So I’ve got it narrowed down to the Tatula 200 for my swimbait setup. What gear ratio do I want, 6 or 7?

[Ohioguy25]

It would seem that slower would be better in the case of glide baits, however I am also throwing bull shads and A Rigs with this setup.  Glide baits are the priority here, though.  Is there ever a case where I’d need 7?

[Cbump]

Not for me. 6 for sure. 

[Ohioguy25]

15 minutes ago, Cbump said:

Not for me. 6 for sure. 

Can I still burn a bull shad?

[Cbump]

Easily

[Ohioguy25]

15 minutes ago, Cbump said:

Easily

Prob even better as it makes it harder to blow out

[Tennessee Boy]

The 6 will be 14% easier to crank and 14% slower.  I looked at the inches per turn on their website and did the math.   If you make a 200 foot cast it will take 85 turns to retrieve the bait with the 6 and 75 turns with the 7.  Could you even tell the difference and if so which would you prefer?

[Ohioguy25]

16 minutes ago, Tennessee Boy said:

The 6 will be 14% easier to crank and 14% slower.  I looked at the inches per turn on their website and did the math.   If you make a 200 foot cast it will take 85 turns to retrieve the bait with the 6 and 75 turns with the 7.  Could you even tell the difference and if so which would you prefer?

I suppose less important than the retrieval time would be the action imparted by the IPT.

[Tennessee Boy]

1 hour ago, Ohioguy25 said:

I suppose less important than the retrieval time would be the action imparted by the IPT.

You control the lure’s speed by cranking faster or slower.   I can fish any lure as fast as I want with 5:1 ratio reel.  
 

Where I want a fast reel is in situations where I want to get the lure back in as fast as possible so I can make another cast.  For example,  if I pitch a Texas rig at a stump I’ll let it sit for several seconds,  hop it few times and then I want to reel it in as fast as possible so I can move on to the next stump.  

 

Where I want a slow reel is when I’m casting and cranking the lure back to the boat all day long.  The lower ratio still allows me to retrieve the lure as fast as I want but it’s easier to crank,  especially with a big crankbait.  
 

For a big swim bait I would go with a 6 but a 7 would work also.  There’s not that much difference.

[webertime]

I use the 6 for mine.

[Ohioguy25]

4 hours ago, Tennessee Boy said:

You control the lure’s speed by cranking faster or slower.   I can fish any lure as fast as I want with 5:1 ratio reel.  
 

Where I want a fast reel is in situations where I want to get the lure back in as fast as possible so I can make another cast.  For example,  if I pitch a Texas rig at a stump I’ll let it sit for several seconds,  hop it few times and then I want to reel it in as fast as possible so I can move on to the next stump.  

 

Where I want a slow reel is when I’m casting and cranking the lure back to the boat all day long.  The lower ratio still allows me to retrieve the lure as fast as I want but it’s easier to crank,  especially with a big crankbait.  
 

For a big swim bait I would go with a 6 but a 7 would work also.  There’s not that much difference.

 

4 hours ago, webertime said:

I use the 6 for mine.

With a 6 do you still do half turns or does the slower speed allow you to just straight retrieve, and if so does this make it easier to fish glides just chucking and winding versus pacing/timing half cranks?

[Tennessee Boy]

13 hours ago, Ohioguy25 said:

 

With a 6 do you still do half turns or does the slower speed allow you to just straight retrieve, and if so does this make it easier to fish glides just chucking and winding versus pacing/timing half cranks?

The difference in IPT between the two reels is 4 inches.  That’s assuming they have the same amount of line spooled on them.   The IPT actually changes during the retrieve as the line is added back to the spool.  I rarely think about the gear ratio of the reel I have in my hand.  The fish will not know if you’re fishing a 6 or a 7 and you probably won’t notice the difference either.  Don’t overthink it.

[Cbump]

Yes do half turns. You want that pause. 

[Ohioguy25]

34 minutes ago, Cbump said:

Yes do half turns. You want that pause. 

I thought half turns was only on high speed reels?

