7.9 high speed.

[Angry John]

Bought my first high speed reel a while ago but just starting to put it to use.  I am finding that I don't care for it as an all around option.  Might get put on a rod for pitching and punching only.  Seems to fast for my style and moving baits.  Do people use these ratios on cranks and other moving baits with good results.  Maybe I just don't like cranking that slow.

[Skeeter Dan]

I use my 8.3 for Pitching and Buzz bait

[frosty]

I am not a cranking expert but I have always been under the impression the 5.xxx gear reels were best for cranks?

[fishnkamp]

It is pretty simple  

5x-1 reels are best for fishing DEEP diving crankbaits. Were are talking baits that are large with big bills. These baits dive down 20 feet or more. They match up with special rods that are 7'6 to over 8 foot long.

 

6.1 to 6.5 -1 reels are general purpose reels used for fishing shallow to mid depth crankbaits  ( say down to 15 feet) rattle trap type baits, jigs, texas rigs and plenty other techniques.

 

7.1 to 7.5-1 reels are great for burning a spinnerbait just under the surface, fishing some top water baits like buzzbaits and chatterbaits ( personal preference here) and I like this speed if I am fishing a big jig really deep on a ledge.  I am not working the jig with the reel, only taking up slack with it.

 

8-1 reels I use on my frog, punching, flipping and pitching rods. I am using it to retrieve line fast so I can make a repeat cast fast, especially when a bass may miss it.  All 3 of my 8-1 Tatula Rs have 65 pound Power Pro on them because that is what matches their purpose.

 

So I would say your feelings are correct, swap that reel out for 6.3-1 or something close and you can use that reel on a flipping stick, or frog rod. You will be much more comfortable all around.

 

[Quarry Man]

thats little fast for all around. will work good for punching flipping frogging buzzing. 6.3 or 7 for all around

[Bluebasser86]

I have 2 9 ratio reels, both are used for pitching jigs and plastics. 

[Jeff H]

7's are fast enough for me.  I've no need or desire for anything faster. If I'm losing out, so be it. 

 

 

[Raul]

18 hours ago, frosty said:

I am not a cranking expert but I have always been under the impression the 5.xxx gear reels were best for cranks?

 

For lipped cranks. Lipless cranks are another animal.

[Angry John]

I use 6.3 almost all the time.  Had to see what the hype was all about and I made the plan to swap that reel with braid and pitch and punch after the first outing.  Seems like a dedicated setup for that speed.  I am ok with having one but don't plan on getting any more...

[broke4bass]

I like 7.x+ reels for baits where I need to pick up slack quick to set the hook.  I rather have to only crank 1-2 times to pick up slack versus taking 3-4 for a hookset, especially when the fish is swimming towards you with the bait in its mouth.  It really helps on that part.  Plus, it's a lot less effort reeling a bait back after making a pitch, if you like pitching as much as I do.  It can be used for burning baits, but I prefer the 6.x range for that.  I find it easier speeding up my reeling versus slowing it down.  7.x is definitely not my reel for shallow-mid depth moving baits though, but that's just my preference.

[Further North]

2 hours ago, Jeff H said:

7's are fast enough for me.  I've no need or desire for anything faster. If I'm losing out, so be it. 

 

 

You're not missing anything - it's mostly personal preference.

 

 

19 hours ago, fishnkamp said:

It is pretty simple  

5x-1 reels are best for fishing DEEP diving crankbaits. Were are talking baits that are large with big bills. These baits dive down 20 feet or more. They match up with special rods that are 7'6 to over 8 foot long.

 

6.1 to 6.5 -1 reels are general purpose reels used for fishing shallow to mid depth crankbaits  ( say down to 15 feet) rattle trap type baits, jigs, texas rigs and plenty other techniques.

 

7.1 to 7.5-1 reels are great for burning a spinnerbait just under the surface, fishing some top water baits like buzzbaits and chatterbaits ( personal preference here) and I like this speed if I am fishing a big jig really deep on a ledge.  I am not working the jig with the reel, only taking up slack with it.

 

8-1 reels I use on my frog, punching, flipping and pitching rods. I am using it to retrieve line fast so I can make a repeat cast fast, especially when a bass may miss it.  All 3 of my 8-1 Tatula Rs have 65 pound Power Pro on them because that is what matches their purpose.

