Lews Pro SP reel?

[Darth-Baiter]

I still tend to mess up my line when I pitch or punch for bass.  It eventually will backlash.  I’m getting better and my last outing was pretty successful in presenting my bait without much drama ( I still skunked tho).   I cast lefty so I can just reach for the reel-handle with my right.   I can’t skip a bait-cast YET. 

 

any thoughts on this low (line) capacity reel?  It’s toted as a pitch/skip reel.  What about loading it up with heavy braid and punching with it?  
 

 

[TNBankFishing]

I’ve not handled one, but I’ve been tempted. I use a tatula elite p/f for those techniques and I don’t see why the Lews would be any different. Great build quality and I love Lews products for the price. I bet you can snag a %20+ discount come Memorial Day weekend.

 

I actually love the SLP profile reels they have, and I personally think the Lews magnesium reel is on par with my aldebaran. And I picked it up used for $200. 

[Big Rick]

I have it and love it. I also have the Tatula Elite version. I prefer the Lew's when skipping due to the spool capacity. Get one and you WILL be skipping before you know it. It's that good. I vary the amount of line I spool on depending on my approach for the day. If you're bombing a frog then spool it all the way up. If you're doing more skipping and pitching, then only put on what you need. It doesn't affect the casting ability either way, it just prevents an eagles nest if you mess up. 

[Darth-Baiter]

15 minutes ago, Big Rick said:

I have it and love it. I also have the Tatula Elite version. I prefer the Lew's when skipping due to the spool capacity. Get one and you WILL be skipping before you know it. It's that good. I vary the amount of line I spool on depending on my approach for the day. If you're bombing a frog then spool it all the way up. If you're doing more skipping and pitching, then only put on what you need. It doesn't affect the casting ability either way, it just prevents an eagles nest if you mess up. 

Thanks big Rick!   Think I could put heavy braid in it and punch w it?

[Blaine Donders]

I have 2 of them. I switched them to 8lb fluoro and 1/8oz baits. 
 

I really like them, but think the SV spooled Tatula is a better reel for me when attempting to skip. I can make a mess trying it, too!

 

Nice reels though. It just isn’t the skipping panacea I hoped it was. Kicks butt on a ML with a Ned though!

[Tatulatard]

I watched a video of a skipping novice giving this reel a go at skipping and it was brutal to watch.  It is definitely not a a reel for complete skipping noobs.  You need a bit of proper technique to make this one skip but it will do it.  Just seems like the lews for the guys who really don't want a daiwa sv reel and have to have a lews.  Not a bad reel and that same video says it casts finesse baits really well too.  

[Big Rick]

1 hour ago, Darth-Baiter said:

Thanks big Rick!   Think I could put heavy braid in it and punch w it?

I do. And it works well. 

13 minutes ago, Tatulatard said:

I watched a video of a skipping novice giving this reel a go at skipping and it was brutal to watch.  It is definitely not a a reel for complete skipping noobs.  You need a bit of proper technique to make this one skip but it will do it.  Just seems like the lews for the guys who really don't want a daiwa sv reel and have to have a lews.  Not a bad reel and that same video says it casts finesse baits really well too.  

Depends, I guess. I have 15 SV reels in nearly every platform except the most expensive and like them all. But, I can skip better with the Lew's hands down. And I'm a decent skipper. But I'm not a rabid fan of any brand. I prefer Daiwa because they work for me. I won't, however, discount the Lew's reel because it isn't my brand. It's a great reel, smooth as butter and stout as an ox. YMMV

[casts_by_fly]

On 5/10/2022 at 3:22 PM, Big Rick said:

I have it and love it. I also have the Tatula Elite version. I prefer the Lew's when skipping due to the spool capacity. Get one and you WILL be skipping before you know it. It's that good. I vary the amount of line I spool on depending on my approach for the day. If you're bombing a frog then spool it all the way up. If you're doing more skipping and pitching, then only put on what you need. It doesn't affect the casting ability either way, it just prevents an eagles nest if you mess up. 

hi Rick,

 

when you say “spool it up all the way” to bomb frogs, how much line are you talking about?   I run 50# 832 on my frog and pitching rod.  The specs on the reel are 40 yards of 50# braid, but I know I cast a frog further than that a lot (I was doing it yesterday). How much line are you actually getting on the reel?  I’m very much considering this reel and they are running on sale at the moment. 
 

thanks 

rick

 

 

[Big Rick]

3 minutes ago, casts_by_fly said:

hi Rick,

 

when you say “spool it up all the way” to bomb frogs, how much line are you talking about?   I run 50# 832 on my frog and pitching rod.  The specs on the reel are 40 yards of 50# braid, but I know I cast a frog further than that a lot (I was doing it yesterday). How much line are you actually getting on the reel?  I’m very much considering this reel and they are running on sale at the moment. 
 

thanks 

rick

 

 

I've not measured the length, so I can't really answer you there. I also use 30 lb as I haven't needed anything larger. Running 50 lb will definitely eat into the distance, for sure. I also have a dedicated setup for frog fishing the slop and mats that has a full depth spool, but I'm confident that filling the spool on my SP with 30 lb would allow me enough distance to bomb a cast if the opportunity presented itself while I was skipping docks and low lying tree limbs. 

