............Plus the High Gear ratio might be tough with Really big cats.
Let me start by saying that this is by no means aimed at you Ray, just a comment in general and one that some might take issue with.
High ratios and big fish are not mutually exclusive!
The high ratio vs. big fish thing comes up regularly and it's one of my pet peeves; I always cringe when I see people holding the rod rigidly in one position and mashing down on the reel handle like they are winding up a full bucket from a well.
To me, a reel is not a winch! It's place to store to store line and house the drag and anti reverse mechanisms.
If the rod is used to gain line and then that line is gathered by lowering the rod and winding the reel, the ratio of the reel isn't really part of the equation.
There are some obvious caveats. Using a high ratio reel for halibut where you might have to bring 3lbs of lead up 300 vertical feet would be very tedious using the lift and wind method.
High ratio reels, as long as they have a stout frame, strong anti reverse and a good drag are fine for even big cats in reasonable depths using reasonable amounts of lead. Whether they are worth the $$ they might cost is a different question.
...W
