Gear Ratios VS IPT

[midnighthrasher]

I am looking at new reels this year and am getting all messed up with gear ratios and IPT.

  REEL  Gear Ration   IPT

Curado E5   5.0   21

Curado E&   7.0  30

Citica E  6.3    27

Core 50    7.0  28

Core 100   6.2    26

After comparing them. It seems that gear ratios arent that important and that i should pay more attention to ipt.....right. Alot of talk on this site puts a 6. whatever gear ratio as the best all around gear ratio but the difference between the core 50 and the citica is 1 ipt. Will 1ipt actually make a difference. The reason i ask is because i am looking for new reels for spinnerbaits and crankbaits and find myself getting confused with gear ratios and IPT.

[Goose52]

IPT is where it's at. Gear ratio doesn't mean much without knowing what IPT you've got. And I don't think you'd ever notice a difference of 1 IPT.

It seems that today we've got 3, maybe 4 general ranges of IPT. Today, a burner would be the 29-31", the general purpose of about 25-27", and what today would be called the slow reels down at 21" or so. And, there are still some reels being made down in the high teens - 19" or so.

As you know, there's been lots of threads about what IPTs work well for what techniques, including the discussions on whether low IPTs/gear ratios are really needed for deep cranking.

Also, effective IPT is different than the "book" IPT. IPT is calculated at the top of a full spool. If you start your retrieve after a 100 foot cast, your effective IPT at that point is quite a bit lower than the "book" IPT and it gradually increases as you retrieve line onto the spool.

[The Rooster]

In essence, after a cast, as you reel the lure in it will get progressively faster and faster until it's finally back at the boat.  You'll not notice the increase in speed however.

[midnighthrasher]

In essence, after a cast, as you reel the lure in it will get progressively faster and faster until it's finally back at the boat. You'll not notice the increase in speed however.

??? The ipt stays the same the whole way... unless you are stating that the difference in line depth adds ipt after reeling but i hardly beleive that 20 yards or so of line will make a difference in ipt.

[Goose52]

Well, I mentioned a 100 ft cast or 33 yards - about 1/4 of the capacity of most of the typical 10-series BC reels. I haven't measured it on any of my reels but I'd guess the difference would be a couple of IPT after a cast until you're back at full spool. Like Rooster said, one wouldn't probably notice the change in retrieve speed but the point is that when we review reel specs, and try to decide about the virtues of reels having a difference of only a few IPT, that in actual use, you're seeing a similar variance in the same reel depending on how long of cast and where you are on the retrieve.

[PondHunter]

In essence, after a cast, as you reel the lure in it will get progressively faster and faster until it's finally back at the boat. You'll not notice the increase in speed however.

??? The ipt stays the same the whole way... unless you are stating that the difference in line depth adds ipt after reeling but i hardly beleive that 20 yards or so of line will make a difference in ipt.

The diameter of the spool with line out versus the diameter of a full spool is where the difference comes from. After a cast, the dia is much smaller, so for 1 turn, it will bring in less line than it would if it was near full.

[NBR]

IPT relates to how fast the lure is retreived while GR gives you the mechanical advantage. MA tells you how much or little effort you must expend. Deep cranking and possibly hauling a fish or junk out of cover makes me want a lower gear ratio.