Hey all I've been using a 7 ratio reel for topwaters lately and have had a bit of trouble with slow rolling buzzbaits.  I've switched up to an older 6 ratio reel for daylight hours slow rolling.  My question is this; I have an older 200G5 that doesn't get much use because I don't fish cranks as much anymore.....would this reel be ideal for reeling in jitterbugs/buzzbaits/plopper style lures during night hours at a slower rate?  Or am I over thinking this, and just need to try and slow down a little more on the 6 ratio reel.  The reel I currently use is an old Quantum Tour Edition, as I do not know ipc off the top of my head for either reel. Thanks in advance and tight lines!

   I'll bet I know what's going to happen if you slow down a reel with a high gear ratio. You're gonna either get a fish, or get hit-and-missed, and the very next cast you'll be going twice as fast without even realizing it.

   It's human nature.

   Go with the slo-mo.  Good luck!      jj

 

I use a really high speed (10:1), for buzzbaits, 7.3 for ploppers, and 6.3 for crawlers. It's much easier for me to slow down than it is to speed up. I don't want to hook a big fish on a buzzbait and not be able to keep up with it, which is often an issue since they tend to take off fast in shallow water where I fish a buzzbait most often.

Thanks guys for the responses, I think I may keep the 6:1 reel during daylight hours and use the 5:1 reel for the night time top water.  I was asking originally because I keep missing fish when I'm fishing at night.  Especially when there is little to no moonlight.