Advantages of lighter baitcasters?

[LrgmouthShad]

Hey ya’ll,

 

Just curious what advantages you believe a lighter baitcaster offers and any disadvantages you feel that using one entails. I am not too knowledgeable on the consequences of reel weight. Also, if you have any recommendations for a fast reel (GR of 8 or higher) that I can use for jigs, some soft plastics, spinnerbaits, lipless, etc., shoot me a message and I’ll take a look. I’d really appreciate it. Tight lines!

[MN Fisher]

41 minutes ago, LrgmouthShad said:

Just curious what advantages you believe a lighter baitcaster offers and any disadvantages you feel that using one entails.

Less strain on your wrist and arm...lighter the reel, the more casts you can make without tiring as much.

 

41 minutes ago, LrgmouthShad said:

Also, if you have any recommendations for a fast reel (GR of 8 or higher) that I can use for jigs, some soft plastics, spinnerbaits, lipless, etc.,

I use my 8-ratio for flip/pitch/punch/frogs...techniques where you're purposefully casting into the slop. Speed needed to haul the fish out before it tangles the line in the weeds.

 

All the techniques you described except lipless, I use a 7-ratio for. Lipless cranks go on my crankbait rig which is a 6-ratio.

[LrgmouthShad]

14 minutes ago, MN Fisher said:

Less strain on your wrist and arm...lighter the reel, the more casts you can make without tiring as much.

 

I use my 8-ratio for flip/pitch/punch/frogs...techniques where you're purposefully casting into the slop. Speed needed to haul the fish out before it tangles the line in the weeds.

 

All the techniques you described except lipless, I use a 7-ratio for. Lipless cranks go on my crankbait rig which is a 6-ratio.

Thanks for the input and info! I’m curious about your thinking on some of this. Why do you prefer a slower reel for cranks and why do you think an 8 speed is too fast for spinnerbaits, some soft plastics, etc.? I’m genuinely curious. I’m young and still very much learning. I just believe in a faster reel at the moment to reel in slack quickly and reduce time spent reeling back between casts to shoreline cover. 

[MN Fisher]

11 minutes ago, LrgmouthShad said:

Thanks for the input and info! I’m curious about your thinking on some of this. Why do you prefer a slower reel for cranks

Most crankbaits are designed to dive, too fast a retrieve and you'll not reach the depths where they are designed to reach. In the case of lipless, too fast a retrieve and it'll more likely skitter across the surface instead of going down in the water-column where the fish are.

 

11 minutes ago, LrgmouthShad said:

and why do you think an 8 speed is too fast for spinnerbaits, some soft plastics, etc.? I’m genuinely curious.

Same issue, with a faster reel, getting the baits down is more difficult - especially soft plastics which are lighter. In in the case of T-Rigs, you WANT the bait on the bottom, not traveling through the water above it.

 

11 minutes ago, LrgmouthShad said:

I just believe in a faster reel at the moment to reel in slack quickly and reduce time spent reeling back between casts to shoreline cover.

Properly cast, there's not much slack to reel in - maybe a couple yards, which my 7-ratio reel will pick up in 3-4 handle turns even with a long cast. Far as getting the lure back quickly - sometimes a slow-rolling spinnerbait will attract the bass' attention better than a fast moving one, and it's easier to slow down a 7-ratio than an 8.

 

11 minutes ago, LrgmouthShad said:

I’m genuinely curious. I’m young and still very much learning.

That's why it's good to ask questions - remember...'the only stupid question is the one that's not asked'.

[garroyo130]

12 minutes ago, LrgmouthShad said:

I just believe in a faster reel at the moment to reel in slack quickly and reduce time spent reeling back between casts to shoreline cover. 

Bottom bouncing lures (texas rigs, jigs, etc.) are moved by the rod. Here a faster reel ratio is welcome. 

 

Free running lures (crankbaits, spinnerbaits, etc.) are moved by the reel. Here the reel ratio will determine how long the lure remains in the strike zone and what action it has. 

[LrgmouthShad]

Thanks for the comments ya’ll. I have barely thrown lipless; it’s hard for me to remember how they behave and I’ll research it more. The other comments were also very helpful. What can I say? I feel a need for speed. I will wisen up to some of the advantages of slower reels.

[MN Fisher]

4 minutes ago, LrgmouthShad said:

Thanks for the comments ya’ll. I have barely thrown lipless; it’s hard for me to remember how they behave and I’ll research it more. The other comments were also very helpful. What can I say? I feel a need for speed. I will wisen up to some of the advantages of slower reels.

Check the videos that @Glenn has uploaded here and on the BassResource channel on YouTube - he gives a lot of hints, tips and tricks...and goes into why you should have certain types of rigs.

[jimmyjoe]

   Regarding the reasons for lightweight reels, some people believe that it enhances sensitivity through reduced mass. Personally, I don't see it. However ..... to each their own.        

[GReb]

I prefer faster gear ratios when fishing shallow water. Bass are fast and often they will run straight at the boat full speed when hooked. I don’t fish any reel below 7:1 anymore. 
 

Lighter reels and rods give you more stamina. Spending 8 hours on a boat in 90 degree heat will wear you out. Adding a 6 oz rod and 8 oz reel to the equation just makes it worse. 

