High Speed Reels

[Huckfinn38]

Do you find it difficult to use a high speed reel, 32 ipt or higher for chatterbaits, spinnerbaits, swimbaits, and jerkbaits?

[JHoss]

I do for spinnerbaits, but not the others you listed. I can slow a bait down or speed it up with the speed I turn the handle, but I want more torque for a bait with a decent bit of drag like a spinnerbait. 

[Huckfinn38]

Just now, JHoss said:

I do for spinnerbaits, but not the others you listed. I can slow a bait down or speed it up with the speed I turn the handle, but I want more torque for a bait with a decent bit of drag like a spinnerbait. 

I think ill like a high speed for chatterbaits because you can do a quick half or full handle turn and have the bait do erratic stuff. I do like a nice medium slow retrieve on a spinner bait so maybe not a good idea for those

[woolleyfooley]

I was holding a zillion 10.0 the other day and couldn’t fathom what it would feel like having a 10:1 gear ratio. I’ve never used anything over mid 7s.

[Pat Brown]

I'm getting away from anything over 7.  Seems kinda pointless for me most of the time and I find I work the bait better on slower reels a lot of times.  I don't hate an 8 speed but for me, a 7 is just as good.

 

For spinnerbaits and lipless crankbaits I'm becoming very accustomed to a 6 speed.

 

The one time I absolutely have to have an 8 speed is with a buzzbait.  It's just more efficient for that type of thing.

[LrgmouthShad]

I’m the same as JHoss I am really adamant on a 5 speed reel for spinnerbaits. Nothing else feels right

[MediumMouthBass]

3 hours ago, Pat Brown said:

For spinnerbaits and lipless crankbaits I'm becoming very accustomed to a 6 speed.

If you dont mine me asking, how do you fish lipless cranks with the 6 speed? Is it more a yo yo, cast and reel back? Shallow water, deeper water? I fish lipless cranks more than anything but always in shallow grass filled water, so a fast yo yo technique is all i do. I use the higher speed reels only to take the slack out of the line before the hooks foul up. Ive been on the fence about starting to use lipless cranks in deeper water, that way of fishing them is new to me and anytime ive tried i feel like i cant get them deep enough because i reel to fast. I think maybe the 6 speed would benefit me with those deeper runs.

[WRB]

Measure the IPT after making a long cast over 30 yards. Simple make a mark using a Sharpie on the line at the rod top, turn the reel handle 1 full rotation and make a second mark on the line at the rod tip. The inches between the 2 marks = IPT regardless of the reel gear ratio.

Tom

PS, 100 size reel w: 8:1 IPT after casting 30+ yards approx 18”-20”.

[LCG]

I like an 8 speed reel when fishing vegetation in the summer, allows me to keep the lure on top of the weeds a bit easier. Also like it for jigs and plastics. 

 

But day in, day out I like a 6 or 7 speed reel. 

[BrianMDTX]

I like an 8.1:1 for Texas rigs so I can get slack out of the line fast. But it’s not a 100% requirement. 

[Pat Brown]

2 hours ago, MediumMouthBass said:

If you dont mine me asking, how do you fish lipless cranks with the 6 speed? Is it more a yo yo, cast and reel back? Shallow water, deeper water? I fish lipless cranks more than anything but always in shallow grass filled water, so a fast yo yo technique is all i do. I use the higher speed reels only to take the slack out of the line before the hooks foul up. Ive been on the fence about starting to use lipless cranks in deeper water, that way of fishing them is new to me and anytime ive tried i feel like i cant get them deep enough because i reel to fast. I think maybe the 6 speed would benefit me with those deeper runs.

 

 

I think it just really helps keep the bait down near the bottom banging into stuff and helps me slow my retrieve down so it's in a strike zone for longer. And yes, it definitely helps when I'm trying to fish it deeper! 

 

Also think when you're working a bait with the reel to get the action, you can get a lot more nuance with a slower reel. I especially like to fish the Bill Lewis rattle trap, specifically with the reel more so than the rod.

[casts_by_fly]

I mostly fish a 7 with a 32” ipt and a shallow type spool.  I have a couple 8’s that I like for bottom contact, not for working the lure but taking up slack. I have some 6’s for cranks that I know to need to slow down but end up speeding up.  That said, I can make all of them work for general purposes. 
 

 

5 hours ago, woolleyfooley said:

I was holding a zillion 10.0 the other day and couldn’t fathom what it would feel like having a 10:1 gear ratio. I’ve never used anything over mid 7s.

this is the one exception for me- topwaters. I fish an 8.5 and my dad throws a 10.  I’m throwing buzzbaits mostly and he’s throwing buzzbaits and walking baits on it. I want a buzzbait blade turning basically before it hits the water. You can kinda do it with a slower reel and good thumb management but not every cast. There are times when the reel speed helps and with a buzzbait I find that first 2’ off the bank is often the juice. If it takes 2’ to get it on top you’ve already lost. 

