion are deciding factors.

[tstraub]

Just a guess but reel speeds have been getting higher over the years as rod lengths have been getting longer and longer.  My thought is that with today's longer rods and longer casts the reel needs to pick up line faster so you can get that lure back in approximately the same amount of time keeping your casts per hour equal.  

Either that our the marketing department just likes bigger numbers.  And once one brand jumps up a speed or size everybody else has to follow suit.

Tyler

[Deleted account]

1 hour ago, Silas said:

Sometimes we pay too much attention to what others think.  We seem to be losing the art of thinking for ourselves. 

     You are a unique individual and therefore your capabilities and skills differ from everyone else. 

    Consider making your own conclusions more often than accepting others. 

In the end you will become wiser and be able to make better decisions. 

consider and weigh others thoughts; but make your own decisions .

 

YOU decide which ratio works best for you  

 

There's a crazy concept, see what works for you and use that. Silas for president!

[OkobojiEagle]

Much of this frequent discussion concerning appropriate reel ratios revolves around what is comfortable for the angler instead of what is most applicable to the bait presentation and the bass' state of aggression.

 

oe

[Molay1292]

11 minutes ago, OkobojiEagle said:

Much of this frequent discussion concerning appropriate reel ratios revolves around what is comfortable for the angler instead of what is most applicable to the bait presentation and the bass' state of aggression.

 

oe

Great observation!

[Fishes in trees]

In olden times, Shimano marketed a Curado in a 3.8 to 1 gear ratio.    They weren't selling at the tackle store I go to and I noticed that they were getting discounted from time to time.   When they got down to much less than half the original price, I bought one.   I found out that 3.8 to one is too slow - word got out and now wonder that they didn't sell well.

Then I found out during a conversation with an employee at the reel repair show next door to the primary BPS store in Springfield, that the Curado B's were all the same size inside and it was a simple matter of around $20 to switch out the gears from 3.8 to 5 to 1.   The next time I was in KC I bought 4 of the lower gear ration Curados and got them all switch over to the slightly higher gear ratio.   So I got a whole set of back up reels for less than $75 each.   

As I upgrade reels from time to time I find that the  5 to 1 ratio is harder and harder to find.   The Curado E and Chronarch 50 size are 6.4 to 1 and I'm ok with that.   I recently acquired a new Curado 70 which has a higher gear ratio, but I haven't had a chance to fish with it yet.