Reels & Real Talk

#geraldswindle #reelgearratio #bassfishing
"Life Hack" Reels & Real Talk - The truth about gear ratios and why faster is not always better.

[@slickace65]

*Bought a 500 for an ultralight rod. It's very smooth **enjoyable.fishing** recommend casts great. One odd thing- the bale wire is a bit heavy diameter in my opinion for a reel of this size. But a great purchase.*

[@Leatherface-]

Knowledge. Thanks sir.

[@shawnbeck2303]

I had two Quantum Pulse Baitcaster's reel's. I caught more fish on those 6 to 6 to 1 reel's. Than any other speed reel's. Sharp hooks and 30 pound braid. They won't get off. Never! Quantum for ever! Shawn.

[@JustFishingTV]

Very good tip.

[@zachelliot7917]

💯 G!!! Love This!!! ☝🏼

[@jaystaats1551]

Good advice

[@kennyhaworth9606]

Awesome tutorial Thanks

[@ghettohey2388]

Hey G-Man. Was checking out your man cave during your video. Really liked it and was wandering about the dimensions including how high your ceiling is.

[@wyattearp6883]

Thanks for the advice. Very nice presentation.

[@richardraabe2789]

Makes sense thank you

[@druewilson1079]

Smart man keep the videos coming

[@bradenkey6686]

It also matters the size of gears that are in your reels

[@SRTW10]

Really good explanation but also if you can’t afford to have a bunch of rods and reels It also helps to keep it in the 6 range so that your reels are more versatile. You can fish any bait on that speed. A lot of times I’ll try to keep my rods in that same aspect but it’s a lot harder to do with them. So in my case I have a couple more rods than reels that I just swap the reel out. For example I fish a lot of night time tournaments in the summer and the fish go deep where I live and that slower presentation is key. Jig/Texas rig or shakey head so I put my jerk bait/topwater/spinnerbait rod down and pick up a rod I like to throw a Texas rig on.

[@bradenkey6686]

Shimano makes an 8.5 with micro module gearing which has smaller teeth than a 6.8 and has more power too so it just depends on the reel🤷🏻‍♂️

[@Amso4]

I prefer a high gear ratio most all the time. If want the bait to move slower, I don't reel as fast. The point that torque is reduced for a reel is as gear ratio is increased is undeniable. I change out my handles to compensate for higher gear ratios by using a longer handle. Most handles on 6 or 7 ratio reels are 80 mm. I go up to 96mm on my XG reels and even 105mm for deep cranking. I get all the speed I want and the torque is there also. Basic physics.

[@k-mparker]

Nailed It!!!! Aint gotta be as smart as a 3rd grader 2 figure this out. The car analogy made it sound like grocery store arithmetic!!! 👍😃🎣🎣🎣🎣

[@3thingsfishing427]

I agree, BUT sometimes you need to burn a lipless, then 7:1 better for me.

[@daveschutz5918]

For the sake of burning lures I agree

[@trevorbraden5448]

It does make sense...... but I also think it's personal preference....... I absolutely love my 8.1 reels...... I have no problems hauling in fish with them ..... but I have a variety of reels in the 6 ratio and like them also just depends

[@tonyrubaszewski6811]

I agree. I get more bites with a slower gear than with a high gear

[@davidklutts2371]

You tell them how it is I have caught a bunch of big bass on my 5.3 Garcia reels

[@michaelshoffner6584]

makes sense

[@davidmorris7101]

Dead on it. Still got 5.3 quantum tours I crank with that are 12 years old.

[@restless7528]

I agree Scott martin is a Saint for an 8:1 gear ratio never understood his method??? Good video G'MAN!

[@jonesboyshunting8673]

As speed goes up torque goes down and as speed goes down torque goes up. Being a mechanic by trade this made total sense to me G. Trying to get 80,000 lbs moving with a higher gear ratio in the drivetrain is hard on everything, just like trying to take a high speed reel and get a 10 pounder moving out of a grass mat that's going to be like a Bill dance hook set and I'm in trouble case. Great job G-Man, keep up the good work.

[@Penguin32880]

Higher gear ratio 4.10 has more torque than lower gear ratio say 3.55 in car terms though..

[@jonesboyshunting8673]

Yes you are correct I guess I should have made a note of that in there on what I was meaning by the gear ratios.

[@Penguin32880]

@@jonesboyshunting8673 yea his point made sense he just had the car stuff backwards Haha. Thought I was backwarda

[@rpproductions31013]

That was by far the smartest - simplest lesson for those that are not aware and will buy the latest and greatest high speed reels. Heck I remember, know you do too.....if when you was growing up and could get your hands on a used red Ambassador 5000 @ 5:3-1...mounted on gen 1 ugly stick....you was in high cotton. Thanks G man for all you do for the sport.

