Gear Ratios for Baitcasters

[Aaron_H]

22 hours ago, Bankbeater said:

I use 6.3:1 for everything now.  I use to use faster reels, but it didn't make much sense to me to buy a faster reel when I'm barely moving the bait across the bottom.

 

For me, this is the best time for a faster reel. Since I'm just using the rod to move the bait along the bottom, the speed of the reel is irrelevant to the speed of the lure. Instead, I want to be able to take up slack as quickly as possible. That's just what works better for me, though.

 

The only rod I use a 6:1 reel on is my chatterbait rod. The slower reel helps keep the chatterbait down and I get a slower/harder vibration than when I threw them on a faster speed. With higher speed reels, I was finding it difficult to slow it down enough to keep it from rising without also killing the vibration.

 

Everything else is a 7:1 ratio.

[PourMyOwn]

If I had to pick an all purpose ratio- 6.3. That's mostly what I use, with an 8.1 for frogs and buzz baits, and some 5.1s for big cranks. 

 

A 10 to 1 would be good for buzz baits and getting your bait back to the boat for another cast. I'd have to focus too much on slowing down with a reel that fast to use it for anything else.

[T-Billy]

22 hours ago, Mike L said:

8 for all bottom contact 

6 or 7 for everything else 

 

 

 

 

Mike

I'm in this camp.

[T-Billy]

3 hours ago, Fastbee said:

guess I've never understood statements like this. I'd never depend on the reel to move a fish out of cover like that, that's what the rod is for.  When in heavy cover my reel is only used to take up line

This is exactly how I go about it. Hit 'em HARD. Get 'em coming your way with the hookset, and WINCH on 'em. Don't give an inch. That lift up and reel down stuff will get you wrapped up in heavy cover. Get 'em coming with the rod. Keep 'em coming with the reel. Forget flouro or mono in the jungle. #STRAIGHTBRAIDBRIGADE!!!

[Jeffrey Walker]

5 hours ago, Fastbee said:

I guess I've never understood statements like this. I'd never depend on the reel to move a fish out of cover like that, that's what the rod is for.  When in heavy cover my reel is only used to take up line. 

At some point you should really consider your own experiences with your gear and how it fishes. Seems like you are always on here asking what everyone else does (despite claiming to own a bunch of high dollar gear).  Do you never use it?  I'd think by now you would understand what you like and how to determine what works... 

AND… you can continue to learn and grow and ask questions and learn from others experiences. 

5 hours ago, Fastbee said:

I guess I've never understood statements like this. I'd never depend on the reel to move a fish out of cover like that, that's what the rod is for.  When in heavy cover my reel is only used to take up line. 

At some point you should really consider your own experiences with your gear and how it fishes. Seems like you are always on here asking what everyone else does (despite claiming to own a bunch of high dollar gear).  Do you never use it?  I'd think by now you would understand what you like and how to determine what works... 

AND… you can continue to learn and grow and ask questions and learn from others experiences. 

 

5 hours ago, ska4fun said:

All-round 6.3:1. 5x:1 for bigbaits. 8:1 for poppers, propellers and most topwater lures and jerkbaits. 

 

But prefer to think in terms of IPT alone. 

What is IPT?

[Mike L]

23 minutes ago, Jeffrey Walker said:

AND… you can continue to learn and grow and ask questions and learn from others experiences. 

AND… you can continue to learn and grow and ask questions and learn from others experiences. 

 

What is IPT?

“Inches Per Turn” 

 

The amount of line in inches retrieved every time the handle makes one complete revolution 
 

 

 

 

 

Mike

[PhishLI]

31 minutes ago, Jeffrey Walker said:

What is IPT?

It's listed right on the side of the box of all the high end reels you claim to own...

[MN Fisher]

10 minutes ago, Mike L said:

“Inches Per Turn” 

 

The amount of line in inches retrieved every time the handle makes one complete revolution 
 

 

Mike

When the spool is full, of course

 

The further you cast a lure, the more line taken from the spool, and the IPT goes down.

