Whether for braid or mono - what baitcast gear ratio do you use for topwater (i.e. spooks , sammys , gunfish )  ? ... I imagine a 6:4:1 gear ratio will work fine for poppers and twitch baits - mainly interested in whether moving up to a 7:1 gear ratio for walking baits is an advantage OR if staying with a 6:4:1 gear ratio is best all - around for top water  ? ... Thanks for the replies !

I will use a 6.4:1 or anything in the 6 range for any technique you can think of but if you are looking for specifics then the faster the better for topwaters. The reason is slack, you can pick up a lot of line faster with a higher gear ratio but it also depends on the IPT so the size of the reel will come into play. For 100 to 150 size casting reels, a 7.1:1 or equivalent with 28" to 30"+ IPT is what I would use as a dedicated reel for topwater. You need to get use to it for walking baits, a guy I fish with uses a 6.2:1 reel for spooks and walkers in general because he is so use to it that any faster will mess up his rhythm so be aware that there might be a learning curve with using a different gear ratio reel.

For me a mid to high 6 with a ipt in the mid to high 20's is ideal for a walking bait, including buzz, poppers, jitterbugs etc.

For frogs or anything else you would normally throw in cover I use a higher speed...Ideally high 20's to low 30's of ipt.

Mike

I prefer faster reels so I can pick up slack line a tad easier...

 

A 6.4 or 7.0 would work fine (BTW when buying reels IPT is more important than gear ratios)

I prefer a 6:1 reel for almost any topwater. When it comes to a Jitterbug or Pompadour I like throwing a 5:1 reel (for me, a Chronarch e5). 

Good replies - I should have also noted my 6:3:1 bait cast reel is 26 ipt while my 7:1 bait cast reel is 29 ipt . I should also add I only want to put braid on one reel (I throw everything except diving lipped / lipless crank baits and frogs ) and leave two other bait cast reels dedicated for FC and mono / co-poly .

I've used all my reels, from slow 22 IPT up to high speed 32 IPT reels, and it doesn't really matter that much to me.  I adjust my cadence to each reel/bait.  What's more important to me is what other baits I'll be using that combo for.

Leaving a certain amount of slack in your line while working walking baits is important.  When I started using these baits more heavily I decided I wanted a rod and reel dedicated to the job.  I researched and sought the advice of fellow anglers through the use of multiple forums.  The majority of information about reels I received was that a high speed /high IPT reel was the tool for the job.   I purchased a 7.1:1 reel and was exicited to start using it.  I was never comfortable with this reel and application, my cadence and the speed that I needed to crank the reel to manage the slack line properly were just not in synch.   I switched to a 6.4:1 reel with a little lower IPT and I was very comfortable using it.

 

My point is that there is a lot of good starting points for what reel, rod, lure, line, color and everything else fishing that should work.  Until you put it in your hands and fish it, you will find that it is exactly that, a starting point. 

 

Good luck

I like a 5 something ratio for dog walkers (keeps slack in the line better making working the lure easier, a 6 range for poppers or prop baits, and a 7 range for buzzbaits, frogs, and soft buzzbaits like rage shads.

I've used all my reels, from slow 22 IPT up to high speed 32 IPT reels, and it doesn't really matter that much to me.  I adjust my cadence to each reel/bait.  What's more important to me is what other baits I'll be using that combo for.

^^ Makes absolute sense to me. ^^

I may initially buy one reel over another for the IPT but once I'm out fishing I adjust my retrieval to work the lure.  Fishing top baits I'm usually working that lure with pops and pauses or walking the dog, either way it's not a fast retrieve.  I'm not quite sure how fast my lure is being retrieved using a reel with 30+" IPT, I've yet to see a bass not be able to catch it if it wants it.

I use a 6 something ratio for all my topwaters but a high speed reel makes fishing buzzbaits a lot easier.