Anglers should pay attention to reels' gear ratios
Not all baitcasting reels are created equal. Some cast smooth as silk. Others are a little bumpy. Frankly, I've handled a few baitcasters over the years that might work better as paper weights.
Quality issues aside, there are a number of other factors to consider when choosing fishing reels. One of most important, yet least understood, is gear ratio.
Some reels are built with high gear ratios like 7.1:1. Others have lower gear ratios such as 4.1:1.
What do those numbers mean?
Plenty. And they should always be taken into consideration before making a purchase.
The last number represents one revolution of the reel handle. The first two numbers represent the number of times the spool rotates each time the reel handle turns a full circle. On a reel with a 4.1:1 gear ratio, the spool will turn 4.1 times for each revolution of the reel handle.
In part, the gear ratio dictates how rapidly line is retrieved as the angler cranks the reel handle. Line recovery rates also are impacted by the amount of line on the spool and the size of the spool.
Eric Naig knows a thing or two about reel gear ratios. Naig is the senior marketing manager for Pure Fishing, the parent company of Abu Garcia. Abu Garcia is legendary in the fishing reel industry and has been making fishing reels since 1921.
Naig spends more than three months on the water each year fishing for fresh and saltwater species on lakes and bays all around the country. When asked to explain reel gear ratios, Naig automatically compares them to the rear end differential ratios in automobiles.
A reel with a low gear ratio (like the 4.1:1) hatches thoughts of a four-wheel drive pick-up. A reel with a high gear ratio (7.1:1) is more comparable to a race car.
"Low gears are the ticket if you want torque and pulling power to climb hills or plod through the mud," Naig said, keeping with the automobile analogy. "If you are more concerned about going fast, higher gears are the deal. The same principles apply with reel gear ratios."
Low gear ratios work better for fishing certain styles of lures or performing certain techniques than high gear ratios and vice versa.
A deep diving crankbait can weigh upwards of 5/8 ounce. It has a long, wide lip that catches water and causes the bait to dig to depths beyond 15 feet. Resistance can vary from one lure to the next, but as a rule the deep diver pulls like a small bulldog.
The lure is built for a slower gear ratio.
"The slower gear ratio you have, the less effort it takes to turn the handle when retrieving a hard-pulling lure," Naig said. "A high-speed reel will work you to death when used in combination with a deep diving crankbait or a big, heavy spinnerbait.
Naig likes a gear ratio in the neighborhood of 5.3:1 or slower for throwing hard-pulling lures. A reel with a large spool can make the job even easier.
"A lot of anglers still like a round reel like the Abu Garcia C3 for deep cranking, mainly because the spool diameter does not change as much on a long cast as it will on a low profile reel," he said.
Anglers who prefer a low profile reel might want to check out the Revo Winch. It has a gear ratio of 5.3:1. The reel was introduced at ICAST 2008 last fall. It works well for plying deep water with magnum crankbaits or crawling square bills across submerged grass in shallow water.
Reels with gear ratios greater than 6.4:1 fall into the high-speed category. Abu Garcia makes a couple reels with 7.1:1 gear ratios. Both are members of the low-profile Revo family. Another good high-speed choice is the Shimano Curado 200E7. It has a 7.0:1 gear ratio.
Naig said high-speed reels can be beneficial when fishing around boat docks, stumps, laydowns, bushes and other targets where the size of the strike zone is relatively small and you are not working a lure all the way back to the boat. It also can be a plus when casting spinnerbaits or burning a lipless crankbait above submerged vegetation.
"The main benefit of a high-speed reel is it allows you to recover line quickly and make another cast, flip or pitch," Naig said. "The pros tell us it helps them be more efficient with their time, which might equate to making another 10-15 casts over the course of the day. A few guys have even asking us to build a faster reel [8.1:1], so they can be even more efficient with their time."
Specialty tactics aside, probably the best overall gear ratio is something in the neighborhood of 6.4:1. Naig said the 6.4:1 covers all the bases sufficiently, which explains why it it the most popular with anglers nationwide.
Matt Williams' e-mail address is mattwilliams@netdot.com.
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