Higher speed reels that wont break the bank.

[JDDogs]

Qualifier; just learning bass fishing.
Thinking about a higher speed reel for top water lures (Buzz, Frogs, ploppers, Etc)
Seems I am cranking my ass off getting these types of baits to work well.
Currently using a reel less than 7.0.
Will a higher speed reel help, or is my setup/technique wrong?
If the higher speed reels might help, who makes a decent one with a price point of say, </= to $150? 
Thanks in advance for any advice offered.

[Mike Cork]

7:1 is pretty quick. First things first, make sure you are using a larger sized diameter line, it will take up more space on the spool and take up more inches per turn of the handle. Also, make sure your spool is as full as possible. The fuller the spool the wider it is and the more line it takes up per turn of the handle.

Shimano makes the SLX which is a great reel for $100, you can get it in 8:1 and it will seem a little faster if you do all the things I just mentioned but I wouldn't unless you want to have a new reel. To see significant improvement over a 7:1 you'll need to get up to the super high speeds of 10:1 and then you're risking gear strength

[loomisguy]

Anything around 7:1 should be fine. You can vary the speed but in general with a buzzbait or the WP I just like to keep it turning.
Like Mike said,  the SLX or Daiwa Tatula is where I would be looking.
What line are you using ?

[big g]

I like the Lews reels I have been using for years.  Hold up well, and not priced to high.  If your a beginner a full reel will cause a few more problems for the beginner.  But like Mike said will give you Max retrieve speed.  Good luck my friend.

[Smallie_Stalker]

I agree with Mike, loomisguy and big g. Anything in the 7 gear ratio should be fine.

However, (I hate to be that guy but) not all reels at a given gear ratio are created equal.  You should also be looking at the IPT rating on the reel. This tells you how much line is taken up on each turn of the handle. Mike touched on this.

While higher gear ratio generally equals more IPT, one brand's 7.1 might give you 28 inches per turn while another brand's 7.1 will give you 31 or 33 IPT.

Going from 28 to 31 gives you 3 inches more per handle turn. That may not seem like a lot, but  for every 4 turns of the handle you take up an extra foot of line. So you have to crank less to take up more line.

You mentioned that your current reel is wearing you out on these types of moving baits. You can't make that reel go faster but you can slow down with a faster reel (more IPT) if needed

Daiwa, Shimano and Lew's all make reels in your price range that fit your needs. If you do some comparison while shopping for a new reel take that IPT into consideration also along with the gear ratio.

That's just my $.02

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[JDDogs]

Looked up the data on my BC reels, they are 6.4:1 and 26" line pick up per turn .
Guess I should have posted this information in the original post instead of posting "less than 7.0".  Got lazy, sorry about that.
My reels are loaded to very near capacity with 20lb braid.
In future BC reel purchases, I will look at both Line pick up per handle turn as well as Gear Ratio.
Thanks again.

[Capt. BassinLou]

Qualifier; just learning bass fishing.
Thinking about a higher speed reel for top water lures (Buzz, Frogs, ploppers, Etc)
Seems I am cranking my ass off getting these types of baits to work well.
Currently using a reel less than 7.0.
Will a higher speed reel help, or is my setup/technique wrong?
If the higher speed reels might help, who makes a decent one with a price point of say, </= to $150? 
Thanks in advance for any advice offered.

Good information being shared. With the techniques mentioned above, a 7 speed or higher is needed to fish those techniques effectively. Several good reels will fit the bill at the provided price point. Speed, ipt, are very important specs obviously, but also how the reel fits in your hand is important, keep in that in mind. Good luck reel shopping!!

[Mike Cork]

20 pound braid is extremely small diameter. Going to 40 pound will greatly help. The techniques your talking about it shouldn't hurt you, maybe a little on the casting distance of a buzz bait.

[Capt. BassinLou]

Looked up the data on my BC reels, they are 6.4:1 and 26" line pick up per turn .
Guess I should have posted this information in the original post instead of posting "less than 7.0".  Got lazy, sorry about that.
My reels are loaded to very near capacity with 20lb braid.
In future BC reel purchases, I will look at both Line pick up per handle turn as well as Gear Ratio.
Thanks again.

I missed this important detail. I agree with Mike, minimum 40lb braid for the techniques mentioned.

[apenland01]

I have the fast KastKing speed demon spinning reels and they work well, but a bit heavy.  I think they were like $70 built solid.  I highly recommend putting blue loctite on the handles, as they tend to come loose with use.  This same thing happens on the Daiwa Ballistic LT spinning reels.  Recently had to pay Daiwa $40 for a replacement handle when it came loose on a cast and fell in the lake....

[loomisguy]

I have the fast KastKing speed demon spinning reels and they work well, but a bit heavy.  I think they were like $70 built solid.  I highly recommend putting blue loctite on the handles, as they tend to come loose with use.  This same thing happens on the Daiwa Ballistic LT spinning reels.  Recently had to pay Daiwa $40 for a replacement handle when it came loose on a cast and fell in the lake....