[papajoe222]

The fastest reel I own is an 8.1:1 and it's only used for jig and buzzbait fishing. I find that with a fast reel, even a 7.1, I end up bringing my presentation in too fast. I really have difficulty using one for walking baits as I end up taking up too much slack, throwing off my cadence.  It's much easier for me to speed up using a 6.3:1 than it is for me to slow down using something faster. 

[Columbia Craw]

Some reels only offer a 100 mm handle in 8.1 to 1 and the handle length is a priority for me.  It’s a plus to avoid switching to after market handles.

[GRiver]

Here’s my thinking about reel speeds…..I feel everyone has a natural cadence or speed for reeling, where it’s your comfort zone. I match ….type of bait + my cadence = reel speed.

 I tend to be a slow or lazy when it comes to reeling, so most of my reels a 7 - 8.5 ratio with higher IPT. 

[JHoss]

19 hours ago, Huckfinn38 said:

I think ill like a high speed for chatterbaits because you can do a quick half or full handle turn and have the bait do erratic stuff. I do like a nice medium slow retrieve on a spinner bait so maybe not a good idea for those

 

A chatterbait is one of my go-to confidence baits and after a lot of experimenting, I settled on a 7.4:1 Curado DC on a glass rod. I like the higher speed reel for catching up to fish and imparting action with the reel like you mentioned. I find a half turn that's noticeably faster or slower than the rest of the retrieve really gets that bait to hunt and trigger strikes. 

 

I agree with most that I like to keep the 8:1s dedicated to flipping or topwater for the most part. I haven't tried a 10:1 yet, but suspect there's one in my not-so-distant future. 

[Huckfinn38]

2 hours ago, JHoss said:

 

A chatterbait is one of my go-to confidence baits and after a lot of experimenting, I settled on a 7.4:1 Curado DC on a glass rod. I like the higher speed reel for catching up to fish and imparting action with the reel like you mentioned. I find a half turn that's noticeably faster or slower than the rest of the retrieve really gets that bait to hunt and trigger strikes. 

 

I agree with most that I like to keep the 8:1s dedicated to flipping or topwater for the most part. I haven't tried a 10:1 yet, but suspect there's one in my not-so-distant future. 

I cant find a purpose for a 10:1. 

[casts_by_fly]

21 minutes ago, Huckfinn38 said:

I cant find a purpose for a 10:1. 

topwaters.  Not for bringing them in faster but for quicker line management.  sometimes you just need it.

[MN Fisher]

I find that my 8.3 for pitching/punching and my 8.1 for frogs is plenty fast....any faster and I'd get dizzy.

[Catt]

5+ for spinnerbaits, buzzbaits, & crankbaits 

6.8 & 7.5 for everything else 

 

I throw a Calcutta for years that are 5.8:1

[Alex from GA]

Many many years ago I had a gear box on a saltwater reel that was 3x the speed of the basic reel and found I couldn't start a jig with it.  The gear box was called a Real Deal and the reel I used was a 3:1 Penn 250.  Now a days the reels are much different and do work with the higher speeds.  BTW I still have the reel and gear box.

[JHoss]

49 minutes ago, Huckfinn38 said:

I cant find a purpose for a 10:1. 

Sometimes I find myself putting the trolling motor on high and covering water with a buzz bait. In that instance, it would be nice to counteract the forward speed of the boat closing on the bait with a higher speed reel. I could, also, see it working nicely for getting a spook in quick when the fish start blowing up 50 ft from where you just casted. 

28 minutes ago, MN Fisher said:

I find that my 8.3 for pitching/punching and my 8.1 for frogs is plenty fast....any faster and I'd get dizzy.

I also feel like I'd lose too much of the torque I need to get a big fish out of heavy cover. 

[Rockhopper]

I fish a fast reel for jigs and jerkbaits.  Everything else is 7:1, and I have only one reel in 6:1.

[rangerjockey]

I think it's whatever your comfortable with and really for fun fishing I don't think it matters all that much. I like 7:1 for most everything except crankbaits especially in the winter.

People always used to say that you can't crank it fast enough to take it away from them, but in the winter, I believe you can crank it fast enough that they won't bother with it.

Another thing is guys that fish for money don't want to drag anything unless they have to. It's a moving bait game now and they aren't going down the bank casting around aimlessly. They are throwing to a spot the size of a bowling ball or into a school.

Once the bait is past that spot they want it back for the next  toss, I can see the higher speed stuff then.

[WRB]

Having bass fished with early reels 3:1 gear ratio, “high speed” 60’s Ambassadors 4.3:1 ratio and 90’s 6.3:1 ratio the speed wasn’t a factor because the spool dia and width were larger.

In 2000’s the bait casting reel became smaller frame, lighter weight and smaller diameter and narrower spool. To off set the lower IPT gear ratio’s increased to 8:1 to be close to 6.3:1 anglers were use to.

I have no problem fishing 100 size reels with 8:1 ratio slowly with jigs and worms.

Always use reels equal to today’s 300 size reels for crankbaits and faster moving lures with 5.8:1 to 6.3:1, the IPT doesn’t drop off radically like 100 size reels.

Tom