Am I the only one?

[billmac]

Who doesn't care about gear ratios on reels?

[NorthernBasser]

A 7 or 8 speed reel is a huge difference over a 5 speed. Especially when it comes to certain applications. 

[suzuki2903]

Fishing equipment is a tool and every job requires the right tool for the job… . So yep ratios do matter 

[steve-pierce]

Yes. A 6xd all day on a 7.5:1 would cripple a man

[Jig Man]

Probably

[Mike L]

Don’t care much between mid 7’s and low 8’s or mid 6’s and low 7’s. 
But I do care between low 6’s and 8 anything. 
 

 

 

 

 

Mike 

[Brownbasser]

I think it matters, as stated, every application has a tool that is best for the job. Just depends on what you're doing. Best of luck

[GRiver]

I didn’t, until I got my first buzz bait. It’s easier to keep it up on top with a 7:5 than 5. Now I try to Mach up ratio with what bait I’m using.

[Kenny Yi]

i dont care about gear ratios, as long as its a 7 speed

[jbrew73]

Yes

[Columbia Craw]

I’m convinced that, if I’d had a reel with an 8:1 ratio in the late 70’s through the 90’s I would have hooked and or landed a lot more fish. That includes steelhead.

[papajoe222]

The majority of my reels are 6.3:1 geared and I prefer it that way for the majority of my moving baits, I like to know how fast a bait is moving through the water by how fast I'm turning the handle (the IPT is nearly identical on them). I do, however, own both faster and one slower geared reel that I use for certain techniques.

[PressuredFishing]

Anything fast enough to not make my hand tired,  I don't really care about slower gear ratios, anything at or above 6:6:1 works for me

[Fishin Dad]

I absolutely pay attention to gear ratios.  It matters for sure.  

[Captain Phil]

Before the seventies, most all bass casting reels were 3/1.  The first "high speed" casting reels were 5/1.  The very popular Ambassador 5500C had a sticker on it that said High Speed.   They even sold retro gears to convert older reels to 5/1.  Spinning reels have always been faster than casting reels, that's one reason they were popular with salt water jig fishermen.   Later, 7/1 and now 8/1 reels became available.   My old Shimano Chronarch 100s are 7/1. 

 

There is no one gear radio that works for all fishing applications.  If you use a reel that's too fast, you change the action of the lure. A good example is the spinnerbait.  A spinnerbait works best when pulled slow and close to cover.  A spinnerbait is not designed to be pulled on top like a buzz bait.   You can catch fish that way, but you will do much better if you slow down.  Fishing a buzz bait with a 3/1 reel is arduous.  I did that when I was young because that's the only reel I had.  The key word here is "young" as I wouldn't even attempt that now.  Water temperature also affects the most effective gear ratio.  The colder the water, the slower the presentation.  Most bass fisherman fish too fast.  It's like a drug to them.  When they catch a fish, they can't wait to catch another.  At the end of the day, they have covered a ton of water and left a ton of fish.  

[Deleted account]

10 hours ago, Columbia Craw said:

I’m convinced that, if I’d had a reel with an 8:1 ratio in the late 70’s through the 90’s I would have hooked and or landed a lot more fish. That includes steelhead.

"Never had an ill workman good tools"

[ajschn06]

Yes….fishing in current I need fast reels

[Big-Bass]

In 1952 with the introduction of the Abu Ambassadeur 5000 (red reel), the modern baitcasting reel was using a 3.8:1 gear ratio.  It had bushings and I have some from the 1950s and 1960s that I collect that can still launch a bait but are very slow in retrieve by modern standards.  In about 1966, Abu released the 5000C (black reel) that just featured bearings instead of bushings.  In 1972, Abu launched the high speed 5500C in at 4.7:1 with the circular right plate sticker that said "High Speed" and it was the quickest reel at the time.  Even the first Lew's made by Shimano in the late 70s had a 3.8:1 gear ratio until Lew Childre moved production to Ryobi in the early 1980s and they upped the gears to 4.7:1.  They made BB1, then BB1N, then BB1NG (gold), then BB1NGH (gold high which came in 5.3:1).  With the narrow "V" spool of the Lew's, the IPT increased even though the gear ratio didn't.  Throughout the 1980s, Daiwa, Shimano, and then later Abu used 5.3:1 reels in their lineup as their speedier models.  One exception was made in 1987/88.  Daiwa introduced the PT33SH which was 7.1:1 and stayed in production until 2015/2016.  It was fast but didn't have alot of power in the gearing.  6.3:1 became a mainstay in the early 1990s with Daiwa's TD1Hi and TD1Hi Tournament reels.  Abu had the Pro Max, Black Max, SM round reels in 1600, 3600, 5600, and 6600 that all "caught up" with 6.3:1.  Shimano had the Chronarch, Curado, Coriolis, etc. In the early 2000s, 7:1 reels were the new hot thing until they became "average speed in the early 2010s with 8, 9, and now 10:1 reels.  Sorry for the history lesson but anything in the 5.3:1 - 8:1 will cover all most all bases for all baits.  Best wishes on the water!

[detroit1]

Well, Capt. Phil...the smallmouth up this way love a burning spinnerbait. The largemouth - not so much. For them i usually retrieve moderately with subtle to sharp jerks every couple of feet to help disguise what it is they are looking at. I have tried slow - rolling with little sucess, so i don't even bother. 

[Captain Phil]

1 hour ago, detroit1 said:

Well, Capt. Phil...the smallmouth up this way love a burning spinnerbait. The largemouth - not so much. For them i usually retrieve moderately with subtle to sharp jerks every couple of feet to help disguise what it is they are looking at. I have tried slow - rolling with little sucess, so i don't even bother. 

 

My only experience with smallmouth bass has been fishing Lake Erie for two weeks on summer vacation.  We caught smallmouths up to six pounds, all on weighted soft plastic tubes fished on the bottom.  

[scaleface]

Almost all my reels are in the 6 or 7  to 1 category . I dont feel the need for anything else. I do use a 5 to 1 for crankbaits but feel I got suckered into that . Heck , I had no problem fishing buzzbaits with the old round abus with the 4.6 to 1 ratio. 

[Big Rick]

It appears you are indeed the only one. 

[GoneFishingLTN]

Fo sho the only one 

[RDB]

[billmac]

I love being unique!  I couldn't tell you what the ratios are on my reels.  I don't use buzzbaits much anymore, but don't remember having trouble keeping them on top.  I wouldn't mind diversifying by gear ratio, but my biggest consideration is cost at an acceptable quality.