 

Sorry I couldn't be more help with your specific request. I did, however, just get another SP today to give me another setup for skipping docks. I love this reel for its designed application. 

[dodgeguy]

6 minutes ago, Big Rick said:

I've not measured the length, so I can't really answer you there. I also use 30 lb as I haven't needed anything larger. Running 50 lb will definitely eat into the distance, for sure. I also have a dedicated setup for frog fishing the slop and mats that has a full depth spool, but I'm confident that filling the spool on my SP with 30 lb would allow me enough distance to bomb a cast if the opportunity presented itself while I was skipping docks and low lying tree limbs. 

 

Sorry I couldn't be more help with your specific request. I did, however, just get another SP today to give me another setup for skipping docks. I love this reel for its designed application. 

When you guys skip it how do you set it up. Spool tension loose or tight ?  Centrifugal brake all the way on or what ? I'm a Lew's guy and I'm thinking of buying one to skip with.

[Big Rick]

3 minutes ago, dodgeguy said:

When you guys skip it how do you set it up. Spool tension loose or tight ?  Centrifugal brake all the way on or what ? I'm a Lew's guy and I'm thinking of buying one to skip with.

There are quite a few opinions and videos concerning this question. What works best for me and allows the greatest distance with the most control is setting the spool tension to where whatever bait I am fishing will drop and hit the ground with full spool stop when I release the spool. My brakes are set on 8-9 depending on wind and distance. 

 

Again, some will totally debunk my method and state you need to have the spool just tight enough there is no side to side play and brakes set light. That was a recipe for disaster for me. 

 

I don't try to skip further than 50 ft. When I do it causes problems. Please understand I am no pro. But, I can accomplish the goal of presenting my bait where most anglers don't even attempt and therefore get my bait in front of fish other anglers never see. 

[dodgeguy]

Thank you !!!!

[casts_by_fly]

54 minutes ago, Big Rick said:

I've not measured the length, so I can't really answer you there. I also use 30 lb as I haven't needed anything larger. Running 50 lb will definitely eat into the distance, for sure. I also have a dedicated setup for frog fishing the slop and mats that has a full depth spool, but I'm confident that filling the spool on my SP with 30 lb would allow me enough distance to bomb a cast if the opportunity presented itself while I was skipping docks and low lying tree limbs. 

 

Sorry I couldn't be more help with your specific request. I did, however, just get another SP today to give me another setup for skipping docks. I love this reel for its designed application. 

thanks anyway!  Since I’m in a kayak I can’t have truly dedicated rods.  I normally carry 5, maybe 6 at a push. My big heavy is set up to manage both frogs and heavy pitching. If I really need to have both rigged, I have a pitching stick with heavy mono on it. But that rod also does double duty for bladed baits and other stuff so I can’t put a shallow spool on it either.

 

I’ll keep trying. 

[Darth-Baiter]

its on sale?  where?

[casts_by_fly]

Amazon has them at $166 and Alf has them at 159

[FishTank]

14 hours ago, dodgeguy said:

When you guys skip it how do you set it up. Spool tension loose or tight ?  Centrifugal brake all the way on or what ? I'm a Lew's guy and I'm thinking of buying one to skip with.

 

Have you tried it with the new BB1? 

 

I have been using mine for jerkbaits.  I have been so impressed with it that I tried it with some Texas rigged soft plastic and it worked pretty well. I then tried it with some close quarters skipping.  It was better than i had expected. I tightened the cast control to were the bait almost wanted to fall and turned the brakes up 2 or 3 spots. I wasn't going more than 50 or 60 feet but the braking finally stayed somewhat consistent and I could control how it skipped pretty easily. 

[Tatulatard]

That's a lot of spool tension for skipping.  I how does it skip a weightless 4" senko?  Thats one of my favorites to skip and one of my litmus test baits when skipping.  

[Jimmy Wallhanger]

On 5/10/2022 at 3:39 PM, Darth-Baiter said:

Thanks big Rick!   Think I could put heavy braid in it and punch w it?

100% yes. 

[new2BC4bass]

On 5/10/2022 at 2:22 PM, Big Rick said:

I have it and love it. I also have the Tatula Elite version. I prefer the Lew's when skipping due to the spool capacity. Get one and you WILL be skipping before you know it. It's that good. I vary the amount of line I spool on depending on my approach for the day. If you're bombing a frog then spool it all the way up. If you're doing more skipping and pitching, then only put on what you need. It doesn't affect the casting ability either way, it just prevents an eagles nest if you mess up. 

 Seems you don't carry any extra spools for the reel.  Re-spooling line (or cutting off line) every time I wanted to change techniques would be a big PITA for me.  I'd much rather spend the money on separate combos and be all set for each technique.