Reel Ratios

[clemsy]

Hi,
I was just wandering if anybody could explain to me some things about the ratios on fishing reels? For example;

What ratio is considered high speed and what is low?

What is a good ratio for HB, SP and surface lures?

Is it better to have different ratios with the same reel? (So, a Stradic 1000, Sustain 1000 etc etc, same size but different ratio)

Couldn't I just slow down my retrieve?

Sorry for all the questions, I'm still learning all the intricacies of lure fishing.

Cheers guys!

[chanlo]

I think around 6 or above is a high ratio and 4.8 is normal.

High ratios are good for quick retreives ie tuna/tailor or use where you need to get line back quickly, ie snag fishing. I dont have any but i would use one on a plastics rod to reel in the line quickly after a hop or two.

Low ratio reels are better to slow rolling hard bodies or a more finesse presentation.

But i sure other people have better explanations

[smokindrags]

As Chan has
I feel high would be around the 6.0
Std wound be around the 4.8-5.0
Slow 4.2

I usually use a 4.8,5.0 when running plastics to tak ether slack line up quicker.
I think the 4.2 is the ultimate hardbody speed for a slow roll.

Yes you can adjust your hand speed but it
Is harder to keep that constant.
And then change when you pick a plastics rod up.

But each to there own

[twitchtwitch...]

Well said ladds, but just remember that even high gear ratio reels don't always retrieve more line per crank than their lower ratio cousins.
Most times a higher gear ratio will retrieve more line per crank but will have less grunt or cranking power. The amount of line per crank is also dependent on spool size and handle length, not just ratio

[Green Hornet]

I think its all been said mate.
6:1 is good for plastics and blades.
4.8:1 or there abouts is better for hard bodys and surface.
Of course you can use either, it doesn't make that much difference.
And yeah, it is all about how much line is retrieved per turn of the reel, not just the ratio.
Bigger spools retrieve more line per turn.

[crusty]

Originally Posted by twitchtwitch...

Well said ladds, but just remember that even high gear ratio reels don't always retrieve more line per crank than their lower ratio cousins.
Most times a higher gear ratio will retrieve more line per crank but will have less grunt or cranking power. The amount of line per crank is also dependent on spool size and handle length, not just ratio

This is an important observation.
I normally ran daiwa 2000's but then bought a couple of Shimano 1000 Stradics to run on some light hardbody rods. My initial thinking was the little 1000's would retrieve line a little slower than than Daiwa 2000's, so would be better for hardbodies.
I was surprised when I discovered the 1000's with the 6ish ratio retrieved more line per crank than the 2000 Daiwa's which are 4.8ish from memory.

Having said that they they both still catch fish, and I love the way they balance on the rods.
Cranking power hasn't been a issue on bream weight rods.

[LI2099]

Great info here. I normally stick to normal 4.8 even for soft plastics. Never tried high gear.