I went fishing with my brother in law today on Lake Mahopac ny. 10 to 29 mph winds and the only thing they would hit was Alabama rigs down 20 feet in 40 feet of water. My question is since he and I are new to the Alabama rig what gear ratio reel do you guys who cast and wind these things with and why.My brother in law had a 6.3 to 1 and I had a 8.3 to 1 .He tried mine and preferred it. I hooked a fish and felt the 8.3 to one helped me during the fight. The thing I didn't like was that really the rig in gets tiring with that ratio .

I use 6:6 to 1.

Started using 20 fc but have stitched to 17 FC,

spooled on a 200 size reel.

More info here _ 

A-Jay

 

 

 

 

I like 6 something ,I'm not sure it matters much but for me it's a slow rollin' suspended fish deal.

I like a 5 gear ratio.

For me with A-rigs, usually slower is better.

It doesn't matter for me.  The rod is what's important.  I use a 7.1:1 reel, but I'd have no problem going with a much lower or higher ratio.  I also use that rod for swimbaits and frog fishing, plus occasionally pitching jigs.  But, if you wanted a reel just for A-rigs, then I'd probably look for a lower speed reel.  You want to keep the A-rig down in the water column, so you want to reel it in slowish.  But unlike a deep diving crankbait or punch rig, you don't actually need to the torque...  Unless you catch two large bass at once, something I've yet to do.  

I use a 6.3:1 for both my A-rig reels. They're a slow retrieve bait that needs a lot of torque. 

im thinking a 6.2 bb1 pro

7 speed works for me. My 7 speed Tournament MB handled rig duty just fine last spring. I don't have a problem winding slow with it, and the rig doesn't require a lot of torque reeling in. The rod matters much more. The long handle on a 7'11" is a big help lobbing that sucker out there vs a 7'6" or shorter. My Ark Tharp Guntersville flippin stick works great, it's a stout rod with a fairly parabolic tip. 

There's lots'a wood on the bottom where I fish and the rig will snag any piece it gets within 10' of it seems. I throw it on 40# braid so I can get it back when it does.

1 hour ago, dodgeguy said:

im thinking a 6.2 bb1 pro

I use a 6.x:1 Curado G or Calcutta 5.x:1 for it.  The Calcutta I have handles the heavier weight better.

 

The BB1 you have should be just fine though but a fully rigged setup that is over two ounces might be pushing the limits of the brakes on that real. Not a 100% for sure but the Super Duty in the Lews line up might be a better choice.  

12 hours ago, Bankc said:

It doesn't matter for me.  The rod is what's important. 

Seconded - having the right rod matters so much with an a-rig.

On 10/2/2022 at 5:44 PM, dodgeguy said:

I went fishing with my brother in law today on Lake Mahopac ny. 10 to 29 mph winds and the only thing they would hit was Alabama rigs down 20 feet in 40 feet of water. My question is since he and I are new to the Alabama rig what gear ratio reel do you guys who cast and wind these things with and why.My brother in law had a 6.3 to 1 and I had a 8.3 to 1 .He tried mine and preferred it. I hooked a fish and felt the 8.3 to one helped me during the fight. The thing I didn't like was that really the rig in gets tiring with that ratio .

 

LiveTarget makes small A-rigs (1/4 and 3/8 oz - they come fully assembled) where retrieving with high speed IPT/gear ratios is not tiring at all.

BFS…10:1.  You’ll be able to tear a phone book in half in a month.

17 minutes ago, RDB said:

BFS…10:1.  You’ll be able to tear a phone book in half in a month.

BFS reels typically have smaller diameter spools so the net effect is that the IPT is in the normal range.  I have a Shimano 22 Aldebaran BFS XG with an 8,9:1 gear ratio and it presents no problematic issues relating to the ratio. 

11 minutes ago, QED said:

BFS reels typically have smaller diameter spools so the net effect is that the IPT is in the normal range.  I have a Shimano 22 Aldebaran BFS XG with an 8,9:1 gear ratio and it presents no problematic issues relating to the ratio. 

It was a joke relative to throwing a multiple ounce bait on a high speed BFS reel.  Maybe I should have included a smiley face ?.

 

I also own multiple Aldebaran’s.

20 minutes ago, RDB said:

It was a joke relative to throwing a multiple ounce bait on a high speed BFS reel.  Maybe I should have included a smiley face ?.

 

I also own multiple Aldebaran’s.

It was the "multiple ounce bait on a high speed BFS reel" part that I wasn't able to infer since there are very light A-rigs as I noted above.  Otherwise I would have assumed that it was humour.

34 minutes ago, QED said:

It was the "multiple ounce bait on a high speed BFS reel" part that I wasn't able to infer since there are very light A-rigs as I noted above.  Otherwise I would have assumed that it was humour.

No problem…I was referring to a traditional A-rig, not your post.

A-rig with 5 swimmers ( 2 dummies) and blades the in 5.8:1 300 size reel with 7’11 l” H swimbait rod works good. Smaller A-rig with 3 swimmers as and blades still like the 5.8:1 reel and 7’5” H frog rod.

Depends on the A-rig weight and water resistance. Difficult to cast a far with the air resistance, so cast it out so it lands with tangling then move the boat 30

ysrds away before retrieving works good. Line 25# Armillo.

Tom

It depends on the rig details. Head weights, baits, big blades etc. this is an application where a lower ratio reel has a mechanical advantage. 5:1 etc