A 5.4:1 gear ratio reel is best used for _______________ baits.
A 6.4:1 gear ratio reel is best used for _______________ baits.
A 7.1:1 gear ratio reel is best used for _______________ baits.

Need some clarification/opinions.

Thanks.

"A 7.1:1 gear ratio reel is best used for ___ALL____________ baits."

right on, except crankbaits I use a 5.4

7.1:1 for all baits except for winter time cranking. Also most folks dont realize that spool diameter is way more crucial as it has a huge effect of speed.

I used to use a 5:1 for deep cranks and then thought to myself...why? Cuz the manufacturer said I need to? I find it easier just to go with the highest speed possible on everything and adjust my reeling speed myself.

I thought it was just more of a fatigue thing why a lower gear is suggested for deep cranks.

A fast reel is good for almost everything. Ive heard some say thye like a lower ratio for hossing fish out of heavy cover, but you fight the fish with the rod not the reel. Its important to be able to take up slack fast to get a hook in the fish quickly. A lower ratio is helpful when cranking in big plugs, the handle turns easier. I like a low ratio for big heavy swimbaits too, its not really about the retrieve speed, but the gears to handle the baits.

One time I really want a slow retrieve is in the winter with spinnerbaits. Im too fidgity to fish a spinnerbait as slow as I need to, just enough to keep the blades turning, so I use a slow reel to force me to fish slow. OR, you could just keep it simple and use 7 to whatever for everything, and be fine either way.

Thanks for the input! I just bought my first 7:1 Quantum Burner at BPS, all the other reels that I own are 6:3 or 6:4 to 1. Makes since, but was just curious. I may have to get a 5:1 for cooler weather fishing, plus give me an excuse to go get another reel.

Appreciate it.

It depends who you ask. Some guys will say get the low gear ratio to muscle them out of cover, then some will say get fast to get them in faster. I mainly get the in-between reels because I can slow it waaaaayy down or crank it lots faster, all in 1 reel. I will say that I tried a DD22 on a faster reel and I got tired a lot faster than with the slower reel.

Lower ratio reels are better for lures that create a lot of drag in the water. Big spinners, deep diving cranks, big swimbaits, etc. Super high gear ratios are great for topwaters, traps, and fast lure presentations like pitching and flipping. The middle ratios are great for just about anything.

Why is the lower gear ratio better for lures that create a lot of drag? Why would a high-speed reel wear your forearms out if you simply slowed your retrieve?

For the record, three reels from the same manufacturer with identical spool sizes and differing ratios have the following line take-ups per revolution of the handle....

7:1 34 inches
6:1 28 inches
5:1 24 inches

I'm with fouz!

It's got to do with the torque of the gears. The more torque the less force there is that you feel on the handle when you turn it. The lower the gear ratio, the more torque you get. Most newer reels also fight loss of torque in higher ratios by making the gears larger in diameter (HEG or whatever you want to call it) than they have in the past.

Tension will also make the handle harder to turn, so therefore lower gear ratios are typically preferred when you are throwing baits with heavy resistance or fighting fish for long periods that pull near and above the drag setting (typically a saltwater consideration).

for me it's 7:1 for lures/techniques that require hooksets (and burning lipless cranks), 6:1 is all purpose/moderate resistance lures like shallow squarbill cranks and less than 1/2 oz spinners, and 5:1 is deep cranks and big spinnerbaits.

The different gear ratios are for wimps with no forearms

Kinda what I was thinkin' Fortunately I have Popeye forearms.