Brett's_daddy Posted October 14, 2015 Posted October 14, 2015 First off I want to thank everybody who has replied to any of my numerous posts debating which reel would be best for me...it definitely helped me by giving me the information to (hopefully) make an informed decision. After much deliberation...back and forth, back and forth, 2nd guessing, adding more reels to the equation...I finally settled on one today and the winner is...the Lew's Tournament Pro!!! I bought it for $129.99 on sale. In the end in a battle of near equals with the Daiwa Tatula and a late entrant the Shimano Curado I for some reason the looks of the TP just appealed to me more. I liked the carbon finish better as it seems more scratch resistant to me, I liked the overall color scheme of the reel better and I liked the fact that being smaller/lighter it opened up more choices for rods to pair it with. After pouring over reviews from every corner of the Internet as well as reading posts about members here who have them it just seems like they are a very solid if not spectacular reel that I will last me a very long time and will grow with me as a fisherman instead of me outgrowing it in a couple of years as (hopefully) my skill set improves. Even though there's just about a month left in the season up here in Vermont before it's so cold that places start icing over and the fish stop being active I can't wait to get my new reel and mount it on a rod. I intend to start with 50lb. Power Pro braid anchored to the spool by some 15lb. mono (or whatever the thickness equivalent is to the braid). Even if I don't end up going fishing before the end of the season I will at least get out and cast some practice plugs in the backyard. Now all of you people with a TP...get ready for some beginner questions on how to set this little beauty up ;-). Thanks again to one and all who took part in this decision process!!! Quote
Evan K Posted October 14, 2015 Posted October 14, 2015 Go Team Lews! Great choice. That's an outrageous price for a fantastic reel. Quote
WPCfishing Posted October 14, 2015 Posted October 14, 2015 Congratulations! You made a good decision and you got a great deal. I own eight Lews reels. Two of them are TPs. Quote
PourMyOwn Posted October 14, 2015 Posted October 14, 2015 I wouldn't bother with braid until you get the casting figured out. Just go all mono for now, then put your braid on next year-using this mono as backing. I actually don't use braid until the grass comes back in June. Quote
Super User rippin-lips Posted October 14, 2015 Super User Posted October 14, 2015 Yes, spool with #12 big game and get used to it first. There will come a time that you might have to cut the line off due to a backlash. Mono is cheaper and you won't be wasting money. Then pull off enough to get about 50% of the spool covered and spool up your braid. As for settings I'd put the mag brakes on zero. Open your sideplate and click on 4 centrifugal brake tabs. Set your spool tension knob 'behind drag star' so your lure falls very slowly and stops when it hits the ground without any overrun. Start there and use lobbing sidearm casts. Adjust as you do with practice. Back off the tension bit by bit when you're comfortable and then the brake tabs. I had mine set with 2 tabs on. It was good for whatever I wanted to throw. Only touched the mag dial when it got windy. Enjoy the reel. 1 Quote
ABW Posted October 14, 2015 Posted October 14, 2015 The TP is a fun little reel to fish with. Hope you like it! Quote
Super User deep Posted October 14, 2015 Super User Posted October 14, 2015 Good deal! Now go fish. Quote
Brett's_daddy Posted October 14, 2015 Author Posted October 14, 2015 Forgot to add that it's the 6.4:1 gear ratio. That's one of the better all-around ratio's according to many people and since I can't afford a lot of reels this reel will be used for a variety of different baits/techniques...that and the lefty version only comes in the 6.4:1 helped make that choice . Quote
Super User new2BC4bass Posted October 14, 2015 Super User Posted October 14, 2015 Congratulations. I like mine. Haven't used it as much as my other reels because a grandson thinks it is his whenever we go fishing. Great price. Bought mine in like new condition several year ago for a few $$ less. Figured I got a super deal. I'm sure you will love it. Personally I would set mag brakes to at least 5 for the first few casts, and back off gradually. But then I'm not the caster rippin-lips is. Quote
