Gear ratio

[burrows]

Im thinking about getting a new reel for spinnerbaits and squarebills I have always used 63,64 but times seem to be changing and a lot of you are using 71,74 for theses aplications. I have a 71 for jigs worms to retrieve my line quick when pitching but what do you guys think on spinnerbaits and squarebills chatterbaits is 71,74  best for these aplications?  Should I get with the times? What are you guys using? 

[Catt]

5.0:1 ?

[CroakHunter]

I'm with @Catt on this one. I prefer a slow retrieve for these baits. And a slow reel helps me achieve that. 

[Chance_Taker4]

I agree with the masses 5:1

[Stephen B]

6:1 gear ratios. 5:1 is too slow IMO if you are throwing squarebills alongside docks and around cover. They are more designed for deep divers to provide added torque. But if you have a hard time slowing yourself down and feel comfortable with a 5:1 go for it.

[OkobojiEagle]

23" - 25" IPT  with full spool...

 

oe

[J Francho]

I go somewhere in the middle.  It's rare that I would actually need a faster reel.

[bigfruits]

at least 6:1. id go with 7:1 with most of them except for some of the larger chatterbaits.

its easy to slow down, the question to me would be - do i need the extra power?

 

 

[burrows]

Im hoping  to pre order this reel on black Friday to replace my curado I so I think I'm sticking with 631 I'm a fast cranker. But I see a ton of folks going 741 or faster now so I was just thinking maybe I should go with 74 this time around every one else is doing it? 

[bigfruits]

what reel is it? what is the IPT? 

 

6.3:1 for shallow cranks and spinnerbaits should be fine. if the 6.3:1 you use now is fine for burning spinnerbaits i see no need for a faster reel. i dont like buzzbaits on a 6.3:1 but you did not mention that bait.

 

its boils down to preference really.

[burrows]

9 hours ago, bigfruits said:

what reel is it? what is the IPT? 

 

6.3:1 for shallow cranks and spinnerbaits should be fine. if the 6.3:1 you use now is fine for burning spinnerbaits i see no need for a faster reel. i dont like buzzbaits on a 6.3:1 but you did not mention that bait.

 

its boils down to preference really.

The K and yeah no buzz baits.  If you watch videos online seems tho everyone uses 7 or  higher for these applications  now I remember watching a video years ago with kvd fishing spinnerbaits saying 641 is as fast as you need but you watch him now and I’m pretty sure he even recommends 7 something for spinnerbaits now.

[Chance_Taker4]

21 minutes ago, Burro said:

The K and yeah no buzz baits.  If you watch videos online seems tho everyone uses 7 or  higher for these applications  now I remember watching a video years ago with kvd fishing spinnerbaits saying 641 is as fast as you need but you watch him now and I’m pretty sure he even recommends 7 something. 

I think location is key. I live in Ohio and seems like slower presentations throughout the year produces more. But when I go down to my vacation rental in TN I have to burn baits all day to get bigger limits.

[WRB]

Gear ratio's have increased as spool diameter and widths have decreased to maintain a comfortable retrieve rate of 21-25 IPT when the spool is about 2/3rds full.

Check the IPT after making your standard length cast with the lures you are using.

Simple to do; mark the line at the rod tip with a Sharpie and turn the reel handle 1 full turn 360 degrees. Measure how far in inches the line mark has moved. Gear ratio is basically meaningless without considering inches per turn (IPT) based on how you use your reel.

Tom

 

[burrows]

4 hours ago, Stephen B said:

6:1 gear ratios. 5:1 is too slow IMO if you are throwing squarebills alongside docks and around cover. They are more designed for deep divers to provide added torque. But if you have a hard time slowing yourself down and feel comfortable with a 5:1 go for it.

I couldn't go 511 for sure but I think I'm sticking with 631 I have a hard time slowing down with 741 so I'm not changing. Can't teach an old dog new tricks.

[OkobojiEagle]

2 hours ago, WRB said:

 

Simple to do; mark the line at the rod tip with a Sharpie and turn the reel handle 1 full turn 360 degrees. Measure how far in inches the line mark has moved. Gear ratio is basically meaningless without considering inches per turn (IPT) based on how you use your reel.

Tom

 

Make 5 turns of the handle and divide total distance by 5... more accurate

 

oe

[Scarborough817]

i prefer a mid to fast ratio have used a 6.4:1 for the first half of last year and a 7.1:1 for the 2nd half i found the 7.1:1 to be a better reel for the application 

[WRB]

It's sometimes hard to remember that the original Ambassador 5000C gear ratio was 4.7:1, high speed 5.3:1 and remained that way for the 4500C reels my generation fished with. IPT wasn't part of any conversation back then, everyone wanted the high speed 5.3:1 ratio reels. The 5000 was the wide spool and 4500 the narrow spool, I opted for the 4500C and fished these reels for decades. 

Shimano comes out with the Bantam 100 with 6.3:1 and this reel is nearly 1/2 the weight and 3/4 the size of the 4500C, so I bought one and added it to my arsenal.

The faster gear ratio 6.3:1 felt the same as the 5.3:1 as far as casting and retreiving crankbaits etc. 

Along comes Daiwa TD HTSA103 $ 105 in the early 90's, smaller, lighter than Shimano green Curado and had instant anti reverse no other reel had then. The HTSA was the fastest spinning light weight spool of the decade and I retired my other reels becoming a Daiwa reel users with 6 new HTSA with 6.3:1 ratio. This was the first time I noticed that after making a long 50 yard cast the retrieve was vey slow and hard to keep up with and control hooked bass. My partner used the green Curado with larger wider spool and higher 7.1:1 ratio and I had no issues keeping up the bass with these reels. Was it gear ratio? So I measured the spools diameters and compared diameters of spooled line after making a long cast...wow what an eye opener. Measuring recovered line my HTSA was 18" per turn, the Curado was 23" per turn, my old 4500C was 24" per turn after making a long cast. The slowest ratio reel was faster then the highest ratio reel, no wonder I was having issues.

When Daiwa came out with Tatula R100 I bought 3 with 8:1 ratio to equal my old 4500C IPT when casting my standard distance and it feels the same.

There is more to small bass reels then gear ratio indicates, IPT is important during the cast and retreive distance.

Tom

PS, Appologize for the long post.

[J Francho]

I like that breakdown, Tom.  I've been saying for a while, wider, shallower spools will help mitigate the problem.

[38 Super Fan]

I think people worry way too much about gear ratio/IPT, especially with moving baits. With spinnerbaits and crankbaits, I bounce back and forth between 6 and 7 ratio reels all the time.

 

 

 

[Glenn]