In pursuit of Speckled Sea Trout and Red Fish

I have fished the Lew’s Titanium Pro five trips now with two being full days of at least ten hours casting artificial lures and plastic bodies on the Texas gulf coast in pursuit of Speckled Sea Trout and Red Fish. I am happy to report that I am extremely satisfied with the performance and feel of this reel. It is much more refined than even the Lew’s Custom Inshores I have fished nearly exclusively with since they came out. I definitely appreciate the finer cast control adjustments and immediately noticed how smooth the TI is in both casting and cranking. The hook keeper feature Lew’s carried over from the Custom Inshore series is a keeper. The finish is very nice and seems durable so far. I cannot say enough good things about the new braking system…it flat-out outcasts all my other reels with very little effort and fine adjustments are quickly executed when necessary to adapt to different lure weights and our ever changing Texas wind conditions. Initially I thought it felt a little hefty but now realize it feels very balanced and solid in my hand. The magnetic brake adjustment dial could use a slightly stronger spring as it depresses slightly when palming the reel but I suspect 99 out 100 people will not notice and it might be attributable to how I fish. I like the Winn grip knobs and carbon fiber handle. The drag is flat out excellent. I like that the Lew’s folks made the side-plate logo match the color scheme of the reel unlike the red logos on the other models I have.  It really is no wonder that so many serious anglers and colleagues continue moving from competing brands. I say this as a Shimano guy that was a diehard customer from the late 80’s until about 5 years ago- Lew’s just got too good to pass up.  Really looking forward to what team Lew’s comes out with next as they continue raising the bar.

M. Jank