Gear ratio refer to the measurement of how many times the spool of the reel will rotate compared to the handle of the reel. The gear ratio is an essential aspect of considering which reel to purchase for a persons needs because the gear ratio can determine how fast the lure will travel through the water and how fast the line can be retrieved from the reel. Choosing the wrong gear ratio for the lure and environment can make it challenging for a person to effectively fish.
Low gear ratios is sub-5.5:1 ratios. Low gear ratios are best used for heavy and large lure such as deep divers and swimbaits. The high torque that low gear ratios provide allow the angler to feel the texture of the bottom where the bait is being cast.
How to Choose the Right Gear Ratio for Your Reel
Many people opt for a gear ratio with low gear ratios to ensure that their fish dont become spooked by the slow movement of the bait. Medium gear ratios are sub-6:1 ratios. These gear ratios offers versatility and are suitable for many lure types, such as spinnerbaits, chatterbaits, and soft plastics.
Depending on the water conditions, a person can use medium gear ratios for jigging or steady retrieves. Medium gear ratios are a favorite among many anglers because they allow anglers to easily switch technique without having to change reels. High gear ratios are 6.5:1 and above.
These ratio are used for fast retrieval and are necessary for lures such as topwater lures (poppers) and buzzbaits. High gear ratios are used for these specific lures because high gear ratios will allow the lure to stay on the surface of the water. However, high gear ratios have less power than the low gear ratios, thus making them unsuitable for large swimbaits in heavy current.
Extra-fast gear ratios is 7.5:1 and above. These ratios are used for specific scenarios, such as flipping jigs or punching rigs into heavy vegetation like hydrilla or lily pads. The extra-fast gear ratios on fishing reels allow fishermen to retrieve the fishing line at an extremely rapid rate.
This fast retrieval of the fishing line is essential to quickly remove the fish from heavy cover, as the fish may be able to wrap itself in the vegetation. Extra-fast gear ratios are very effective when fishing in heavy cover. However, extra-fast gear ratios are often too fast for open water.
Inches per turn, or IPT, is a measurement of the number of inches of fishing line that will be retrieved with each turn of the reels handle. The gear ratio of the reel can be multiplied by the circumference of the reels spool to determine the number of inches of line that will be retrieved per turn of the handle. For instance, a slow gear ratio of 5:1 will retrieve less than 20 inches of fishing line per turn of the handle.
An 8:1 gear ratio, however, can retrieve more than 30 inches of fishing line. This measurement is crucial in determining if a gear ratio is methodical or if it is fast. Depending on the type of fish species that you are fishing for, different gear ratios are required.
For instance, largemouth bass can live in a variety of habitats. Therefore, a slow gear ratio may be required for fishing on ledges, but a fast gear ratio may be required for fishing in heavy vegetation. Walleye and lake trout will respond to the slow gear ratios.
Pike may require either slow gear ratios for glide or fast gear ratios for using spoons. Smallmouth bass are often located in clear rivers and use medium or medium-fast gear ratios. Its easy to purchase only one fishing reel for fishing in all situations.
However, there are different gear ratio for different types of lures. For example, if the gear ratio is set to too fast for a deep diving crankbait, the crankbait will go to the surface of the water too quickly. For too slow of a gear ratio with a topwater lure, the lure may not move proper through the water.
The type of fishing line that you use will affect the gear ratio that you use; braided lines will make high gear ratios feel even faster. Additionally, people use low-profile baitcasters for flipping and using lures close to the surface of the water. Round profile fishing reels are used for trolling.
Additionally, fishing reels with larger knobs on the handle will allow for more torque when reeling in fish over a long fishing day. Therefore, the gear ratio should of been matched to the specific lure and fishing conditions.