Best reel for cranking..... gear ratio etc.

[Bassnajr]

Hey all...

I am sure this has been asked many times but....

What reel (gear ratio, brand, etc.) do most folks use for crankbaits?

Where I live, we're not talking about deep cranking really. Most ponds are less than 20 ' deep so...

Thanks in advance...

[.RM.]

Matter of personal preferences.

Me I like 3.8:1 up to 5.1:1

Good Luck & Tight Lines!!!  

[The_Natural]

6.2:1

Old school thought is slow, and slower.  I'm more of a new school power fisherman with cranks, and I tend to rip them around and cover water.  

[steezy]

I use a 7.x ratio shallow & med deep cranks and 6.x ratio for deep cranks.

[aarogb]

    If I'm not deep cranking, something in the 6 range usually catches fish for me.

[SWMIBASSER]

The Fritts BPS crankin' reels aren't just using lip service. Those will bomb cranks farther than you can imagine....I like the power handle and the 6.3.1 works great for everything....

Vandam is king of the crankbait and he doesn't use reels in the 5's.........Just sayin'

[KYntucky Warmouth]

I like my sol for shallow to mid cranks and my curado E5 for deep divers.

KVD uses a power energy for much of his cranking.

[Jake.]

Any reel with around 20-23 IPT. I use a Daiwa Alphas which has a 5:8:1 ratio and 22 IPT.

[J Francho]

I use an ITO Alphas AI, and two Sols, all 5.8:1 (22 or 23 IPT?) reels.  I don't like the really slow reels, but I don't like the burners either.  I used to use 6.3:1, and that was fine too.  I do remember when my 5:1 reels were "high speed" LOL.

[David P]

I bit on the "Slower is better" thing for cranks, and very quickly realized I hated it. I now use a 6.3:1 and am MUCH happier.

[ww2farmer]

With todays casting reels and the oversized main gears it no longer feels like your pulling a mini-van through the water when deep cranking with a 6:1 + ratio reel. I have no need for reels slower than this anymore. Besides I find it much easier to crank a fast reel slow all day  than to crank a slow reel fast.

[BenoBreath]

I use the Quantum 381 (3.8 to 1) for deep water crankin'.

I'm still stuck in the '80s LOL

BB

[Deputy Dave]

I use my Curado E5's and my Revo Winch...Both are fantastic reels but if someone said I could only have one of these two models to do all my crankin with I think I'd have to pick the Winch. Would be a very difficult decision to have to make cause they are both a pleasure to fish with but there's just something about the Revo Winch that works great for me!

[OK Bass Hunter]

I use a Shimano Calcutta 200 TE gear ratio of 5:1.

[fathom]

use a 6:1 anymore for everything but pulling heavy stuff deep.

5:1 for that.

[Micro]

I've gotten to the point where a 6.3:1 is just fine for even my deep cranking needs.  

I have a couple of slow cranking reels that are pulling duty on my frog/slop rig.   I'm finding I don't need a burner reel for this, and pulling a bass up with 5lbs of crap hanging from him is a little easier on a lower geared reel.