[@MrsQueenBee5]

Amen!

[@mouaxiong1620]

I never thought Of this lol

[@johnschniederjan1683]

Makes since to me.

[@veteranoutdoorsman9978]

Amen. My fastest is 6.4:1. Been known to flip with 5.3:1. When I started 5.3:1 was considered high speed. Best advice I have heard in a long time.

[@lannyluckyj3227]

Total agree G

[@chasecrawfordfishing2699]

He said hit the second kit! Lmao.

[@reubensolly2237]

Imho I think quality spinning reels are superior for single hook/soft plastic/heavy duty presentations. Reason 1, You have a more solid, ergonomic grip on a spinning rod. Your basically making a fist when you hold it. A baitcaster is more unstable because your hand is more open when you hold it. Reason 2, (good) spinning reels usually have longer handles, stronger/simpler gears, higher torque and better drag compared to a low profile baitcaster. There’s a reason why saltwater fisherman use heavy duty spinning reels to catch fish that would eat the biggest bass you’ve ever seen. Reason 3, they handle braided lines much better. Baitcasters require such heavy braid because of spool dig in. With spinning reels you can use a wider variety of lb tests.

[@MF-Rell]

I dunno bro. I've not had any issues with 15 to 40 lbs braid digging in. All mine are backed by braid except for my swim bait reel. My leaders are 10 to 25 yards 8lb to 21lb FC.

[@chrisduffy2737]

True that.

[@dougwisdom1239]

Good lesson! The only other ratios that use are for cranking. David Fritts had seminars on crankbait and ratios, I fish crankbait on 4.7 to 1 ratio reels. Just works for me.

[@jasonmausteller2488]

Glad you addressed this, always wondered how we went from needing torque in flipping and now they use 8.5 with no torque.

[@steveworkman989]

I’m a 6.3:1 never have owned a higher speed reel. My crank baits and spinnerbaits are 5.4:1. People ask me all the time, 5.4 for a spinnerbait. I tell them I generate more strikes with that gear than any other. Good stuff

[@DblK-BMorphs]

Man the more I watch the more confused I get about all this. What you said makes sense though

[@marshallreede5577]

Man, I couldn't quit looking at those beautiful buck mounts hanging on the walls!! Nice! Oh, and great message about the reels too!

[@crankintanks2092]

Thanks for the video looking forward for more

[@williammitchell6065]

actually glad to hear you lay it down on this, i live in the 4.7 to 6.5 power curve

[@jerrylanglois7892]

This is one time I disagree with '' G man ''. For froggin' and flippin' I fight the fish with the rod not the reel and only use the reel to take up line, so I love the fast reels. For cranking the big deep divers, naturally the slower reels give the power more than the fast ones.

[@keegles1]

Thanks for saying this Gman. Been telling people this for years but they think I'm stupid. I'm gonna share this video with people now.

[@JoseMartinez-dq4km]

Great advice

[@erichildreth7562]

All my reels are 6.3 or lower and it never made any sense to have a high gear ratio on a reel anyway. I was taught at a very young age that when you cast and your lure hits the water take up the slack and keep your line tight. This has always worked for me. Great explanation and thank you sir for everything that you have done for bass fishing!! :)

[@forrestoutdoorsman2473]

Thanks Mr. Gerald because I’ve always been struggling with either getting a fast reel or a slow reel and you sold me on the slower side!! Now all I got to do is work hard and earn some money to get a slower combo👍 thanks again

[@kellysatterfield5384]

Great advice! I've always liked the lower gear ratios to help me keep the baits moving slower. I'm bad to get excited and turn the reels too fast. Thanks again for the great information and video. Have a great remainder of the week....

[@chrisscallan]

Wow, what a realization. Ready to step my game up. Thanks G

[@danchilds881]

Just getting this all sorted out and as always GMan comes through with the advice that is tending toward my thinking. Good to know that I was not far off; and coming from a pro fisherman that I feel is the best and most complete. I feel good about where my bass fishing is heading!!! Thanks GMan!

[@jeffreysparks2524]

I have said that for years. I need torque, bass ain't that fast. If I got a 7'6'' rod and can't swing and catch up to him I'll drink more coffee cause I'm sleepy and swinging late.😂

[@MF-Rell]

😂😂😂

[@bobbymorton8816]

Awesome video sir!!!

[@MurkyWaterCentral]

The man!! Always keeping it simple.

