Why fast speed reels for worm and jig fishing? A few years ago I met an angler from TN and as we talked about set ups we used I told him I liked a 7-1 ratio reel for my jigs and soft plastics. He looked at me like I had an ear on my forehead. He said man that’s crazy you have to fish those slow. I smiled and said well yeah, but you do that with the rod not the reel.
The explanation is simple. If you use a higher speed reel you can fish the desired area and then get your bait back to the boat quick. That results in the bait being in the “hot zone” for a longer period of time as you can retrieve and get another cast in quicker. That is where we want the bait to be is the “hot zone” where the active fish seem to be holding. Over an 8 hour day a few seconds every cast can add up. My main reason for the higher speed, however is to get the fish out of the cover and in the boat quicker. Now I am not saying “hoss” the fish in but the quicker you can get your thumb in it’s mouth the lower the chances of losing him.  You have to be conscience of how effective you are at using time when in a tournament. You want to run like a well oiled machine.
In closing I think most folks have jumped on the fast reel ship when worm or jig fishing, even the angler from TN I mentioned earlier. If you have not I urge you to give it a shot. Even if you are fishing on Sunday afternoon with the family it will help you put more fish in the boat.
Good Luck and God Bless,
Josh Morris