 

So I would say your feelings are correct, swap that reel out for 6.3-1 or something close and you can use that reel on a flipping stick, or frog rod. You will be much more comfortable all around.

 

Great summary.

 

I'm pretty decent at slowing down high speed reels...not so good at speeding up slow ones...so I tend towards higher retrieve rates.

 

...to the point that I had a Revo Winch 50 that I bought last year converted from 5.4:1 to 6.3:1 because I was having trouble keeping big spoons out of the weeds.

[Jon G]

I don't use 6 gear ratio reels anymore. I use a 5 gear ratio for deep cranks and everything else gets a 7 or higher. I have not seen a difference in the amount of fish I catch. If I need a slower retrieve I just reel slower.

[mwh33]

I use a 6:1 conquest for deep cranking. Everything else is 7:1 or greater for me. 

[rippin-lips]

On 7/1/2017 at 3:07 PM, Angry John said:

Bought my first high speed reel a while ago but just starting to put it to use.  I am finding that I don't care for it as an all around option.  Might get put on a rod for pitching and punching only.  Seems to fast for my style and moving baits.  Do people use these ratios on cranks and other moving baits with good results.  Maybe I just don't like cranking that slow.

Check this out. I agree though it's not everyone's cup of tea. 

 

 

[Angry John]

Hard to argue with a guy like aaron martins.  Most of the things he mentions are not the way i fish, cruising the bank at 2 miles an hour for one.  Pro fishing is a different game and they have to be fast always.  If thats the way you fish then they would be invaluable.  The other consideration is i am in the back of the boat or in a yak so i dont get to cast forward.  That changes a lot IMO.  I think have one or two as a tool in the box is not a loss.

[fishnkamp]

Aaron does things very differently than most of the other Pros. Just watch some of his other videos. 

[rippin-lips]

Agreed, but it's hard to argue with a guy who's attention to detail far exceeds most anglers. Also his accomplishments on the water. 

[Further North]

Here's the thing with modeling our "regular" fishing after the pros...IMO.

 

Sit back for a second and compare Pro fishing to Pro Driving...as in racing....

 

All of us drive, pretty much every day.  Do we engage in very many of the things that professional race drivers do to get their speeds up?  Drafting, going juuuust a little deeper into that corner, making a risky pass just to make it to work...or to Cabela's...a few seconds earlier? Heck no.  That'd be stupid, and dangerous.

 

Same with fishing...just because a pro does something doesn't mean we should be doing anything that is even close to that in real life.  Using "What the Pros Do" as justification for what we do do as recreational fishermen is bordering on absurd...

 

Professional fisherman are provided boats, electronics, rods, reels, baits, line...and they are constrained by time.  They have no incentive to make those things last, or to treat them the way we do to take care of our equipment...to the pros, winning is everything, and if a bot gets wrecked, a few reels and rods get trashed...or a bucket full of baits get lost...it has zero impact on them...not really.

 

We all pay for our own stuff and need to treat it differently and we need to act like responsible adults because the dollars come out of our pockets...

[OnthePotomac]

You cannot beat the high speed reels for plastics fishing.  That is how all of mine are used.

[david in va]

One thing I think almost all young fishermen  are missing out on is playing the bigger fish.

You are fishing with line, reels and rods that you can tow a truck with.  I am now guilty  of this too. But I do have the memories.

[Further North]

3 hours ago, kstephes033 said:

That post about driving cars though, dont listen to that, its basically a worthless comparison and no valid points made. He is a drunken 'sconnie though, so makes sense that he makes no valid points and compares fishing to Trashcar.

You really need to reconsider your personal attack method of having a discussion.

 

It reflects poorly on you...and tends to negate any useful points you might have made...

[fissure_man]

On ‎7‎/‎2‎/‎2017 at 11:00 PM, Further North said:

Here's the thing with modeling our "regular" fishing after the pros...IMO.

 

Sit back for a second and compare Pro fishing to Pro Driving...as in racing....

 

All of us drive, pretty much every day.  Do we engage in very many of the things that professional race drivers do to get their speeds up?  Drafting, going juuuust a little deeper into that corner, making a risky pass just to make it to work...or to Cabela's...a few seconds earlier? Heck no.  That'd be stupid, and dangerous.

