My Casting Reel Dilemma

[warefisher]

I’ve had a Daiwa Tatula Elite casting reel on backorder with an online retailer since last November and am very tired of the dragged out wait.  I can now get it elsewhere but in an 8.1:1.  My primary use will be swimbaits, crank baits, and jerkbaits for smallmouth.  Would I be making a mistake to get the higher speed reel or is the adjustment to reeling slower not a big deal?  I’m sure this question has been asked before but I appreciate any current advice.

[Tatulatard]

Up to you.  I would go buy one for $180 from some foreign sight out of spite if US retailers want over $200 and long wait times. 

[warefisher]

Thanks.  That’s a whole different question.  I have zero experience with a high speed reel.  Is the adjustment to reeling slower a big deal?

[bulldog1935]

You can effectively slow it down with a longer handle.  I ordered the ZPI Alcance NS from a Japan website, and the guy send me the XS - he offered to sell me the NS also, but I bought my favorite Avail replacement handle instead. 

 

[Eric 26]

I’m not sure about everyone else, but I myself keep the same cadence/rhythm no matter what the gear ratio is. Obviously as @bulldog1935 is pointing out you can change handles or you can buy elsewhere as @Tatulatard pointed out. If it were me I’d purchase the gear ratio I want from somewhere else. I made my first JDM purchase this year and couldn’t be more pleased.

[The Bassman]

125 JPY to the dollar makes the decision easy.

[FishTank]

Several retailers have this reel in the 6.x:1 speed in stock. If you are paying full retail at $250, I would return it and get the speed reel you are most comfortable with. I would't not use a 8.x:1 for cranks. When I fish a jerkbait, its about a getting a comfortable rhythm.  I like a 7.x:1 reel for them and a different rod than I do for cranks. 

[FryDog62]

I have several Tatula Elites... great reels. I throw crankbaits on a 6.3 and jerkbaits on 8.1 to pick up line quickly between jerks. Not sure which one I would consider giving up to have one reel. 

[new2BC4bass]

1 minute ago, FryDog62 said:

I have several Tatula Elites... great reels. I throw crankbaits on a 6.3 and jerkbaits on 8.1 to pick up line quickly between jerks. Not sure which one I would consider giving up to have one reel. 

Obviously neither.  I hear kidneys go for good money.

[gim]

I find it difficult to make myself reel slower.  Its pretty easy to speed up, but slowing down is tougher.

[MN Fisher]

22 minutes ago, gimruis said:

I find it difficult to make myself reel slower.  Its pretty easy to speed up, but slowing down is tougher.

I have the exact opposite problem - I can slow down easy enough...can't speed up worth a darn.

[warefisher]

Thanks for all the comments.  I’ll continue shopping … and waiting.

[GRiver]

I would get the ratio your comfortable with for the application. If the slower ratio baitcaster is what your accustom too, stick with that.
     If I fish crank baits with my faster reels, I catch myself burning in the bait. I have to constantly tell my self too slow down. I seem to crank at a speed that is comfortable for me and with my crank bait rig 5:6 seems to be a speed that works for me. I like the faster ratios 7:5 and higher for buzz baits, or anywhere the strike zones are smaller and want to get the bait back to cast again. Top water fall in that range too , I think because I see the bait and can adjust my speed, and it takes up the slack faster. 
 

[QED]

Seems as if I am in the minority here, but I usually buy the highest numerical gear ratio version that is available.  For slow fished bottom contact use cases, the gear ratio doesn't matter.  For things like crankbaits and spinnerbaits I've always retrieved in such a way that the feel of the oscillation frequency of the lure dictated how fast I would spin the handle, so the angular velocity of the handle was a dependent function of the oscillation frequency of the lure and so RPM varied as necessary.  But with a high gear ratio reel, you can always rip the lure back really fast once you are outside the strike zone - so there's that.  YMMV

[Bankc]

I don't have issues slowing down or speeding up, to a point (at the extremes, it does come into play).  To me, anything from a 6 to an 8 ratio are pretty much the same, as far as techniques that are available to it.  Everyone's different though, and being a musician for 30 years has probably given me an advantage in this aspect, were a big part of being a musician is being able to keep a steady, comfortable tempo at almost any speed.  

 

So you'll just have to ask yourself if these differences really matter to YOU.  Because it wouldn't matter to me.  But it does matter to others.  Everyone, like I said, is different.

[IneedAnewScreenName-98161861]

Shop elsewhere for what you truly want. I work hard for my money and so I'm not going to let any retailer decide how I spend it. 

 

[Wildbillb]

Too fast.  

[LonnieP]

Tackle Warehouse has the 7.1 in stock. A lot of places have the 6.3 in stock.

[FrnkNsteen]

I personally wouldn't want an 8.1 for the uses you mentioned. MAYBE for the jerkbait. But not for a Spinnerbait, Crank, or Swimjigs.

 

I'd prefer a 6 or 7 speed for those techniques.

[BassNJake]

On 4/13/2022 at 11:04 PM, QED said:

Seems as if I am in the minority here, but I usually buy the highest numerical gear ratio version that is available.  For slow fished bottom contact use cases, the gear ratio doesn't matter.  For things like crankbaits and spinnerbaits I've always retrieved in such a way that the feel of the oscillation frequency of the lure dictated how fast I would spin the handle, so the angular velocity of the handle was a dependent function of the oscillation frequency of the lure and so RPM varied as necessary.  But with a high gear ratio reel, you can always rip the lure back really fast once you are outside the strike zone - so there's that.  YMMV

Dude, you might have to dumb that down for some of us.