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 (continued)

Design & Ergonomics: The characteristic of most sticks made for deep cranking or fishing baits of moderate weight is that they are long (check), tip heavy (check), and heavy (no check). That's right, while the LCLMCR is a long, tip heavy stick, it tipped our scales at only five and a half ounces (5.5). This is for a stick that measures seven feet eleven inches (7'-11") in length! That alone tells me this rod is not made from a composite blank.

The split rear grip features Winn grip material

Otherwise, the rod's split rear grip is covered with Winn Grip material and is very comfortable to hold with wet or dry hands. It is outfitted with titanium-oxide guides with stainless steel frames and features a split reel seat affording its owner maximum contact with the blank underneath the reel. There is a hole drilled in the trigger of the reel seat intended for use as a bait keeper.

This hole drilled into the reel seat trigger serves as the hook keeper

Lab Results for Lew's Speed Stick Lite HM85 LCLMCR
Model	Avg RoD	Taper	Measured Weight (oz)	Balance Point (inches)	Balancing Torque (ftlbs)
Lew's Speed Stick Lite HM85 LCLMCR	1.66	Moderate	5.5	9.5	0.30
Deep Crank Avg	1.85	--	8.5	8.7	0.29
Shallow Crank Avg	2.60	--	5.1	7.9	0.22
All Purpose Crank Avg	2.14	--	5.3	8.7	0.24

Guides are stainless steel frames with titanium oxide inserts

Price & Applications: Lew's Speed Stick Lite LCLMCR retails for $179.99, so it doesn't make that big of a dent in your tackle budget. It is suitable for any type of moving bait within the rod's stated lure weight range. However, thanks to a relatively short rear handle (12" from the back of the reel seat), you can even use this stick for punching duties. Some anglers will doubt my recommendation here because of the rod's taper, but most of the good punching sticks out there have a more moderate taper to them to help you keep the fish buttoned as you maneuver the boat closer making it easier to pull the fish out of the weeds.

Lew's Speed Stick Lite LCLMCR retails for $179.99

Ratings:

Lew's Speed Stick Lite HM85 LCLMCR Ratings (?/10)
Construction/Quality	A very clean build	8
Performance	Loads smoothly to cast baits within its range, average to above average sensitivity, and all the power you want	8.5
Price	A bit over that $150 threshold but still under $200	7.5
Features	Winn Grips, split reel seat, split grip design	7
Design (Ergonomics)	Long and tip heavy, but overall, pretty light for its length	7.5
Application	From medium to large moving baits to punching... this stick is more versatile than most will realize	8
Total Score		7.75
Ratings Key: 1 = terrible : 2 = poor : 3 = lacking : 4 = sub par : 5 = mediocre : 6 = fair : 7 = good : 8 = great : 9 = excellent : 10 = unbelievable! For More Details of the updated rating system visit our explanation here

Pluses and Minuses:

Plus	Minus
+ Light for its length	- I prefer a standard hook keeper above the reel seat
+ Average to above average sensitivity
+ Comfortable grips
+ More versatile than many will realize

If you like powerful sticks that can handle a variety of applications, Lew's Speed Stick Lite LCLMCR Magnum Casting Rod is one of those sticks

Conclusion: If you like powerful sticks that can handle a variety of applications, Lew's Speed Stick Lite LCLMCR Magnum Casting Rod is one of those sticks. Off the rod wrack, you'll think it's a stick primarily for moving baits, but thanks to that combination of power, length, and moderate taper, it sets up almost perfectly as a stick for fishing vertically in the thickest of cover. All it really takes is the willingness to try and the ability to think outside the "recommended bait" list. Although in the case of the LCLMCR, that list includes "10XD Crankbaits, Big Carolina Rigging, Jigging Spoons."

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