High Speed Reels

[JHoss]

On 11/7/2024 at 1:52 PM, rangerjockey said:

 

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.

I don't think this is anything new. I doubt Dee Thomas and Denny Brauer were working their baits all the way back to the boat- they were hitting that small spot and moving on to the next as quickly as possible. That's still the name of the flippin game. But to your point, that shallow water "stick and move" type fishing has made its way offshore with the advent of FFS. Why drag the whole point when you can see each brush pile or individual fish. 

[F14A-B]

6 minutes ago, JHoss said:

I don't think this is anything new. I doubt Dee Thomas and Denny Brauer were working their baits all the way back to the boat- they were hitting that small spot and moving on to the next as quickly as possible. That's still the name of the flippin game. But to your point, that shallow water "stick and move" type fishing has made its way offshore with the advent of FFS. Why drag the whole point when you can see each brush pile or individual fish. 

I can tell you Denny Brauer would never consider working a jig all the way back.. 

 

Woo Daves use to flip with a Zebco 808, what gear ratio was that behemoth I wonder 🤣

[KP Duty]

High speed reels (8+) made a big difference in my hooksets.  When jig/worm fishing, most anglers have a set number of times they crank down before setting the hook...usually 3-4x.  So when you crank down your normal 3-4x with an 8+ speed reel... you have less line out and get deeper into the rod's power.  

[Huckfinn38]

Been using a Shimano Tranx 150 XG (32 ipt) for last couple times out. Enjoy throwing T -Rigs and jigs with it and I really like it for chatterbaits. Reeling it slow then a quick half turn really makes a chatterbait dart/hunt. I got decent fish in a blow down and the XG was good at getting it out quickly.  Im not sure if its the Trax gear but there is hardly any torque if any.

[volzfan59]

I used to play the gear ratio or speed game, decided to take the advice of Henry David Thoreau and “simplify, simplify, simplify”. Use 7.1:1 for everything. If I need to fish slower, don’t reel as fast. Need to fish faster, reel faster.

[Huckfinn38]

23 minutes ago, volzfan59 said:

I used to play the gear ratio or speed game, decided to take the advice of Henry David Thoreau and “simplify, simplify, simplify”. Use 7.1:1 for everything. If I need to fish slower, don’t reel as fast. Need to fish faster, reel faster.

I get that but a 7.1:1 Shimano Tranx HG is 28 ipt and a Shimano Metanium HG is 30 ipt. Getting a buzzbait up quick is tough with 28 ipt.

[PourMyOwn]

1 hour ago, volzfan59 said:

I used to play the gear ratio or speed game, decided to take the advice of Henry David Thoreau and “simplify, simplify, simplify”. Use 7.1:1 for everything. If I need to fish slower, don’t reel as fast. Need to fish faster, reel faster.

I tried that and it did not work for me. As soon as my dad asked me a question (probably about college football, we talked Buckeyes every time we ever went out) I sped up to my normal cadence and spun out my crankbait. 

[JHoss]

On 11/17/2024 at 11:42 AM, volzfan59 said:

I used to play the gear ratio or speed game, decided to take the advice of Henry David Thoreau and “simplify, simplify, simplify”. Use 7.1:1 for everything. If I need to fish slower, don’t reel as fast. Need to fish faster, reel faster.

Start using the same length rods and you'll be the Bryson Dechambeau of fishing. 

[volzfan59]

39 minutes ago, JHoss said:

Start using the same length rods and you'll be the Bryson Dechambeau of fishing. 

I do that too, all seven footers. 

[Pumpkin Lizard]

I broke down and bought at 8 for a rod that I almost exclusive fish jigs and worms with.

 

I like it. Picks up line fast and I get better hook sets. After working a specific spot I can reel the bait in fast and make the next cast.

 

I read somewhere once that for baits that work fast use a slower reel and for slow retrieves use a faster ratio.

 

But I can also appreciate using the same ratio on everything.

[GoneFishingLTN]

On 11/7/2024 at 11:56 AM, Catt said:

5+ for spinnerbaits, buzzbaits, & crankbaits 

6.8 & 7.5 for everything else 

 

I throw a Calcutta for years that are 5.8:1

5 for buzzbaits work well?

[Catt]

5 hours ago, GoneFishingLTN said:

5 for buzzbaits work well?

 

Why certainly 😉

Most anglers fish buzzbaits to fast. 

[FrnkNsteen]

Personally, I choose to run a slower reel for the moving bait techniques mentioned in the OP.

 

All of my Spinnerbait, Swim Jig, Chatterbait setups are various reels in the mid 5 to low 6 speed ratios. Couldn't tell you the exact IPT on any of those reels, but they consist of a couple old 5spd Calcutta 101s, TDZ 100ML, 103ML, a 2018 Bantam 6spd, and a couple TD Fuego 6spds.

[JHoss]

10 hours ago, GoneFishingLTN said:

5 for buzzbaits work well?

 

5 hours ago, Catt said:

Why certainly 😉

Most anglers fish buzzbaits to fast. 

 

I could never bring myself to put a buzz on a reel that slow. I use a buzz for covering water too frequently and would wear my arms out turning the handle fast enough to keep it on top when I'm closing on it at 1.5 mph with the trolling motor. 

[Catt]

@JHoss Covering water doesn't mean fishing fast. I cover as much water as you i just do it more effectively. 

 

I throw Megastrike Cavitron Buzzbaits which are designed to be fished SLOW.

[JHoss]

9 minutes ago, Catt said:

@JHoss Covering water doesn't mean fishing fast. I cover as much water as you i just do it more effectively. 

 

I throw Megastrike Cavitron Buzzbaits which are designed to be fished SLOW.

You can say you cover it differently, but its awfully bold of you to assert you do it more effectively than someone you've never fished with. Also, math... if you're going down a 1 mile stretch of bank at .5 MPH and I'm going down the same stretch at 1.5 MPH, I'm going to cover that water 3 times faster. 

 

There's many times where a buzzbait (or any bait for that matter) fished fast it more effective than one fished slow. 

[Catt]

2 hours ago, JHoss said:

Also, math... if you're going down a 1 mile stretch of bank at .5 MPH and I'm going down the same stretch at 1.5 MPH, I'm going to cover that water 3 times faster

 

Still cover the same amount of water. 

 

There are just as many times a slow retrieve will out produce a fast retrieve or vice a versa.

[F14A-B]

I’m a 8.1 or 7.1 speed on all my bottom techniques. Of course not going to reference my spinning reels here. They’re numbers that give an approximate number of inches per turn..

[JHoss]

20 hours ago, Catt said:

Still cover the same amount of water. 

 

There are just as many times a slow retrieve will out produce a fast retrieve or vice a versa.

Correct. But we have different styles of fishing and what works for you may not work for me and vice versa. I like to eliminate water quickly and being able to fish through an area at a higher speed helps me do that. If I get a single bite, I'm probably going to slow down to more your speed for a while to see if there's more there. 

 

I'd rather turn a handle painfully slow than burning fast, so a higher gear ratio works better for me.