1 hour ago, Catt said:

Y'all fish way too fast!

 

Even with buzzbaits I prefer a slow revive, I use a 5.0:1, same with spinnerbaits.

 

Soon y'all gonna throw it out, reel it in, & it will never touch water.

 

5 speed for a buzzbait?! What kind of sociopath are you?? I suppose to throw them on 6' rods, too. 

3 hours ago, Catt said:

Y'all fish way too fast!

 

Even with buzzbaits I prefer a slow revive, I use a 5.0:1, same with spinnerbaits.

 

Soon y'all gonna throw it out, reel it in, & it will never touch water.

I try to get a buzzbait just out of the water, as slow as I can go and keep it up, most of the time at least.

Flipping / Pitching where the 8:1 gear ratio reel allows you to reel in and pick up line faster for your next cast . I also like it for Frog fishing.

My arsenal

5.0:1 IPT: 16"

5.8:1 IPT: 23"

6.8:1 IPT: 28"

7.5:1 IPT: 31"

 

Movement without Movement 😉

I have one 8.x:1 Metanium and it's used for jigs. I love having the quick retrieve back to the boat. If I'm pushing it, it allows me to get more casts in per day on the water. Does it translate to more fish.... not always. 

I remember back in the days not too long ago when 24" and 26" IPT reels were considered fast reels. Today, I fish with 2 baitcasters with 34 and 31 IPT for all techniques. I like them for working plastics to pick them up faster and setting the hook. Got a buddy I fish with on occasion who tells me I'm fishing too fast at times and missing possible pickups. Bass fishing is fun.

In what application(s), would I need a reel with 8.1:1 gear ratio?

None.

A-Jay

BFS. Those tiny spools don't pick up much line

8.1:1 is truly never needed but certainly nice to have…. Basically most heavy cover situations is where it shines frogging, flippin n pitching etc 

One thing not mentioned, is better hooksets on bottom contact. I think everyone has a set amount of handle turns when reeling down to set the hook.  I do 3-4 cranks, so when I started using an 8 speed...I was deeper into the power of my rod when I set the hook.

15 hours ago, KP Duty said:

One thing not mentioned, is better hooksets on bottom contact. I think everyone has a set amount of handle turns when reeling down to set the hook.  I do 3-4 cranks, so when I started using an 8 speed...I was deeper into the power of my rod when I set the hook.

I had not considered that. Thanks.

My frogging setup is 8:1. Like some other guys said, helps take up slack quick when a fish hits, and it gets back to the boat quick for another cast. 

Not necessarily 8.x:1, but the only time I feel like I need a fast reel is when throwing buzz baits often.  They'll wear me out quicker on a slow reel.

 

In my opinion, reel ratios aren't important.  I can reel a slow reel fast or a fast reel slow.  And since I'm always varying my retrieve speed one way or another, I don't have a standard speed, so I don't rely on the reel to dictate my speed.  The caveat is, I'm a former musician, so holding a steady tempo at virtually any speed is something I have a ton of experience with.  So I understand that other people may not find it as easy to vary their speed themselves, and need to rely more on the reel.  

If I’m dragging or frogging I’ve got an 8 in my hand.

I ran three 8.1 Daiwa Fuego CTs as my main reels last season and difference between a 7.1 or 7.4 is pretty minimal. Probably a dedicated frog setup is the only time I'd actually seek one out intentionally