I read with great interest the separate thread about sidewinder reels. One of the benefits of the 1 to 1 ratio is the shear pulling power of the low retrieve. For codfishing, bass on bait in deep water and blackfishing I always use an old black sided penn 3/0 senator. I have three of them and would never give them up. You can't buy a 2.8:1 reel new these days (maybe the penn 65 but not sturdy enough for heavy loads). If you've never battled a big tog or cod with a slower retrieve reel you don't know what your missing. I've watched my friends quit fishing when deep water cod or tog fishing with 5:1 reels. Not enough pulling power. Unless you need the speed to entice fish to bite like when speed squidding blues, gear down with a slower reel and just keep turning that crank. You'll also lose fewer fish that way. Tight Lines.