Super User buzzed bait Posted October 14, 2015 Super User Posted October 14, 2015 Yes, spool with #12 big game and get used to it first. There will come a time that you might have to cut the line off due to a backlash. Mono is cheaper and you won't be wasting money. Then pull off enough to get about 50% of the spool covered and spool up your braid. As for settings I'd put the mag brakes on zero. Open your sideplate and click on 4 centrifugal brake tabs. Set your spool tension knob 'behind drag star' so your lure falls very slowly and stops when it hits the ground without any overrun. Start there and use lobbing sidearm casts. Adjust as you do with practice. Back off the tension bit by bit when you're comfortable and then the brake tabs. I had mine set with 2 tabs on. It was good for whatever I wanted to throw. Only touched the mag dial when it got windy. Enjoy the reel. listen to rippin's advice here..... spool up with some cheap line and practice, practice, practice. that's a great reel. i have all sorts of brands and like them all frankly, but the TP is a really smooth little reel. I really like the braking system on it too. once you get dialed in, you'll love this reel. Quote
Brett's_daddy Posted October 14, 2015 Author Posted October 14, 2015 I heard that braid is more forgiving than mono and that if you birds nest it's easier to get out and still save your line? I know that Dick's has 50lb. Power Pro in bulk and it's pretty cheap...$.11 per yard so like 105 yards would be $11.55. Quote
Evan K Posted October 14, 2015 Posted October 14, 2015 I started right out with braid and don't regret it. It is easier to pick out backlashes and I find it doesn't backlash nearly as much line when it does. With braid backlashes are a few yards, with mono or copolymer it seems like half the spool every time. Quote
Super User buzzed bait Posted October 14, 2015 Super User Posted October 14, 2015 I heard that braid is more forgiving than mono and that if you birds nest it's easier to get out and still save your line? I know that Dick's has 50lb. Power Pro in bulk and it's pretty cheap...$.11 per yard so like 105 yards would be $11.55. to each their own.... "cheap" is a relative term. backlash it bad enough to cut it out a few times and you'll be down $35. or you could get a $5 spool of 10 or 12 lb mono to "practice" with. once you're proficient, strip off the cheap mono go get the power pro and knock yourself out. Quote
Capt.Bob Posted October 14, 2015 Posted October 14, 2015 I buy 900 yards of 15# Big Game for less than 8 bucks, the same goes for 12# @ 1175 yards very "inexpensive",,,, can throw a lot away and still have less money in it than Braid. Saying that I agree, but I am sure my birds nest are not as bad as some new to baitcasting. But I have never had a birds nest I could not get out with 832 Suffix, or Fireline when I used fused line. Can't say that about Mono,,, but when you go to braid I sugest 30# and you will have plenty of 15# for leaders,,, which I always use,,, many reasons but one is, it's my fuse,,, the mono is what gives never the braid,,, making it very economical since it's immune to the elements and UV,,,,, good luck, you have a much better reel than I started with!! Quote
Brett's_daddy Posted October 14, 2015 Author Posted October 14, 2015 Yeah, 12lb. Big Game mono is $.03 per yard so for the same amount as the braid I mentioned above would be $3.15 vs. $11.55. Quote
punch Posted October 14, 2015 Posted October 14, 2015 Lews Tournament Pro's rule! For 130 bucks you're not going to find much better. They were good deals for 199 when they came out. I have a couple of them and they are a pleasure to use. Smooth and drama free. I hope the price on these keep dropping so i can start snagging them for under 100. 1 Quote
PourMyOwn Posted October 14, 2015 Posted October 14, 2015 I'd learn on any of the major brand monos, they're all pretty good.(I'm a Silver Thread AN40 guy) Just don't cast into the wind until 2017 and you'll be all set. I have baitcasters that have mono/fluorocarbon and a few with braid. At the end of the season I strip half the mono/fluoro off, tie the braid that's on another reel onto it. Then I transfer it from one reel to another. It puts the used braid on the inside of the spool and the braid that is on top is as good as new. "Flipping" over your braid makes it easy to justify dropping more $$ on the best brands. Quote
k3bass Posted October 14, 2015 Posted October 14, 2015 Lews Tournament Pro's rule! For 130 bucks you're not going to find much better. They were good deals for 199 when they came out. I have a couple of them and they are a pleasure to use. Smooth and drama free. Yep! And you don't even have to oil them before each trip. Quote
Super User rippin-lips Posted October 14, 2015 Super User Posted October 14, 2015 Braid is more forgiving when it comes to picking out a backlash. You also don't run the chance of kinking the line bad enough to worry if you weakened its integrity. In the flip side I can almost promise that you'll have to cut the line off at least 1 time. I'm saying this from personal experience. So you'll waste $12 in braid and have to spend another $12 for a second spool of braid. Totally your call and you'll hear different opinions on it. Quote
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.