[Mike L]

21 minutes ago, MN Fisher said:

When the spool is full, of course

 

The further you cast a lure, the more line taken from the spool, and the IPT goes down.

Yep

Sorry, I should have said that also. 
 

 

 

 

 

Mike

[volzfan59]

I use 6:8.1 for all of my casting reels with the exception of my carolina rig rod and my pitching rods. They're 8.3:1.

[txchaser]

7.1 for everything but a couple of cranking reels (6.x), frogging (8.x), punching/flipping (8.x)

And I'm seriously considering moving the cranking reels to 7.x too, to just have consistency. 

[The Baron]

I've ended up preferring a 6-something for crankbaits, 8-something for frogs and buzzbaits.  7-something for most everything else. 

[Bankc]

I use everything from 3.8:1 to 8.3:1.  Most are around 6:1 - 7:1.  To be honest, I don't think gear ratio matters much.  Not to me anyway.  I have no issues speeding up or slowing down, and I'm not catching 1,000 lb. fish that take four hours to real in.  Plus sometimes it makes sense to fish a technique I usually fish slow, ultra-fast, or one I usually fish really fast, at a snail's pace.  And I'd rather match my technique to my rod than my reel, or worry about switching reels to match the change in pace.  I do prefer higher ratios for buzzbaits, but that's about the only thing I fish where I have a strong preference.  Anything else, I'll gladly get by with what I have.

 

I can understand the various arguments other people put out for matching gear ratios to various techniques, but in my own personal experience, none of it makes enough of a difference to me to really matter.  

[Jar11591]

On 9/27/2022 at 6:15 PM, Aaron_H said:

For me, this is the best time for a faster reel. Since I'm just using the rod to move the bait along the bottom, the speed of the reel is irrelevant to the speed of the lure. Instead, I want to be able to take up slack as quickly as possible.

I agree 100% with this. 

[Fishingmickey]

I use mostly 7:1 or 8:1 reels. When I am throwing a deep diving crank bait. Like DD22 or 6XD - 8XD I do prefer a slower retrieve ratio reel. Like MNFisher said it's about torque. With a hard pulling bait it is much easier to reel a 5 or 6 ratio reel then a higher speed like 7-8 ratio. I don't burn big crankbait's I want them thumping slow, deep and making bottom contact. That means reeling slow and steady. IMHO that is when a slower retrieve ratio reel shines.

FM

[KP Duty]

The 8.1 changed my bottom contact game.  I believe everyone has a set amount of reeling they do before setting the hook.  With a fast reel, I noticed immediately that when I set the hook....I had less slack and was deeper into my rods power.  So for me it's 8+ ratio for bottom contact and buzzbaits/frogs/traps, 7 for single hook moving baits, 6 gear for most cranks, snd 5 gear for large deep water-haulers.

[RB 77]

I like 5's for cranks, 6's for baits with blades and 7's for bottom baits & topwater. 

[ska4fun]

On 9/27/2022 at 9:46 PM, Jeffrey Walker said:

AND… you can continue to learn and grow and ask questions and learn from others experiences. 

AND… you can continue to learn and grow and ask questions and learn from others experiences. 

 

What is IPT?

Inches per turn, the amount of line retrieved per spool full turn. 

[MidwestBassAttack]

8 speed for any bait I work with the rod. 6 speed for baits worked with the reel (cranks, chatterbaits, spinnerbaits, buzzbaits, etc). 
 

Love me a slow rollin” spinnerbait this time of year on my 6 speed

[Jeffrey Walker]

interesting way of looking at it, thank you. 

[Deleted account]

33 minutes ago, Jeffrey Walker said:

interesting way of looking at it, thank you. 

It's really the only meaningful way to look at it. In bass fishing, most BC spool diameters don't vary much, so speaking of gear ratio and IPT gets you fairly much to the same place, the exceptions obviously would be reels with unusually small or large spools. Additionally line capacity ( of spools with same or similar diameters and same size arbors) will influence the rate of change of the IPT as the spool fills and empties.