[@zacharycarrow9598]

I'm seeing later but perfect timing because I was thinking a 10 0 would be good for spoons and picking up slack

[@arcfishing2012]

I use a 8.1 for my lipless,qnd jerkbait. But the rest of the time I use a 6.6 for my crankbaits. 6.5 for top water,6.4 for spinners, chatter, jigs,and buzz.6.3 for all of my finesse fishing, 5.3 for deep divers and A-rig. Thank You G I'm glad someone else using lower gear reels too.

[@blisterone]

Fished buzzbaits for 20 yrs on 6:1 reels , jacked em hard!! Now got the Lew's 7:3 , hookups feel different . My old reels were quantum and shimano. Old curado Shimano 100D 6:2:1 has brought hundreds of bass in my boat!! G said it all straight!!

[@rodneykimberlyhenry5056]

Thankyou Gman, that just wiped the shelf clean for me. Now I gotta back up and punt. I'm glad the reel I just bought is a 6.3:1.

[@haroldrogers6566]

LOL. And they wonder why I throw 10xd’s on old ABU 5500 and a KVD fiberglass. Can throw it most of the day. Added bigger handle. Power and more power. Wish I had 4500, so I couldn’t throw it so far😆👍

[@jimliechty2983]

Hey G ... they think us old guys are nuts! .I have some newer stuff, but still have and use my ole 5500C at times! It's been with me for 45 years, and still going strong!

[@kevingrace5295]

This was good information made a lot of sense

[@gregjohnson6799]

Good stuff. I like the analogy for torque. Makes good sense to me.

[@kylemattix5561]

Told the wife I wanted a rocket for Christmas. 4 minutes and fifty-nine seconds later, calling to let her know Santa needs to pump the breaks on his reindeer. Needs to find a different reel now.

[@eastTnbigs]

Absolutely agree

[@areddfishing7473]

I agree with this 100% I’m not into these high speed reels. I like lower because of power like you said! Think about it if I hook a fish a matt I want the power to turn that fish and move it! Can’t do that with a high reel. Also buzzbait is better moving it slow as possible! Thanks Gman!

[@buddybright9095]

I had a 7.1 Abu Garcia I think it was several years ago. I never had a reel I disliked any more. Even a model A bomber was like pulling a toe sack through the water. All my bass reels are Chronarch 100-B's, BPV's and chronarch 50 MG's. I have several of them some still in the box. I think they range from 5.1 to 6.1 ratio.They do everything I need them to do. Listen to what this man is saying. Don't get caught up in whats hot and whats new. I'm 72 years old and used to catch bass on a Zebco 33 with a 5 1/2 ft. rod. Good tackle helps but it don't make you a smarter fisherman. Stay simple and stay focused and contented,

[@Penguin32880]

But higher gear ratios in cars are more torque but less speed..

[@reubenjames6570]

I've watched videos about gear ratio and never had it explained this way. Thank you very much for this information G!

[@johngalt3568]

I’ve been trying to tell fishing buddy’s for years that this is the case. I’d rather use too low a ratio than too high. I have one 7:1 ratio Speed Spool because it was a gift. I used BB1NG’s back in the 90’s and was never overwhelmed by a big sally because of gear ratio (4.4:1). I learned to baitcast with an Ambassadeur 5000D (3:1 ratio). Sometimes we “improve” ourselves right out of catching fish. Once again, Gerald is the soothe sayer from Alabama.

[@isaacl.8214]

This very good to learn at 16. Being brought up into bass fishing all I’ve ever seen is 8.5 and even 10.0 and how good it is to have those but I have older family members etc that have much slower reels and think that even my 7.3s are too fast. I’ve never understood why they found it weird but this helps a lot. This is something I just never would have learned.

[@chuckdickerson8200]

Preach it brother... i have been saying this to my friends for years. My wife bought me one of those new abu rockets...i took it back and got 2 6.8's

[@deborahotis4015]

6.8 is my favorite.

[@frankieturner5381]

I wish there was more people in the world like you.just tell it like it is Thank you! Good luck this year. Would love to see you win the classic this year

[@andrew_brent]

Yep!

[@chuckkaleel9105]

Hey G great video!! How about a video on proper mechanics and rod position to eliminate slack and improve hookset and response

[@sonnysmythfishing8841]

G just sent some truth bullets down range.

[@mchevy911]

G-Man... great message. And, as always, the delivery is awesome!

[@dannyhudson5405]

That's right on the money

[@crackerstyleproductionstha4466]

Completely correct my buddies used to make fun of my old shimano 5:3:1 Cardiff with a long beff stick to be able to pull Em out.

