Lew's XD Series Crankbait Casting Rod?

[RW]

Not seeing any reviews yet for this new rod. Thinking of getting the 6xd. Wondering how it well it would cast rapala dt 10s which is on the low range for this rod as well as the 6xd which is what it is rated for. Curious as to how heavy the rod is too. Anyone have one or have handled one? Not seen it in any stores around me yet.

[padon]

my shop has them. picked one up felt pretty good but thats as much as i can tell you. i was hoping to see some reviews on it too.

[Chris186]

I held them the other day at Bass Pro, they had all the models. It’s funny that the 3XD and the 5XD rod only have a 2” difference and are rated for the same lure weight. I did like the way they feel, the 3XD did seem to have a little softer tip than the 5XD

[RW]

I got a good deal and ordered the 6xd. I’ll post a review once I get a chance to use it.

[MidwestBassAttack]

You might want to check out a video posted by Todd Castledine. He has a deep cranking video in which the 5XD rod is used. If I recall, he does provide some insights. 
 

 

[padon]

i saw that. he did say he liked it. but then he is a lews guy.

[RW]

So my 6xd rod arrived this morning.  The rod was lighter in weight than I expected. I really like the grips. Seems well constructed. I paired it with a lews tournament pro lfs spooled with 12 lb Pline fluoro. I tested it out for about 30 min this afternoon, after giving up trying to catch fish in 38 deg water on jerkbaits, shadraps, tailspins, blade baits or frittside 7….
 

I first tried a 6xd and a spro 70 dd, deepest diving cranks I have. Rod loaded great and really launched them. However, reeling in these, I thought the rod had too much tip and was too flexy. I don’t think it would be pleasant cranking a 6xd with it all day.

 

Next, I tried a 5xd, Norman crank (forgot the name but it hits 14-16 ft), and a spro dd 60. Casts very well. The rod did okay with those when I reeled them in.

 

Tried a rapala dt 10 and Berkeley dredger 10. Rod casts okay, but rod is slightly too stiff for these. I have a 7’6” mh cashion elite mod fast rod that handles those better. 
 

I tried a Berkeley flicker shad for kicks. That did not cast well, which I expected. 
 

I did not get any fish to strike so I can’t comment on that aspect. My opinion is that the 6xd rod performs best with cranks that hit 12-16 ft range. Although it is rated as an “Xfast,” it seems more like a fast to me. I would be curious to see if a 8xd rod performs better with a 6xd crank than an 8xd crank.  

 

 

[Not-A-Bassmaster]

On 1/24/2022 at 10:40 PM, RW said:

Not seeing any reviews yet for this new rod. Thinking of getting the 6xd. Wondering how it well it would cast rapala dt 10s which is on the low range for this rod as well as the 6xd which is what it is rated for. Curious as to how heavy the rod is too. Anyone have one or have handled one? Not seen it in any stores around me yet.

Got my 6xd model today. Messed around in the yard with it and it seems to me like 14-20 foot divers will be the sweet spot. Like others have said, I have no idea how they classify it as an extra fast - maybe because it is composite? Feels like a MH - Moderate Fast to me. Can't wait to use it though, if I like it I will get the 3xd model in the fall for 7-12ft divers. 

[AmmoGuy]

On 4/1/2022 at 5:43 PM, Not-A-Bassmaster said:

Like others have said, I have no idea how they classify it as an extra fast - maybe because it is composite? 

 

Just ran across this and thought I'd clarify that the XD Cranking series rods are NOT composite. They are graphite rods. 

[TravisVirginiaAngler]

Could you throw a chatterbait on the 5XD?

[SC53]

I won’t buy another Lews rod.

Had a KVD jerk bait rod break about a foot from the tip after 6 months of minimal use.

Called Lews multiple times and left messages every time.

Never got a call back.

I’m  done with them.

[dodgeguy]

19 minutes ago, SC53 said:

I won’t buy another Lews rod.

Had a KVD jerk bait rod break about a foot from the tip after 6 months of minimal use.

Called Lews multiple times and left messages every time.

Never got a call back.

I’m  done with them.

That goes contrary to anything I have heard about their customer service.

[padon]

2 hours ago, TravisVirginiaAngler said:

Could you throw a chatterbait on the 5XD?

i would think you could. i threw one on my 6xd rod this spring and liked it. the slower action gives a nice delay on the hook set but it has good power in the midsection to move fish.

[TravisVirginiaAngler]

Thank you! I’ve rigged it up for tomorrow. Will definitely report back. Cheers!

[SC53]

15 hours ago, dodgeguy said:

That goes contrary to anything I have heard about their customer service.

Well I wish that was the case for me but it wasn’t 

[TravisVirginiaAngler]

Caught a good one on the chatterbait today using the lews 5XD. Rod loaded perfect on my hookset and the backbone was there to boat flip her! 3.5-4 lb range 

[TravisVirginiaAngler]

Used this rod again with the chatterbait and caught this one. I’m loving this rod’s ability to keep decent fish pinned and it’s cast-ability is next level!