Are you talking about the whole handle or just the knob ? The handle is made to be taken off so you can switch sides .

[Oldfart9999]

I remember when all you could get were reels in the 5 to 1 range and they were considered fast. Talk about cranking like crazy to keep a bait up.
Rodney

[Smallie_Stalker]

I remember when all you could get were reels in the 5 to 1 range and they were considered fast. Talk about cranking like crazy to keep a bait up.
Rodney

I remember reels in the 3.1 and 4.1 range. Yep, that 5.1 was a speed demon back in the day!

Somewhere in my storage tote of old reels I still have an old Quantum EX reel in the 4.1:1 ratio.



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[Smallie_Stalker]

I remember when all you could get were reels in the 5 to 1 range and they were considered fast. Talk about cranking like crazy to keep a bait up.
Rodney

I remember reels in the 3.1 and 4.1 range. Yep, that 5.1 was a speed demon back in the day!

Somewhere in my storage tote of old reels I still have an old Quantum EX reel in the 4.1:1 ratio.



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[apenland01]

I have the fast KastKing speed demon spinning reels and they work well, but a bit heavy.  I think they were like $70 built solid.  I highly recommend putting blue loctite on the handles, as they tend to come loose with use.  This same thing happens on the Daiwa Ballistic LT spinning reels.  Recently had to pay Daiwa $40 for a replacement handle when it came loose on a cast and fell in the lake....

Are you talking about the whole handle or just the knob ? The handle is made to be taken off so you can switch sides .

Yes, the whole handle.  Blue loctite is medium hold and removeable, but keeps it locked up until you actually want to remove the handle, versus it randomly working loose and falling into the lake....

[JDDogs]

In an unbelievable twist of fate, I was given a 7.1:1 reel that has never been out of the box.  Whether it's worth the powder to blow it into next week, I have no idea. It's a Johnny Morris series LH with 31" line pick up. All my reels are left hand, so an additional bonus. 
I will give it a try this week and see how it does.
Never look a gift horse in the mouth, my grandpappy used to say.
I'll write a "Prolog" in the near future.
Also, it was interesting seeing you guys who have been at this a while, post up about the evolution of BC reel. 

[njpaulc]

The amount of line retrieved per handle turn is determined by gear ratio and spool diameter.  Identical reels,  one with 40lb braid will retrieve less line per turn than one with 20lb braid on an identical cast because the spool diameter will be smaller.  When you are making long casts, a large spool will maintain a high speed retrieve for more of the cast than a small reel.

[Smallie_Stalker]

The amount of line retrieved per handle turn is determined by gear ratio and spool diameter.  Identical reels,  one with 40lb braid will retrieve less line per turn than one with 20lb braid on an identical cast because the spool diameter will be smaller.  When you are making long casts, a large spool will maintain a high speed retrieve for more of the cast than a small reel.

You are right of course. I guess I should have been clearer in my post and stated that what I said applied when using the same line, not two different diameter lines.

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[topdsm0138]

So what's the consensus/opinion on a 6.4:1 reel? Both my new reels came in that ratio. I found them to be a "comfortable" medium between a "bank ratio" (slower retrieve) and "boat ratio" (faster retrieve)

Sent from undisclosed location. -Tiller Mafia

[Capt. BassinLou]

So what's the consensus/opinion on a 6.4:1 reel? Both my new reels came in that ratio. I found them to be a "comfortable" medium between a "bank ratio" (slower retrieve) and "boat ratio" (faster retrieve)

Sent from undisclosed location. -Tiller Mafia

I think it comes down to preference. Me personally, all my reels are 7 speeds, except my flipping reel that's 8 speed.  I can always slow down my retrieve on a faster reel but I can't increase increase my retrieve speed on a slower reel.

[Oldfart9999]

So what's the consensus/opinion on a 6.4:1 reel? Both my new reels came in that ratio. I found them to be a "comfortable" medium between a "bank ratio" (slower retrieve) and "boat ratio" (faster retrieve)

Sent from undisclosed location. -Tiller Mafia

If you're happy with them then they're right for you.
Rodney

[JDDogs]

So what's the consensus/opinion on a 6.4:1 reel? Both my new reels came in that ratio. I found them to be a "comfortable" medium between a "bank ratio" (slower retrieve) and "boat ratio" (faster retrieve)

Sent from undisclosed location. -Tiller Mafia

If you're happy with them then they're right for you.
Rodney

Yup, that pretty much sums it up.

[JDDogs]

Promised prolog,
Filled spool on aforementioned BassPro 7.1:1 reel with some 30lb braid I had on hand.  Much easier retrieve with that setup.
The BassPro does not cast as well as my Abu Garcia 6.4:1, but for certain baits, it's worth the trade off.  As mentioned, its easier to slow a retrieve when needed, than to crank like a mad man to make a bait work.
Thanks for all the help guys, I appreciate it.