could anyone explain specifically how ratios work. i been fish'n since i was a kid and never really asked about ratios. thanks in advance.

j

The gear ratio is basically the speed of the reel. A reel with a high gear ratio takes less turns of the handle to spin the spool, i.e. you don't have to crank as fast to get a lure moving. A reel with a low gear ratio winds in slowly and takes more turns of the handle to get the lure moving the same speed (or take line on the spool). A reel with a 6:1 gear ratio will take in lots of line with very few turns of the handle whereas a reel with a 2:1 gear ratio will take in the same amount of line with more turns of the handle. Lower gear ratios are good when power is needed such as in tuna fishing, or rockcod fishing. Lower gear ratio makes it easier to turn the handle under load (just like riding a bike, lower gear is easier to go up a hill). A higher gear ratio is better when fast retrieves are necessary like surface iron or something like that, but under load it takes more force to turn the handle making them not so optimal for big game fishing etc. Got it?
-Brian

YUP..THANKS AGAIN.

Don't forget about spool diameter. It is more relevant in freshwater than salt in my opinion. A spinning reel with a gear ratio of 3:1 may retrieve line at the same rate as a bait caster with a 5:1 gear ratio. This is due to the difference in spool diameter. Quite often, you will see a reference to how many inches of line the reel will retrieve with one rotation of the handle. This puts all the gear ratios and spool diameters on a level playing field and simply measures the rate at which a reel will retrieve line.

This is just another factor when trying to decide which gear ratio to purchase with your reel. Everything mentioned on the other post is also perfectly accurate and true.