Gear ratio for Crankbaits

[Catt]

 Often Paul (Elias) is asked if gear ratio really makes that much difference in terms of energy spent over a day of crankbait fishing.  “I think it does.  You really have to work a lot harder with a higher gear ratio reels.  The 6:1 and 7:1 ratios are just too fast for deep diving baits.  It causes you to fight the bait and you don't have near the feel.  And I also don't think the crankbait gets as deep with the higher gear ratio reels.”
 Those who have studied the effects of speed on crankbait depth have discovered that when a billed crankbait begins to dig into the water, it creates turbulence.  But excessive speed creates so much turbulence that it begins to decrease the bait’s efficiency to move through the water, reducing its depth.  This is usually just the opposite of what the average angler expects.
 Aware that reel speed is not necessarily a good thing when throwing large-billed deep-divers, he concludes “The longer it takes to reel that bait in, the deeper that bait can get.”

Bassresource 

[Crankin4Bass]

18 hours ago, LxVE Bassin said:

@Catt @NHBull @WRB it’s gonna be tough finding 5 speed since I am a lefty. I will likely have to get a JDM reel.

You can get these in Lefty:

Abu Garcia Revo X in 5.4:1 (22" ipt) for $100

Abu Garcia Winch in 5.4:1 (22" ipt) for $200

Shimano Calcutta 201d 5.7:1 (25" ipt) for $350

[tkunk]

15 hours ago, Catt said:

 Often Paul (Elias) is asked if gear ratio really makes that much difference in terms of energy spent over a day of crankbait fishing.  “I think it does.  You really have to work a lot harder with a higher gear ratio reels.  The 6:1 and 7:1 ratios are just too fast for deep diving baits.  It causes you to fight the bait and you don't have near the feel.  And I also don't think the crankbait gets as deep with the higher gear ratio reels.”

 

Not that I'm good at fishing, but my opinion is the opposite of this. The harder to I have to work to retrieve a bait, the easier it is for me to feel any reduction in resistance (usually because I've hooked debris, a weed, or a fish). To me, the low gear ratio reels like the Revo Winch feel too "mushy". The sensitivity thing is easy to test on spinnerbaits with big blades: With a low gear ratio, you won't feel any vibration in the first place, so you definitely won't be able to detect any changes in vibration.

 

I also do quite a bit of crankbait trolling for muskies in the fall, and I'm 99% sure that boat speed (and therefore lure speed) doesn't affect the maximum depth that lures hit.

[LxVE Bassin]

9 hours ago, portiabrat said:

 

Not that I'm good at fishing, but my opinion is the opposite of this. The harder to I have to work to retrieve a bait, the easier it is for me to feel any reduction in resistance (usually because I've hooked debris, a weed, or a fish). To me, the low gear ratio reels like the Revo Winch feel too "mushy". The sensitivity thing is easy to test on spinnerbaits with big blades: With a low gear ratio, you won't feel any vibration in the first place, so you definitely won't be able to detect any changes in vibration.

 

I also do quite a bit of crankbait trolling for muskies in the fall, and I'm 99% sure that boat speed (and therefore lure speed) doesn't affect the maximum depth that lures hit.

I am going to play devil’s advocate. There is no actual IPT when the crankbait is being pulled at a constant speed when trolling. I would guess that pulling a crankbait at a constant speed will take it to its max depth and keep it there as long as the speed is constant.  There are other things to that come into play when you cast a crankbait and reel it back to you since the crankbait will come back to you at a 180 degree angle.