Baitcast: Lews Tournament Pro or Shimano chronarch

[Chris Shonefeld]

Hi There,

 

I’ve been fishing for a couple years now but am only recently getting into baitcasters. I currently own a Shimano SLX DC and love it. Looking to purchase another baitcaster. 
 

The two I’m heavily considering are the lews tournament pro ($200) and the Shimano Chronarch ($280). I know they are in two different price ranges but they both have great reviews. Once I get this baitcaster, I’ll have 3 combos total. That being said, I need a reel that can handle most everything.

 

What seems interesting about the lews is it has 20lbs of drag. I was thinking with my limited arsenal, this would be a good differentiator. I could use this more for frogging along with cranks and such. Its also not a Shimano which would be fun to branch out and try another brand.

 

The Shimano Chronarch is apparently an awesome reel that is super smooth and well built. At 11 lbs of drag it’s less than the lews but still a workhorse. A bit pricier too but I’ve loved my SLX. Also, everyone who does own this seems to love it!!

 

Overall, I just want a dependable reel that can cover a variety of applications. I’ve gone froggin in the pads with my SLX DC and it’s been just fine. Just looking for advice and different points of view! Any suggestions are welcome!!

[matbellon3]

Either would be a good option. As far as drag numbers go, you would never use 20lbs of it in bass fishing and most likely the reel was not designed to sustain a 20lb pull for long.

 

Though if you are willing to pay around $280 for reel I would import a Bantam MGL from digitaka or similar site. In my experience it will through everything in the 3/8-3oz range pretty well and is an excellent workhorse reel. It also just feels great in the hand is one of the smoothest reels I have used. And even though the drag is only rated to 11lbs it is one of the smoothest drags in a baitcaster.

 

 

[jbsoonerfan]

If you are willing to go $280, you might as well go $300 and get the 2020 Met B. If not, the Bantam is a superior reel in my mind over the Chronarch. I own 2 Chronarch and 6 Bantams. My Bantams are my "workhorse" reels and they feel so much better than a Chronarch when reeling baits that are "under a load" so to speak. 

 

I have never used a lew's so I cannot comment, but I would say pounds of drag would be the least of my concerns when talking about bass fishing.

[Captain Phil]

The Shimano Chronarch Bantam 100 reel is one of my favorite casting reels.  They are light, tough and smooth.  I load them with 20 pound test mono and lock down the drag.  I have one loaded with 50 pound braid that I use for frog fishing.  If I hook a big bass and need to give line, I push the button and use my thumb.  Bass won't burn your thumb like a bone fish or a big jack crevalle.  Spinning reels are better for that type of fishing. 

[Spy]

I've got both a Ci4 as well as an MGL and the Lew's in Tournament Pro and Pro Z.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Honestly, I think they all perform flawlessly and have no issues with either brand. That being said I would buy the Lew's without a second thought, especially as you can find the Tournament Pro for $140 which makes it a no brainer. 

[new2BC4bass]

33 minutes ago, Spy said:

I've got both a Ci4 as well as an MGL and the Lew's in Tournament Pro and Pro Z.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Honestly, I think they all perform flawlessly and have no issues with either brand. That being said I would buy the Lew's without a second thought, especially as you can find the Tournament Pro for $140 which makes it a no brainer. 

Yup.  $140 Sportsman's Outfitters.

[FishTank]

If you can swing it, the Bantam has been amazing for me.  The JDM version can be had for about $300 or less.

[NOC 1]

I can't imagine what you would need 20lb of drag for. Most of my bait-casters have 8 or 9 lb of drag I do have a couple that go to 13 and I would never lock them down at that. If you want the Shimano the Bantam is a good choice. The Lews stuff works pretty well but IMO they really aren't in the same class as a Made in Japan Shimano.

[Maggiesmaster]

I’m a big Lews fan.  Think I’d get the tournament Pro at a discount & use the savings on an upgraded rod.

[dodgeguy]

Lews tournament pro or the custom lite at 4.9 oz for 199$ at Sportsmans Outfitters.