I got a screaming deal on a Pinnacle LTE (thanks Mr Swim Jig) - it has a 7.3:1 ratio - what would be the best application for this reel??  Walking topwaters, or ripping square bills and traps - or neither?.?

Pretty much anything other than deep diver cranks, and even then you can learn to adapt.

thanks J Francho

Any technique that creates slack in the line, or in which you need to take up slack quickly. I dont like it for "steady retrieve" techniques like cranks, spinnerbaits or buzzbaits (I prefer a 5.4-6.4:1 for those). Examples would be jigs, carolina rigs, worms, frogging, topwaters, jerkbaits, ripbaits, traps (yo-yo), etc.

I'd use it for verticle baits over horizontal baits..

Buzzbaits  &  Burning Spinner baits - to name a couple.

 

A-Jay

Any lure where you move it using the rod and want to take in line fast for the next move, or even the next cast. Any technique that has you feeling for a bite, like jigging, and you need to take in line fast for a quick hookset. Any presentation where you'll want to reel the bait fast, such as burning a trap over top of submerged grass.

A few baits I can think of...

Spinnerbaits

Buzzbaits

Jigs

Texas rigs

Carolina rigs

Jerkbaits

Topwaters

Lipless crankbaits (traps)

I'm sure there are more, but you get the idea. Plenty of uses for this reel. I'm using my 7.1:1 ratio for jigs, plastics, and spinnerbaits or buzzbaits. It's on a 6'6" MH/F rod.