Iam planning on getting a lews pro sp reel for pitching from shore. 8.31 or 7.5:1?    I’m thinking of going with the 7.51 for more power over the 8.3:1. Thoughts?

I want it fast for the occasional times when a bass grabs the jig/plastic and starts swimming at you quickly. Faster reel picks up the line faster. Buy a good reel with good gears and don’t worry about the gear ratio.

I am in the fast category for pitchin/flippin too. That is the only technique I use 8:1.  I like to pick up line quickly when fishing this technique.  Everything else is 6:1 or 7:1.

^^^ this. I like speed as well. For more torque (power) I install a longer handle, usually 120 mm.

Doesn't chang the speed...

Installing a longer handle will absolutely change the speed of the reel if reeling at the same cadence because the handle has to travel a further distance per revolution. The handle itself acts like a gear. Same as if you change the sprocket size on a dirt bike or put bigger tires on your truck. 

 

You have to reel faster with a longer handle for the reel speed to be the same as reeling slower with a shorter handle. 

 

The IPT won't change though. 

 

Longer handle = slower reel = more torque 

 

15:1 if they made it ! 

I pitch into some really cover and my pitches are 15yrds max. I can take up that short line with a 7.1:1 reel and a bass will more often than not, head further into cover rather than out of it and toward me. I'll take the better torque of a slower reel.

To me, the rod is for leverage. The reel is for taking up line. So go with the 8.1:1 if you have a choice. Not sure you'll notice the difference between these two ratios very much.

10 hours ago, Bandersnatch said:

15:1 if they made it ! 

 

The revo rocket is 10.1:1 I think and takes up 42" per turn.  Last I explored it was the fastest.  My dad likes his for buzzbaits and walking baits.  It was always just a bit much for me.  A quarter of a turn and you had taken up any and all slack, pulled the bait what felt like 3', and you barely moved.  

 

56 minutes ago, the reel ess said:

To me, the rod is for leverage. The reel is for taking up line. So go with the 8.1:1 if you have a choice. Not sure you'll notice the difference between these two ratios very much.

 

I find that a 1.5:1 difference (from a 7 to an 8.5) is noticable.  That's about a 4-5" difference in IPT for the reels I have.  A 1-2" difference isn't really noticable unless you're comparing side by side in a controled environment, blah, blah, blah.   In the yard yes, on the water not really.  Most of my reels seem to fall in the 29", 34", and 39" bucket and they are noticably different.

Any technique where the rod is what’s used to move the bait rather than the reel, I prefer the fastest gear ratio I can get. Only time I don’t wanna a fast reel is for techniques where it’s the reel moving the bait, such as spinnerbaits and crankbaits.

1 hour ago, casts_by_fly said:

I find that a 1.5:1 difference (from a 7 to an 8.5) is noticable.  That's about a 4-5" difference in IPT for the reels I have.  A 1-2" difference isn't really noticable unless you're comparing side by side in a controled environment, blah, blah, blah.   In the yard yes, on the water not really.  Most of my reels seem to fall in the 29", 34", and 39" bucket and they are noticably different.

Where I find retrieve to really matter when pitching (these are both very high speed to me) is in quickly reeling up and getting to the next pitch. Neither is a "power" retrieve.

For 30+ years I used a Shimano Calcutta with a 5.8:1 gear ratio. Never had a bass overpower me.

 

Now it's Lew's Tournament/Team Lite, 7.5:1.

Shimano Bantam 8:1 w GLX xheavy/fast 7 feet & 5” 

9 hours ago, casts_by_fly said:

 

The revo rocket is 10.1:1 I think and takes up 42" per turn.  Last I explored it was the fastest.  My dad likes his for buzzbaits and walking baits.  It was always just a bit much for me.  A quarter of a turn and you had taken up any and all slack, pulled the bait what felt like 3', and you barely moved.  

 

 

I find that a 1.5:1 difference (from a 7 to an 8.5) is noticable.  That's about a 4-5" difference in IPT for the reels I have.  A 1-2" difference isn't really noticable unless you're comparing side by side in a controled environment, blah, blah, blah.   In the yard yes, on the water not really.  Most of my reels seem to fall in the 29", 34", and 39" bucket and they are noticably different.

Daiwa has a sweet zillion ten speed that looks great. I just got so used to pitching with a 5.5oz  reel I don’t want to go back to 7.6oz 

9 hours ago, the reel ess said:

Where I find retrieve to really matter when pitching (these are both very high speed to me) is in quickly reeling up and getting to the next pitch. Neither is a "power" retrieve.

This why I like higher speed reels. 
 

1 hour ago, Bandersnatch said:

Daiwa has a sweet zillion ten speed that looks great. I just got so used to pitching with a 5.5oz  reel I don’t want to go back to 7.6oz 

i think that is based on the much older zillion body and isn’t great like the new ones. The revo is actually a pretty nice reel. 

Thanks for all the replies decided to go with the 8.3:1.