Why Your Fishing Reel Gear Ratio Matters

As anglers, why should we care about the topic of fishing reel gear ratio?

Good question.

First, let’s be clear about one thing: You can catch plenty of fish without knowing anything about the gear ratio of your fishing reel.

If you’re fishy and get after it day after day using the gear you have, then you learn to fish that gear in a wide range of situations effectively.

Focusing on angling skills rather than gear ratio will lead to catching fish.

Fishing Reel Gear Ratio — Sometimes, the gear ratio is noted on the reel. On this reel, a gear ratio of 5.0:1 means the spool will rotate five times for each complete turn of the reel handle. *Scott McKee/Free Range American*

Growing up, I knew nothing about gear ratio. During those formative years, I fished for trout and smallmouth bass in central Pennsylvania with the same Shimano spinning reel and ultralight rod and caught more fish than I could count.

On the flip side, I now know some lure presentations are just more effective when fished with reels that work within a specific gear ratio range.

You can get more out of the lures already in your tackle box with two or three reels in different gear ratio ranges. Perhaps even more importantly, your efficiency as an angler will improve. Greater efficiency leads to your lures swimming in the strike zone for a greater portion of the fishing day. That often translates into more fish in the livewell.

What You Need to Know About Fishing Gear Ratio

The gear ratio of a fishing reel is defined as how many times the spool of the reel rotates per one full 360-degree turn of the reel’s handle.

Now that you know what gear ratio means, assess the reel or reels you currently use for fishing. Figure out what the gear ratio is for these reels. If it’s not marked on the reel, simply count the spool revolutions as you complete one full turn of the reel handle.

Next, pay attention to how that reel fishes various types of lures. In particular, keep in mind the following types of lure presentations as they relate to gear ratios. Try fishing these techniques with your existing tackle. If your current gear struggles to perform, this spotlights where you might want to add a different reel or rod-and-reel combination to your gear selection.

Let’s look at the strengths of low, medium, and high fishing reel gear ratios.

Low Gear Ratio Fishing Reels

The gear ratio of reels in the low range runs from 4:1 to 5.4:1 and offers the slowest line retrieval. The benefit of these low-range reels is that they provide more crank torque.

Certain conditions allow an angler to maximize the benefit of low-gear ratio reels. For example, fishing dirty or highly stained water often requires a slower retrieve. In this scenario, the “go-slow” approach allows fish more time to find your lure.

Kevin VanDam, seven-time Bassmaster Angler of the Year, asked Quantum to design a specific low-gear ratio reel to suit his preference for fishing crankbaits. In this reel, the torque is lower but without sacrificing power. And most importantly, it allows a level of feel to detect soft bites on deep-diving crankbaits.

shimano sedona — The Shimano Sedona FI is a solid low-gear ratio spinning reel with a gear ratio of 5:1.

Here are a few of the techniques and situations that benefit from low-gear ratio reels:

Heavier rigs or lures that produce extra resistance, such as umbrella rigs
Deep-diving crankbaits
Slow-rolling spinnerbaits
Fishing heavy cover, which necessitates the ability to crank down on a fish and quickly move it out of the danger zone

Medium Gear Ratio Fishing Reels

These reels range from 6:1 to 6.6:1 and are the most commonly used fishing reels. They provide a good balance between speed of retrieval and cranking torque, which makes them particularly popular in the bass fishing world.

VanDam likes to use a 6.6:1 reel for fishing spinnerbaits around shallow cover. This technique benefits from the balance between speed and power.

Other presentations that shine with these reels include:

Fishing plastic worms, especially Carolina rigs
Fishing lipless crankbaits in clear water

High Gear Ratio Fishing Reels

Reels with high gear ratios span a range from 7:1 to 10.1:1. Keep in mind spinning reels top out at 7.1:1, so this is really the domain of baitcasters. High gear ratio reels have become all the rage among certain groups of fishermen, including those who follow professional bass anglers, such as the late great Aaron Martens. Martens stated his rationale for high-gear ratio reels: “You can always slow down, but you can only turn a reel handle so fast.”

medium gear spinning reel — Medium gear ratio spinning reels work well for finesse presentations.

Tactics that involve a lure you frequently work with the tip of your rod utilize a reel that picks up slack line quickly when a fish strikes. This quick pickup is essential and makes the difference between a solid hookup and a missed strike.

Efficiency is the name of the game with these reels. When targeting specific types of structures with a small, well-defined strike zone, the ability to burn the bait back to the boat allows you to make the next cast more quickly. Spread over an entire day this can add up to dozens of additional casts to the money zone. More time in that zone equates to more fish in the livewell.

Reels with high gear ratios truly come into their own in situations such as:
Covering large areas of water when searching for fish
Fishing deep water (as in, fishing jigs over deep structure, 100 or more feet down)
Working topwater baits for bass
Burning spinnerbaits or buzz baits
Fastest line pick-up for when a hooked fish is running at you

Line Pickup Rate and IPT

The line pickup rate gauges how fast a reel retrieves line and is measured in inches per turn (IPT) of the reel’s handle. This measurement takes into account reel spool size. A reel with a larger spool can have a lower gear ratio but retrieve line as fast as a reel with a higher gear ratio but a smaller spool. IPT provides the most accurate measurement of reel retrieval speed.

Spinning Reels v. Casting Reels

Spinning reels offer the following benefits:

Easier to cast and more user-friendly for beginners
Cast lighter lures better than baitcasters

Casting reels, also referred to as baitcasters, can provide certain benefits too:

Designed to transmit more power, allowing you to crank a heavier or more resistant load with less effort
Cast farther than spinning reels
Available in higher gear ratios than spinning reels, with the high-speed models in the 7.1:1 to 10.1:1 range

Get In Gear

With a gear ratio of 6.2:1, a casting reel like this can handle a wide variety of presentation styles.

The importance of understanding your fishing reel’s gear ratio depends on your experience level as an angler, the type of fishing you do most, and what you’re looking to get out of the experience.

If you’re just getting started in fishing, then focus on one or two decent-quality spinning reels to match the rod or rods you’ll use most for your local fishing. A reel in the medium gear ratio range of 6:1 to 6.4:1 will offer you the best overall flexibility and a blend of retrieval speed and cranking torque.

You might keep fishing those reels for years, and if so, great. If you focus on becoming a better fisherman, you’ll catch more fish. Once you’ve gained some time and experience, and you find yourself looking to up your game, then it’s probably time to consider investing in reels that complement what you already have.

Start with one quality reel in each of the other two ranges — low gear and high gear. Use those reels for specific techniques that benefit from the lower or higher gear ratio. With your experience base, you will now be able to make the best use of these new tools.