fishing reel gear ratio explained
Ok, so you’re in the market for a new reel. Awesome! Now comes all the choices. Will you get a spinning reel or casting? What size? And don’t forget the gear ratio choices! There are a lot of fine details when picking out your new reel. Choosing the right reel for what you intend to do is important. Here, we will be explaining fishing reel gear ratio and how it impacts your choice in reels.
Let us first look at how to read the gear ratio. In most
cases, the gear ratio will be printed directly on the reel. Let’s take the
example of 5.2:1 and 6.2:1. These are both common gear ratios for spinning
reels. Fishing reels with a ratio of 5.2:1 (read 5.2 to 1) means the spool rotates
5.2 times for every 1 rotation of the reel handle. 6.2:1 being 6.2 spool
rotations to a full rotation of the reel handle.
Now that we understand how to read the ratio and understand what it means we need to picture what this does. A bait caster generally has a wider range of gear ratios than a spinning reel does. On the higher end some can be over 8.0:1. So taking a higher end and lower end comparison hopefully will explain the difference. Imagine a 5.2:1 reel retrieving 100 yards of line vs an 8.0:1 reel retrieving 100 yards of line. Let’s assume the reel handles
are rotating at the same speed on both reels. Which one will reel in the line faster? Always the reel with the higher ratio. In this case the 8.0:1 reel. The gear ratio directly affects the speed at which the reel will pull line in.
With all that said about speed, you can of course also speed up or slow down your retrieve by just reeling in faster or slower. It is generally easier to slow down a retrieve than it is to speed it up. So, keep this in mind with the higher end gear ratios.
Why the need for so many different gear ratios?
New ways of setting up bass fishing tackle are coming out each year. With all these different presentations demand began for more gear ratios. Anglers who want the power of a low speed reel to keep deep diving baits to their maximum depths now can have that just as an angler who wants speed using a high speed reel to keep a buzz bait on the surface can have that.
All this may make it sound complicated but here is the general rule of thumb:
5.1:1 thru 5.4:1 – ideal for big baits that pull a lot, such as deep crankbaits, spinner baits and swim baits
6.1:1 thru 6.4:1 – ideal for multiple techniques but basically anything strike related such as crank baits, spinner baits and umbrella rigs
7.1:1 thru 8.1:1 – ideal for a rigg where you use your rod to create the action such as jigs, Texas rigs, top waters, and jerk baits
Some reel manufacturers will even label their reels for specific
used. Shimano has a system like this. They have PG reels for Power Gearing, HG for High Gearing and XG for Extra-High Gearing.
Remember, the gear ratio is not going to make or break you
in most cases. Yes, it’s important, but people catch fish on string attached to
bamboo poles. If there is a reel you like otherwise and think the gear ratio
will work, go for it.