Casting Reel 5:01 Gear Ratio Vs. 6.3:1

When fishing reels were first invented they were simple, line storage mechanisms. But as anglers started using them to cast lures and troll for fish, reels called “multipliers” were invented. Instead of one crank of the handle, causing the spool of the reel to revolve one time, gears inside the reel caused the spool to revolve two, three or more times each time the handle was rotated. A common way of defining the “multiplying” effect with fishing reels is to express it as a ratio. The spool on a reel with a 3:1 ratio revolves 3 times for each turn of the handle. A 5:1 ratio reel has an even faster retrieve. In actual fishing situations, there’s more than just math involved when comparing reels of differing speed ratios.

  1. Comparing Ratios

    • The mathematical comparison between a reel of 5:1 ration and 6.3:1 ration is determined by the equation pi times the diameter of the spool times the gear ratio. If the diameter of the line on the reel’s spool is 1.5-inches, it’s 3.14 X 1.5 X 5 = 23.55. Each turn of the reel’s handle will crank in 23.55 inches of line. If the diameter of the spool is 1.5 inches on a 6.3:1 reel, each turn of that reel’s handle will retrieve 29.67 inches of line.

    High vs. Low Speed

    • Early casting reels usually had a ratio between three and four to one. Anything over 5:1 was high speed and since the fishing reel business is highly competitive, increasing the gear ratio in the reels they were making was one way to attract customers. All else being equal, a higher gear ratio resulted in increased sales or the ability to increase the price of a reel.

    Fishing High Speed

    • For a tournament angler who is casting and retrieving constantly for six or more hours each day, the extra six inches or so a 6.3:1 winds on, verses a 5:1 reel, means hundreds of less winds of the reel’s handle at the end of the day. That can lead to less fatigue. With fishing lures designed to be reeled in a high speeds, such as lipless, rattling crankbaits, using a higher gear ratio reel can lead to more strikes.

    Down Sides to Higher Speed

    • If there were no down sides to high speed reels, all modern reels would be high speed models. They aren’t. The higher the speed of a reel, the less efficient the reel’s drag system is likely to be. Higher speed translates into more strength required to turn the reel’s handle when winding in a big fish. That’s why few big-game fishing reels are more than 4:1 ratios. High speed reel’s will wear out more quickly than lower speed reels, so in addition to costing more initially, their life-span is less.