...

 

Comparing pro vs. amateur fishing is nowhere close to pro racing vs. driving on public roads.  Even the professional drivers wouldn’t use those racing techniques off the track.  Regardless of skill or budget, when there’s no race, the objective of driving changes completely.  In contrast, when an amateur goes fun fishing, the basic objective is generally pretty similar to that of a pro bass fisherman in a tournament (catch a bunch of big bass).  Many of the things that help pros catch bass will also help amateurs.

 

A better comparison would be pro/am bass fisherman vs. pro/am racing drivers.  In either case, an amateur looking to improve their skills might do well to glean some techniques from the more experienced pros that have proven their mastery of the sport.  I’d even say this tends to be truer with bass fishing than most sports – amateurs can fish for the same bass on the same lakes (same spots, even) that the pros do.

 

Everyone works within different budgets and has different preferences, even among the pros.  So doing everything ‘like the pros’ isn’t even possible (which pro will you pick?).  A-Mart offers his justification for using high speed reels, others disagree.  Everyone gets to pick what works for them.

 

Reel speed has nothing to do with budget, and everything to do with preference.  If regular Joes tend to be more budget-constrained, that’s further justification to consider the opinions of more experienced anglers (including pros) before shelling out for a reel purchase.  Consider the reasons why those anglers make the choices they do, consider how your constraints/priorities might be different than theirs, and then choose what’s most likely to work for your personal preferences/style/budget/etc.  To me this seems like a sound, ‘responsible adult’ approach

 

~

 

Hasn’t been mentioned in this thread yet, but ‘reel speed’ is better defined in terms of IPT rather than gear ratio.  IPT gives a more direct measure of how the reel speed will affect your fishing, and is a better way to compare reel speed between different reels.  A large-spooled 6.3:1 reel might take in as much or more line per crank as a smaller-spooled 7.1:1, especially at the end of a long cast.  Just something else to consider.

 

 

[Further North]

2 minutes ago, fissure_man said:

Hasn’t been mentioned in this thread yet, but ‘reel speed’ is better defined in terms of IPT rather than gear ratio.  IPT gives a more direct measure of how the reel speed will affect your fishing, and is a better way to compare reel speed between different reels.  A large-spooled 6.3:1 reel might take in as much or more line per crank as a smaller-spooled 7.1:1, especially at the end of a long cast.  Just something else to consider.

Great point, and you mention a trap I fell into when I got back into fishing.  IPT is really the definition of speed, not ratio.

 

I only own a few reels with ratios below 7:1, and they all have specific uses...Two are for crankbaits, two are for in-line spinners bigger than size 4, and one is on a musky rod.  I prefer higher speed reels, they seem to fit my style better than slow speed rigs.

 

...my comparison to racing wasn't meant to say we shouldn't watch, read about and learn from the pros, only that we should be careful about blindly following every word they speak.  They have different aims and goals than recreational fishermen, and a different focus.  What they do isn't always best for us, any more that what I used to do in SCCA races is what I do on my way to work.  Even though I was I was far from a pro, just a passionate amateur, I learned a lot of things that make me a better driver (focus, paying attention, what to do to get the most from a car without breaking it, how to control a car past where most people ever go).

 

Pros in any sport are different critters, they have an additional level of drive and need to win that doesn't jibe with what the rest of us do when we're out on the water...unless our goal is to become a pro...then all bets are off...

[fissure_man]

25 minutes ago, Further North said:

...my comparison to racing wasn't meant to say we shouldn't watch, read about and learn from the pros, only that we should be careful about blindly following every word they speak. 

 

Agreed.  Critical thinking is... critical. 

[BassGirl71]

I agree with using a high speed reel for cranking - it is really difficult to slow down that much (for me anyway).  I have a 9.3:1 Speed Demon and I use it only for pitching and flipping. I prefer a 5.3:1 or something slower like that for crank baits.  I know a lot of guys think they slow down enough to fish cranks with a high speed reel, but as soon as they catch a fish or two, I can see them start to speed up.  I have a hard time thinking any crank bait will run true right out of the box with a gear ratio that high.  JMO.