[@anthonygeiss9130]

GMAN slapping some with the TRUTH! It's easy to get caught up in all these fancy new brands and models. In the end you find yourself resorting back to the fundamentals and time tested equipment.

[@KOPPESCHAAR1]

The truth juice is dripping all over this video!

[@janosczovek8524]

Agree with you 💯% you know what you are talking about , money can't buy experience 👍

[@sleeve1259]

L O V E that you broke it down like this. I always used a low gear for longevity reasons, bit Holly smokes, I guess it's just plain smarter form a technical standpoint too! Thank you G MAN 👊

[@jamespowellii1191]

Well said G!!! I won't buy a reel over a low 7 ratio. Love my 6.3 for most of my stuff.

[@wulfn7]

I've been telling people this for years that a higher gear ratio means you loose winching power. Highest gear ratio i use is 7.3.1 for bottom baits/topwater.

[@jaci7140]

Agree. My go to is 6.4 to 1. Funny seeing this cause this is the same thing I was saying just the other day. I flip with a 5.2 to 1.

[@georgedavis6583]

You figure this out once you use a high speed reel.. especially in heavy cover

[@Cbill1987]

Wow those were some solid fundamentals, it’s refreshing to see a pro actually drop knowledge instead of pushing product down our throats

[@michaelgoodrich9244]

Now that is some quality information. G you the man. Need to get a guy to start filming you and do more you tube shows.

[@doublehoutdoors3628]

Gerald is my favorite angler but I lock that drag with big line and the power of my loomis never had a issue with 8.1 ratio I use the rod to pull and control the fish not the reel

[@ronhinchliffe8160]

You are fortunate my friend. You missed stating the fact that you have 16" forearms and 23" biceps! There are no rules written in stone for fishing, just go with what works for you. Confidence is the number one piece of fishing gear.

[@titansfan2104]

I agree , I thought the theory behind a reel was to hold line. Use the rod to do the pulling doing the work??

[@howsbubbs]

Your awsome g reat info

[@rogerdudra178]

100% in agreement with G-man on this topic of gear ratios in fishin reels.

[@svmoua24]

Yep, uh huh. I used to wonder why my landing ratio used to be so bad with my slop froggin setup til I thought about it... I could not get enough torque on my 8:1 stx. Now I've switched to a 7:1 beast for this seaso and figured I dont want anything faster than a 7-speed for froggin. I suspect this will correct my froggin-landing issues.

[@MrBumbles2]

Yep my favorite reel is the original quantum energy, have no idea what the ratio is . Everything is rubbed off and is as smooth as when I got it. My go to reel

[@juddlinette9318]

I had that problem a while back he had around a log and I couldn't get him of of it for a while was using a 8.3.1 reel

[@ETuss713]

Actual physics and math is not involved in your point of view. The gear ratio is only part of the equation. The spool duze matters greatly. 8.0 reels are very capable of turning fish. I edited to state the basic that I thought we all knew....the reel manages line. The rod casts the lure and works the fish, not the reel.

[@clarence1149]

20 years ago 6.3 was the fastest you could get. I remember those old Lews crankin reels that David Fritts made famous were the 3.8 ratio. Man how times have changed!

[@sj1roese]

G-man, love you dude...but the lews super duty in 8:1 is the shit for flipping. The thing you are missing in the video is the leverage a longer crank handle applies to that higher gear. Makes it just as easy to move a big fish.

[@kenpiper7524]

I love this!!! The 2nd kit of nitrous on a fish is the best part lol As a car guy who fishes your logic is perfect!

[@Penguin32880]

So 3.55s have more torque than 4.10s?

[@jessemiller3561]

Drag racing,not how fast you are, its how quick you are

[@shaybag]

I dont know G I love my Abu Garcia rocket for top water lures but everything else makes sense

[@joshgandy7707]

Sheldon Shay I like mine for fishing frogs. I want to be able to cover water quick! I’ve hung some studs in the mat and the rocket has never let me down!

[@hashiramasenju4846]

You pull and winch. There’s a proper way to go about it. The only way I lose fish punching is with cheap hooks.

[@Josh1776_PAW]

👍🏻👍🏻 right there with ya! 6:3-1 my all around go to for sure!

[@doughinchman3071]

KVD likes his high speed reels. Everyone has an opinion. Maybe for GMan who if he only had one lure, a brown jig, torque is everything. For KVD and open water he wants fast to catch up to a fish that runs at the boat with a crankbait in his mouth or to take in the slack with a jerkbait. There is no absolute right answer.

[@lmaoatstupid408]

Amen...I’m one of the idiots that tried a 9:1 gear reel and found out the hard way it wasn’t good.

[@TackleJunky81]

Agreed! 👊💪