[Cbump]

48 minutes ago, Ohioguy25 said:

I thought half turns was only on high speed reels?

Do what you want and what the fish want. I want my glide to go one way, pause, and go the other way. 

There’s no rules here. 

[Ohioguy25]

1 hour ago, Cbump said:

Do what you want and what the fish want. I want my glide to go one way, pause, and go the other way. 

There’s no rules here. 

What ratio you use?

[Cbump]

6.3 

[Hammer 4]

6 anything more is gonna be overkill. Seldom do I burn a glide or swimbait, that is if ya wanna catch the big girls..

[JediAmoeba]

22 hours ago, Ohioguy25 said:

Can I still burn a bull shad?

You can, but why would you want to? 

[Cbump]

7 minutes ago, JediAmoeba said:

You can, but why would you want to? 

Mike bucca created the bull Shad to be fished fast. 

[JediAmoeba]

42 minutes ago, Cbump said:

Mike bucca created the bull Shad to be fished fast. 

Fishing for young Florida strain - this guy is in Ohio. Big baits should very seldom be fished fast in the north. Unless you like skunking and bragging about throwing big baits.

 

Mike Bucca also rode in an electrofishing boat and hung his baits from the mouths of shocked fish and took pictures to promote them...

[Ohioguy25]

15 minutes ago, JediAmoeba said:

Fishing for young Florida strain - this guy is in Ohio. Big baits should very seldom be fished fast in the north. Unless you like skunking and bragging about throwing big baits.

 

Mike Bucca also rode in an electrofishing boat and hung his baits from the mouths of shocked fish and took pictures to promote them...

I can attest to the Bull Shad’s action being 100% dependent on a steady and even fast retrieve,  I have tried slow rolling it and it just flounders, it loses form and flops on its side. Doesn’t even suspend like a glide.   The difficulty comes in finding a balance because with the slow sink it blows out if you burn it too fast. I think adding lead weights is the move, but you really need a steady retrieve to get that seductive slither.

[JediAmoeba]

8 hours ago, Ohioguy25 said:

I can attest to the Bull Shad’s action being 100% dependent on a steady and even fast retrieve,  I have tried slow rolling it and it just flounders, it loses form and flops on its side. Doesn’t even suspend like a glide.   The difficulty comes in finding a balance because with the slow sink it blows out if you burn it too fast. I think adding lead weights is the move, but you really need a steady retrieve to get that seductive slither.

I will agree to disagree - when it comes to big baits I don't have a place for regular bullshads and I certainly don't think the biggest fish are hitting multi-jointed baits swam fast in the middle of the water column. Big fish don't waste their energy on futile goals. They try and pin their food against structure - the bottom, the shore, the surface or hard cover. Their most opportune meal is wounded, dying or lethargic large baits.

[Ohioguy25]

4 hours ago, JediAmoeba said:

I will agree to disagree - when it comes to big baits I don't have a place for regular bullshads and I certainly don't think the biggest fish are hitting multi-jointed baits swam fast in the middle of the water column. Big fish don't waste their energy on futile goals. They try and pin their food against structure - the bottom, the shore, the surface or hard cover. Their most opportune meal is wounded, dying or lethargic large baits.

I would agree, outside of the short windows of aggressive feeding seen in spring and fall. I’m just explaining why I think build of a bull Shad requires a a steady retrieve to produce the desired action, not when or where this will produce a big bite. 

[Hammer 4]

Bull Shads aren't the only swimbaits on the market. 

And like Jedi said, the Big girls got big by being Efficient, that doesn't include going full bore to chase bait in most cases, which imho is small.

I'll say this again, big bass are Ambush feeders, when there's a bunch of bait fish getting corralled generally the big ones hang on the bottom and make easy meals of injured or dying bait fish 99 % of the time. Being in very shallow water, say around 2 feet is the exception.   

[Cbump]

3 hours ago, Hammer 4 said:

Being in very shallow water, say around 2 feet is the exception.   

Another thing Mike bucca designed It for.