[brophog]

Most of the positives have been covered, but there are many negatives.

 

Durability of materials. This is throughout the reel, from frame and side plates to drag stars, gearing, levelwinds, shafts, spools. Smoothness. Bearings add quite a bit of weight when you’re pinching fractions of an ounce. Even line capacity is often reduced because the line itself is fairly heavy. There is also a hollow nature to many of the very light reels that really turns a lot of people off. They can feel more toy like than a piece of precision machinery.

 

 

[WRB]

If you pick up 2 reels that weight differently you can tell the difference. Let's say for example 1 reel weighs 7 oz and the other 6 oz you can tell the 1 oz difference.

Put the reels on identicle rods, tie on a lure and fish with them. Could you tell the difference? If the rod is built properly it will balance with each reel regardless of the weight. I doubt you could tell the difference while fishing. Rod balance is more important the super light weight reel.

Gear ratio is meaningless compared to line recovered with each turn of the reel handle (IPT) throughout the retreive distance. 8:1 ratio with 34 IPT full of line drops to 17 IPT after casting 40 yards with 100 size reel. 6.3:1 ratio with 26 IPT drops to 22 IPT after 40 yard cast using a 300 size reel. 

Tom

[Johnbt]

"reduce time spent reeling back between casts to shoreline cover."

 

All I can say is slow down. I can't begin to count the number of bass that have followed a slow spinnerbait from the bank back to the boat. And even hit it when it was coming straight up to the boat. It's worked for 30+ years and the guy who taught me was doing it before that. My first 9 pounder was caught under the boat at the end of a slow bottom bouncing retrieve. A nice solid 9.25 on the scale. 

[Tywithay]

Go grab 5 quarters and hold them in your hand. An ounce makes very little difference. A properly balanced outfit will offer more advantages than lighter weight, unless it's a significant amount. 

 

As far as gear ratios, it wasn't more than 7-8 years ago you'd read reviews about the "blazing fast 7.1:1 ratio." Nowadays, people seem to think they need super speed to catch fish. They have their place, but aren't a necessity. 8 and 9 ratio reels are made to catch fishermen more than they're made to catch fish.

[Bankc]

9 hours ago, Tywithay said:

Go grab 5 quarters and hold them in your hand. An ounce makes very little difference. A properly balanced outfit will offer more advantages than lighter weight, unless it's a significant amount. 

 

As far as gear ratios, it wasn't more than 7-8 years ago you'd read reviews about the "blazing fast 7.1:1 ratio." Nowadays, people seem to think they need super speed to catch fish. They have their place, but aren't a necessity. 8 and 9 ratio reels are made to catch fishermen more than they're made to catch fish.

That's the truth!  Perhaps it's because I fish from a kayak and have to paddle myself around everywhere.  But for me, it's the paddling that wears me out.  The weight of the reel doesn't matter in the slightest.  We're talking about ounces, or even fractions of ounces, not pounds here.  

 

Same with gear ratios.  Now I like a fast gear ratio.  Mainly because slowing down is easier than speeding up.  That being said, one of the reels I use every time I go out is a 3.8:1 Abu 5000D.  Even at 3.8:1, it's not too slow to do anything that I want to do with it.  It's just a little less comfortable that my faster, more modern reels due to it being so slow.  Unless you get to the extreme ends, most gear ratio differences aren't really all that much in practice.  To put it into perspective, an 8:1 gear ratio will give you one free turn of the handle for every seven turns you put into it, versus a 7:1 gear ratio.  And that 8:1 reel will give you two free turns for every six turns compared to a 6:1 reel.  Think about how many times you have to turn the reel to get your lure back to the boat or bank, and ask yourself how hard it would be to squeeze in the extra rotations, or in the case of using a slower reel, back off those rotations.  We're not talking about super-human tasks here.  

 

Now, if you're a professional and make your money off this stuff, then you're looking for every advantage you can squeeze out.  That tiny bit of fatigue that may not matter for most of us from the extra ounce of the reel or turn of the handle may mean a lot more to them if they fish every day, eight hours a day.  Also, your fitness level comes into play.  If you're old and have heart problems, then you might get worn out a lot easier than someone who's young and in good shape.  

 

My point being, while the advantages are real, they shouldn't be enough to keep the average angler from catching fish, or make a big difference in their fishing experience.  For most of us, it should be a "I want to buy a new reel, and since I'm buying a new reel with a specific purpose in mind anyway, I should buy one with the features that will maximize my fishing experience".  It should never be "My old reel is preventing me from catching fish because it's too slow and too heavy, so I need to buy a new one".  In other words, there might be something better out there, but what you have is probably good enough.  For most of us, if your reel is too slow or too heavy to be useful, then your problem probably isn't a gear problem, but a medical problem that you should probably be talking to a doctor about.  Either that, or you've got a mechanics issue in your technique which is causing unnecessary strain.  

 

So just because a reel is better for certain techniques doesn't mean you need that reel to do those techniques.  And just because you don't have a reel set up for those techniques doesn't mean that you shouldn't give them a try and expect to have a chance to get good at them.  What separates the pros from the amateurs isn't their gear, but their ability.  Otherwise, who wouldn't spend $100,000 in fishing gear if it meant they were guaranteed to make millions of dollars in earnings and endorsements, all while fishing for living?!