Ideal Ratio for Bottom Bashing

[Splash]

What is the ideal ratio for Bottom Bashing in depths of up to 35m?? And why?

Pro's and COns of Level winds for bottom bashing - and why?

SPlash

[land-lubber]

depending on the species and the size of the fish you are pulling, a lower gear ratio is usually prefered for winching big fish out of the reef. a low gear ratio allows for more pulling power simply speaking. As to level winds..... level winds are ok, however if u get a hard running fish u can blow the sacrificial gear that drives the wormdrive. this is a saftey measure to prevent damage to other components and is relatively cheap to repair. However if it blows the reel is basically out of action til its fixed/line feeder ripped out. Most ppl go for non level winds for serious work offshore. u will get used to fishing without one relatively quickly and a tip is to not fill ur spool right up so u can allow for a bit of a line mound in the middle of the spool when ur pulling a big fish.

[Splash]

thanks

how woudl 4.2:1 rate to 4.9:1?

[land-lubber]

what reels are u talking about and wat line capacities??

[Splash]

Saltist 30H and TYR20 in particular or even the tekato at 4.2:1

[land-lubber]

i personally prefer daiwa reels, but for the price tyrnos are hard to beat too, i especially like the levers as opposed to star drags. those reels will be much of a muchness in relation to crank power andd any will b a good choice in saying that they are serious sized reels for shallow water work. i personally use a torium 20 or a threadline for that work, but it is personal preferance and does depen on the species ur targetting/lineclass/reef type
cheers

[Flex]

For what your after slpash I think you need to get yourself a couple of reels, not just the 1. Maybe a Tyrnos for heavier stuff and get yourself either a saltist or tekota.

I have 3 outfits I use when i reef fish. and im yet to find a situation where i needed another(aside contemplating using the anchor rope when i get blitz!..lol)

tyrnos with 80lb mono,
tekota with 50lb mono
and a heavy spinner 50lb braid.

For my fishing style these 3 are awesome, though it took me a few years to work out exactly what I wanted.

Maybe you need to sit down and work out how you fish and pick 3-4 reels that will cover 99% of the fishing you will be doing.

[Splash]

Thansk Flex. Interesting you have chosen mono for you overhead reels.

Splash

[Livey]

have you considered alvey snapper reels if all your using them for is bottom bashing with a paternoster rig? they are tough dependable and have a good drag system. however they are not so good for floating light gear or using a running ball sinker.

1:1 ratio = awsome pulling power and fast retrieve, simple, effective and well worth the money

[slabjig]

There is no ideal ratio for bottom bashing, it's dependant on the spool diameter of the reel, and the type of fishing you're doing. Bigger spools work well with lower ratios because they retrieve more line per revolution than smaller reels of the same ratio. While it's true that low gear ratios make it easier to pull up heavy weights, higher ratios pull up baits or lures faster when you're just running a check or moving to a different spot. Higher ratios also offer the option of "ripping" a bait, a tactic often used when jigging iron for Yellowtail (kingfish). So it's really dependant on your expectations, and to be honest, I do bait/lure checks and boat moves more often than I pull up heavy fish. I like high ratios (6.0 to 1) and a medium sized lever drag reel. I'm willing to do a bit of pump and reel on a heavy fish to compensate for the lack of "grinding" power. I've not found it to be a deficit, even when using heavy halibut jigs of up to 24 oz.

[finding_time]

I have 5 X 6:1 reels , 3 are used for light tackle game fishing and are great, the 6:1 ratio is great for this porpose as you can keep up with the boat as it backs down quickly on a fish and as your only fishing 4 kg of drag you dont notice the lack of torque! I have a boss 665h for jigging and if i brought another jigging reel it would be a spinning reel ( stella , saltiga) as i believe they are easier to use.

I also have a Avet 6:1 which i brought for fishing the deeper sites i fish 100m - 140m and it's loaded with 50lb braid. This is the worse outfit i own, even winding the bait back is akward let alone trying to pull a big mouthed pearlie up from depth. You find you have to pump and wind alot and the extra line you gain from the higher retrieve rate doesn't make up for the uncomfortable feel of the set-up i have now gone back to using a tld for this purpose but have put a longer handle on the tld.

I would not get a high ratio reel for bottom donging, trolling yes, jigging yes but not bait fishing.

Ian

[Splash]

Great input fellas.

Finding time - what braking strain (and is it mono or braid) do u use on your 6:1 reels?

Do u cast with these 6:1 reels and what brand are they?

Why is the spinning reel easier that the overhead for jigging?

Lvey - any difference between a snapper alvey and just an alvey reel?

Splash