03-01-2009, 01:10 PM
It describes how many times the spool (or on a spinner, the bail) rotates for each time you turn the handle. This is a general indicator of how fast you can retrieve line. But how fast the line comes in depends on how large the spool is. Small freshwater reels may have spools which are an inch or so in diameter -- this means each rotation brings in 3 to 4 inches of line, so a 4:1 reel will bring in 12-16 inches of line per crank, while a 6:1 reel will bring in 18 to 24 inches. But a larger saltwater reel might have a 2-inch diameter spool, which would bring in roughly twice as much line per rotation -- 24-32 inches at 4:1, or 36-48 inches at 6:1. This can make it much harder to crank on a heavy fish, so larger reels are generally built with lower gear ratios. (The huge big game reels are rarely built with a ratio higher than 3:1.) Anyway, when comparing reels, remember you don't need as high a gear ratio to get a fast retrieve on a larger reel.
[font "Verdana, Sans-Serif"]The break down would be like this, let's say you've got a reel with a gear ratio[/font] [font "Verdana, Sans-Serif"]5-1-1. What this determines is that the spool will rotate 5 times in one turn.[/font]
[font "Verdana, Sans-Serif"]The[/font] [font "Verdana, Sans-Serif"]general rule is that a slower reel is a good choice any time you are going to work[/font] [font "Verdana, Sans-Serif"]a bait with the reel, while faster is preferred for lures that the rod will be working.[/font]
[font "Verdana, Sans-Serif"]With a crankbait or spinnerbait where you are actually cranking, you might want[/font] [font "Verdana, Sans-Serif"]a slower retrieve for a more acurate presentation. When you are slow rolling, you [/font][font "Verdana, Sans-Serif"]gain more sensitivity with a 5-1-1.[/font]
[font "Verdana, Sans-Serif"]However if you are fishing with a jig or worm, you[/font] [font "Verdana, Sans-Serif"]want a reel that will allow to recover the slack line faster and move the fish out of[/font] [font "Verdana, Sans-Serif"]cover more quickly.[/font]
[font "Verdana, Sans-Serif"] I hope this is helpful to you.Happy Fishing [fishin]
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[font "Verdana, Sans-Serif"]The break down would be like this, let's say you've got a reel with a gear ratio[/font] [font "Verdana, Sans-Serif"]5-1-1. What this determines is that the spool will rotate 5 times in one turn.[/font]
[font "Verdana, Sans-Serif"]The[/font] [font "Verdana, Sans-Serif"]general rule is that a slower reel is a good choice any time you are going to work[/font] [font "Verdana, Sans-Serif"]a bait with the reel, while faster is preferred for lures that the rod will be working.[/font]
[font "Verdana, Sans-Serif"]With a crankbait or spinnerbait where you are actually cranking, you might want[/font] [font "Verdana, Sans-Serif"]a slower retrieve for a more acurate presentation. When you are slow rolling, you [/font][font "Verdana, Sans-Serif"]gain more sensitivity with a 5-1-1.[/font]
[font "Verdana, Sans-Serif"]However if you are fishing with a jig or worm, you[/font] [font "Verdana, Sans-Serif"]want a reel that will allow to recover the slack line faster and move the fish out of[/font] [font "Verdana, Sans-Serif"]cover more quickly.[/font]
[font "Verdana, Sans-Serif"] I hope this is helpful to you.Happy Fishing [fishin]
[/font]
[signature]