Reel gear ratio's

[176champion]

I bought a new reel a few months back a bait caster 5.4:1 gear ratio and 22 inches per turn of handle, but it's 2 slow for crank baits, which i usually throw in a spinning reel with a 5.0:1 gear but 28 inch of line per turn of handle....my other baitcast reels are 7.1:1 which i feel is too fast...my other spinning reel is a 5.2:1 gear ratio.....would the 5.4:1 gear ratio be better suited for throwing jigs and such?  What say you experts...lol

[aarchdale@coresleep.com]

I like all my Baitcasters in a 6.4:1 or somewhere close.  If there all the same it is easy to just adjust the speed you reel and not worry about how fast you should reel because of the ratio...  Just my opinion though.  im sure some vets will have some better advice

[176champion]

The 5.4:1 ora winch i bought you have to crank the heck out of it for crankbaits...i didnt realize there was that much difference between spin cast gear ratios and bait casters.

[SplitG2]

I personally would throw jigs on the the 7.1.   I throw jigs more than cranks and want to get more leverage on the jig than anything else.  It's usually the the bait I've got the most line out, so want to be able to take control quickly.  I'd then use the other bait caster for the cranks.  Just how I look at it.  Do what ever you become the most comfortable with and try not to over think it.  

[bluebasser86]

I use a few different reels for cranking from a 5.0, 5.2, to 6.2. The IPT is really the important number to look at though. 

[m&m]

176, I use 5.4.1s for cranks and 7.1.1 for jigs. I like the slower reels for cranks because they don't move too far too fast in the water. On the other hand when a fish picks up a jig they swim away and I've got to catch up with it quick. Not sure my theory is correct but it works for me. 

Mike

[dblades]

In actual fishing situations, I only really remember one time, I had a bass run at me on a crankbait and I couldn't catch up with him. All 3 of my crankbait reels are in the 5.X range, and I don't own a reel with faster than a 6.x ratio. They have been reeling in bass on plugs  since the days of direct drive 1:1 reels. I still have a Shimano in 3.8 ( it is reel slow) and Quantum in 4.3 that I wish cast better,  I  think is its about the perfect ratio for really deep cranks. 

I guess I'm set in my ways after all the years I've been fishing or maybe just to cheap to buy into the new stuff. Besides the next new trend might be shorter rods and lower gears, so my old stuff could be in vogue . 

[Dutch]

I have some 5:1 reels but they only get used for A rigs.  My crank bait reels are 8.2:1.    I would rather slow down than have to speed up.

[dtrs5kprs]

 

I bought a new reel a few months back a bait caster 5.4:1 gear ratio and 22 inches per turn of handle, but it's 2 slow for crank baits, which i usually throw in a spinning reel with a 5.0:1 gear but 28 inch of line per turn of handle....my other baitcast reels are 7.1:1 which i feel is too fast...my other spinning reel is a 5.2:1 gear ratio.....would the 5.4:1 gear ratio be better suited for throwing jigs and such?  What say you experts...lol

Might be winding that crank too fast if a 5:1 isn't fast enough. 

I prefer a 5:1 range for just about everything. Keeps me from overwinding. As mentioned above, those old 4.6:1 4600s caught a ton of bass, even on fast movers.

[fishinwrench]

I use a few 6.3:1 reels for buzzbaits and lipless cranks, everything else gets wound in at 5.3:1

The high speed reels lack the winching power that I like for most of the fishing I do.  It's amazing the difference that one piddly revolution of the spool makes.