Best Baitcasting Ratio's

So I am looking at getting a new rod / reel.
Main use will be for rockfish/Lingcod/salmon. What is the best ratio's in the reel. I have seen some as low as 4.5 to 7+
My research so far is looking like the 5.4 range.  It seems that the 4.5 would be to low, looking forward to some input. thanks all in advance. Any specific brands used would be greatly appreciated.

Abu Garcia C3 5500 and 6500's are great reels that'll do you well. Guess they're 5.3:1.  What I like best about them is that you can use the same reel for saltwater, salmon and sturgeon fishing... same rod for the most part too.  They're also fairly inexpensive.

You should be fine anywhere in the 4.3-6.0.  Gearing is mostly designed around technique if you're linging you're jigging.   HS is for ripping baits fast.  You generally get less drag with high speed as well and more fatigue reeling up a lot of weight.  Low gear gives you torque for pulling up large fish with ease.   Big fish on a highspeed reel are a bitch!

Spool size will have a factor as well gear ratio's aren't all the same.  Some 6.0 reels will have 34" per crank and some 4.5 will too.  My 2 favorite reels for salmon/rock/ling are a Revo Toro (5.4-6.0) and a Daiwa Luna 300 (5.1) both are great.  I pair them with a Back Bouncer and Loomis Mooching rod and I can cover a ton of techniques and species with those combos.

IMO the Toro is probably the best all around reel for medium rockfish all the way up to large lings, salmon, and even sturgeon.  A plus if you're a left hand reeler as toro's retail for $260 but can be had at or under $100 on sale all the time for LH retrieve.

I second the Revo Toro! Awesome little reel!
I would feel comfortable using it for steelhead fishing w/ 12# mono and Halibut fishing with 50# braid.
This will reel will do anything a baitcasting reel is needed to do from a Kayak!
I used to fish my Ambassador 6501 all the time and haven't used it in over a year.

I second the Revo Toro! Awesome little reel!
I would feel comfortable using it for steelhead fishing w/ 12# mono and Halibut fishing with 50# braid.
This will reel will do anything a baitcasting reel is needed to do from a Kayak!
I used to fish my Ambassador 6501 all the time and haven't used it in over a year.

Exactly I have a lot of high end reels laying around; Stella, Pluton, Saltiga, and several JDM imports but I don't think I'm as happy with any of them as I have been with my Toro.

This is a halibut I landed in AK with the Revo Toro 51. This fish made several good runs and I would have been WAY out gunned with a Ambassador. In fact I watched the next day as a guy struggled to make progress against a halibut about half that size.

I am leaning towards staying with lower ratio reels since I don't have the freedom of rod movement in the kayak as I do from the boat deck or bank.   This means I will need more pull from the reel  since I can't get the rod to do as much work as in other conditions.     

I am leaning towards staying with lower ratio reels since I don't have the freedom of rod movement in the kayak as I do from the boat deck or bank.   This means I will need more pull from the reel  since I can't get the rod to do as much work as in other conditions.

Reeling in a fish from a kayak is a combination of pulling the fish to you, AND pulling the yak to the fish.  Unless you are pulling straight up, you can get away with a higher ratio reel than on a PB. 

I wouldn't shy away from a high ratio reel. My big halibut reel is an Avet JX 6.0 ratio. It can crank 16oz of lead no problem. Anything over 24oz becomes really tiring though, but fishing with that much weight is not much fun anyways. The only time I have used a two speed reel was for cranking up shrimp pots and with 6-10 pounds (depending on the number of starfish) the low gear was necessary!

I think in today's marketing world, we get too caught up in the gear ratios.  I remember when 4:1 was considered a high gear.  Nowadays it is considered a low gear.  I don't think there are many situations in NW kayak fishing in which you need a truly low gear (in the 2 or 3 to one range) nor are there situation where a truly high gear (5:1 or better) works against you.  We just don't have the fish that pull with such power that the gear ratios come into play much.  OK ... maybe an oversize sturgeon, maybe.

-Allen

... I don't think there are many situations in NW kayak fishing in which you need a truly low gear (in the 2 or 3 to one range) nor are there situation where a truly high gear (5:1 or better) works against you.  We just don't have the fish that pull with such power that the gear ratios come into play much.  OK ... maybe an oversize sturgeon, maybe.

I would LOVE to hook something that ALMOST overpowered my Abu Garcia BG 7001 HS !!

I never wind on a fish when its pulling anyway.  Raise the rod.. reel down.. raise the rod.. reel down.. rinse repeat.  If the fish is pulling line or dogging it I don't reel... Only time gear ratio comes into play for me is when I'm using the reel to for instance cast spinners as it influences how fast I crank the handle to get the desired action.  The low ratio reels are nice when it come to winching Divers etc in when backtrolling in heavy current out of a powerboat.  I put more stock in the quality of a reel's drag than its gear ratio.

Only time gear ratio comes into play for me is when I'm using the reel to for instance cast spinners as it influences how fast I crank the handle to get the desired action.  The low ratio reels are nice when it come to winching Divers etc in when backtrolling in heavy current out of a powerboat.  I put more stock in the quality of a reel's drag than its gear ratio.

Yup!

-Allen