Help with reel speed

[zelmo]

All of my baitcasters are 6.3:1.  I need another reel and want to get either a slow reel for cranking or a burner for flipping and frogs/toads.  I have read many posts on the virtues of the different speeds for those applications, but I still can't make up my mind which way I want to go.  Whatever I decide, the other application will get a Curado 101D with 6.3:1.

I won't be using either of them much, so I need to decide and just go with it.  Which one will have the bigger impact?

[Matt Kremers]

You can always slow down, but you can only turn that handle so fast. I suggest a burner.

[Micro]

Neither is going to have a huge impact.  6.3:1 will handle frogging and deep cranking well.  It's the best all-around gear ratio.   If I had to chose a single speed for all my reels, it would be 6.3:1. 

If having a a reel with a higher or lower gear ratio is a must, my personal preference would be for a 7.#:1 reel.   I've appreciated having a fast reel for certain applications more than I've appreciated a slow reel for deep cranking.  In fact, I'm getting to the point that I don't have much use for a slow reel. 

[detroit1]

5.0 - from about 28" down to 21" as compared to 28" up to 30" (inches per turn), the biggest "impact" would be a 5.0....

[Boogey Man]

To me, if you buy a "slow" reel, you're pretty much dedicating it to lures like deep cranks and maybe slow rolling big bladed spinnerbaits. With most reels now having some type of HEG/oversized gears, you can still crank and have plenty of power with a higher gear ratio and have a reel that can double for many techniques. One thing to consider is actual inches of line retrieved, not just gear ratio. One manufacturers "burner" may have the same IPT as another's slower reels.

[kikstand454]

hahahah...

im not sure how many times im going to have to remind everyone that a "slower" gear ratio preffered for deep cranks and big spinnerbaits has little to nothing to do with the "speed" or "inches per turn".

you want a lower ratio gear for these duties MAINLY for the torque it provides when reeling in something the puts up that much resistance. just like your car shifts down to go up a hill... you should go down a gear to compensate for an increased work load. itll make you much happier at the end of the day... beleive me.

if it was about speed, then why buy a lower ratio? why not just get a 7.0 and reel slower... that way you have more options? 

of course that only applies to lures/ techniques that work you harder. obviously a faster ratio reel helps out in terms of IPT when fishing something like a topwater when you need to take up slack quickly or when a fish is running towards you.

6.3 will do most anything fairly well. but if you fish in  a place where you will regularly be throwing a deep (15'+) crank or spinnerbait... you may want to look into a lower ratio reel for this technique.

[zelmo]

Thanks for the input. The fact that the 6.3:1 is the most versatile is why I have them. I thought it was time to try something different, especially since these applications have some advocates to using the different gears.

I have a tendency to simplify. I remember reading the posts about IPT and gears. Thanks for the reminder.