Which SLX DC gear Ratio

[padlin]

Hand/knuckle arthritis has made it where I can no longer hold the line while casting heavier baits with a spinning reel, I thinking a baitcaster might help but I suck at them. I'm having problems casting the older hand me down AG Premier RVO3 I have without a birds nest every 2nd or 3rd cast, ok, sometimes it's every cast. Worked at it a couple days this week, like I do every year, with the same results so I started looking into an easier to use reel, if one exists. The articles I'm reading mention the SLX DC as being rookie friendly. Shimano says "Shimano’s unique DC Braking technology, "SLX DC puts no compromise casting performance within every angler's reach". Being an angler, they're saying it'll work for me. Whew Hoo, give em $200 and no more bird nests. Well, maybe.

 

I'm thinking of a ride to Cabela's tomorrow to get one but don't know which gear ratio to get, 6.3:1, 7,2:1 or 8.2:1. Want it for the heavier baits I throw, at the moment that's spinnerbaits, jigs, and even some of he bigger plastics I use. Have a MH 6'6" rod I'll paired it with.

[GreenPig]

For handling moving and bottom baits, I'd go with the 7.2.

[MN Fisher]

^ I'm with 'The Pig'

 

 

[Reel]

Same here

[padlin]

That's folks, 7.2 it is.

[FrnkNsteen]

Ok,.. I'm going to give you another option/suggestion.

 

If you are set on the SLX DC, then I won't try to sway you, but I bought a couple DC reels when the Curado and SLX DC's came out, and can say I have been kind of disappointed. The digital breaks work great at long casts, but seem to struggle a bit at short casts.

 

My intent was for the SLX to be for my wife and I would try the larger Curado. She struggled with the SLX DC as much, if not more than most of the other BC reels she tried. It works ok for a newbie on setting 4, but lost a lot of casting distance.

 

If I were to do it again, I think I would have started her on a Tatula SV. The braking on those makes for very controllable casting on both long and short casts, and you have more setting options than just 4. They are close to the same price too!

 

[PhishLI]

10 hours ago, padlin said:

Have a MH 6'6" rod I'll paired it with.

Which model MH rod? Rating? If it's a light MH, and you're trying to learn a bait caster throwing heavy-ish baits, overloading the rod will cause sling-shotting and contribute to getting backlashes constantly. The reel may not be the issue if this is the case.

[Deleted account]

Same on the gear ratio, but I'd go with a Fuego instead, a smaller reel is not joint pain friendly, young guys need not reply...

[padlin]

1 hour ago, PhishLI said:

Which model MH rod? Rating? If it's a light MH, and you're trying to learn a bait caster throwing heavy-ish baits, overloading the rod will cause sling-shotting and contribute to getting backlashes constantly. The reel may not be the issue if this is the case.

This one...

 

When I last weighed one of my spinnerbaits with trailer it was a tad over .75 oz.

[MN Fisher]

That'll work fine - looks like it's a 3/8oz spinner...they actually weigh a bit over 1/2 cause the printed weight is just the head, now add skirt, hook, wire, blades.

 

I toss 3/8 and even 1/2 oz spinners on this rod

 

[PhishLI]

16 minutes ago, padlin said:

This one...

 

When I last weighed one of my spinnerbaits with trailer it was a tad over .75 oz.

The Premier is stout. it's fine.