Lew's Speed Stick Lite HM85 Cast 7'11" MH Mag Cast LCLMCR Casting Rod Product Review #lewsfishing #lewsspeedstick

Rod Review

The Versatile Lew's Speed Stick Lite Magnum Casting Rod

Date:	1/20/22
Tackle Type:	Rod
Manufacturer:	Lew's
Reviewer:	Cal

Total Score: 7.75 - GOOD

Introduction: As bass fishing tackle become more and more specialized, it can get difficult to find a product for use with a few different kinds of baits. For example, the way some manufacturers label their rods, they make it seem as though you can't buy a rod to fish both a topwater popper and a jerkbait. All you need in either case is a stick that can #1 handle casting the bait and #2 a stick with a quick enough tip to respond to the twitching motion you use to work both baits. So what if I'm looking for a stick to fish medium to large sized moving baits? I'm talking something that can use to pull a Strike King 10XD but also turn around and tie on a Roman Made Negotiator. While shopping around for something to do just that, I read the specification on Lew's Speed Stick Lite "Magnum Casting Rod" and acquired one to check out.

Lew's Speed Stick Lite HM85 LCLMCR Specifications
Material	85 million modulus graphite
Length	7'-11"
Line Wt.	12-50lb
Lure Wt.	1/2-3oz
Pieces	One
Guides	11+tip Ti-Oxide w/ SS Frames
Rear Handle Length	12
Power Rating	Medium Heavy
Taper	Moderate
Rod Weight	5.5oz
Origin	Made in China
MSRP	$179.99

Introducing Lew's Speed Stick Lite Magnum Casting Rod LCLMCR

Impressions: Lew's Speed Stick Lite Magnum Casting Rod comes with the model number of LCLMCR. It is a seven foot, eleven inch stick made from the company's proprietary, multi-layered technology blank using 85 million modulus graphite. It features a moderate bend so it's ideal for moving baits, and a lure rating of half an ounce to three ounces.

One look at the rod's ratings and you know it's built for heavy duty action

Real World Tests: I matched the LCLMCR up with a Team Lew's HyperMag casting reel spooled with 16lb Sunline FC Crank and laid out a series of baits I intended to test this stick with including a 2.3oz Bull Shad Swimbaits Wakebait, a 1.5oz 6th Sense's Cloud 9 Magnum Squarebill, and a 7/16oz Bagley Bait's Balsa B2 crankbait.

When I see these words on a casting rod, I think one thing...

Casting: The LCLMCR is a pretty stout stick, but thanks to its moderate bend, it's very smooth when loading up for a cast and is able to launch baits from half an ounce and up just fine. The first bait I tied to this combo was the afore mentioned Bull Shad Wakebait, and I was able to whip that bait around as if it was nothing at the end of the LCLMCR. 6th Sense's Cloud 9 Magnum Squarebill was right at home on this stick and probably represented the sweet spot for the LCLMCR. What really surprised me was how well this stick handled the just under half ounce Bagley Balsa B2.

... Big baits - and the LCLMCR handles Bull Shad's Wakebait just fine!

Sensitivity: The LCLMCR has a relatively thick blank. I'm always skeptical when using a moving bait rod with a thick blank as to whether or not the rod is 100% graphite or not. I wouldn't be surprised if this stick was a composite, but whatever the true material, sensitivity is pretty good for a moving bait stick. While I couldn't feel the smallish Bagley Balsa B2 wobbling in the water, I could get a sense as to when the bait was swimming properly or when the hooks became entangled with weeds. Something about the way the bait pulled just felt different.

Lew's own Team Lew's Hyper Mag casting reel is a nice match with the LCLMCR

On the other hand, I could definitely feel the Cloud 9 Magnum Squarebill wobbling through the water. Of course, fishing the Bull Shad Wakebait was predominately a visual thing. The LCLMCR has average to above average sensitivity for moving baits.

Fig 1 : The chart above illustrates the deflection characteristics of our Lew's Speed Stick Lite HM85 LCLMCR against the historical average of our cranking rods separated by power.

Power: Once a fish hits a bait you're pulling through the water with this stick, the catch ratio is very good. The rod is very compliant and does not pull your bait away from the fish as it strikes. Once you hook the fish, that moderate bend leans into a backbone of very good power. In that respect, the LCLMCR feels every bit a deep cranking rod once under full load of a hard pulling fish. Together with the rod's length, it's not difficult to subdue your catch with this stick.

Checking out that tip and taper

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